Montclair Family Honored For 4 Generations Of Service To Scouts – Montclair, NJ Patch

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Friends of Glen Gray. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

This past summer sometimes seemed like it was 100 years long. But over a century ago, there were many New Jersey boys, for whom summer sped by like a meteor. These were the young campers, some of the earliest Boy Scouts in the U.S., who spent their summers in the hills and glens of the Ramapo Mountains at Camp Glen Gray. This month, (October 2020) one family that contributed much to making magical summers possible for the boys, will be honored at the Hall of Fame Celebration for Camp Glen Gray.

The annual Hall of Fame event honors those who have given “time and/or treasure” to support the camp and its programs over a period of years. The Crowell Family has been involved in both Scouting and Camp Glen Gray for four generations. The family has a rich heritage of contributing to Camp Glen Gray financially and in participating as campers, staff members and Scout Board and committee members.

Thomas Irving Crowell was a contemporary of Frank Gray, founder and namesake of the camp. He had moved his family from Boston to Montclair around 1900. The family were members of the First Congregational Church in Montclair, which chartered one of the earliest scout troops in the United States (Troop 4, Montclair). After the family moved to Upper Montclair, one of the younger sons, Adams Leland Crowell, joined Troop 5.

Adams attended Camp Glen Gray in its first year in 1917, just before his tragic death that summer in an elevator accident in New York. The Crowell family donated Adams’ entire savings of $237.60 to Camp Glen Gray. Frank Gray instructed that the ball field be named for Adams, in view of the generous gift that funded purchase of the land. While the field has commonly been called “Mary Post Field”, signs with its official name are currently being installed.

Adams’ brother, Thomas Irving Crowell II, had been too old to join Scouting when it first started in the United States, but his own family, with wife Pauline and four boys settled in Caldwell. Thomas was a member of the Eagle Rock Council Board and the Glen Gray Camp Committee as well as a Silver Beaver award recipient. He was inducted into the Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray in 1950.

The third and fourth generations of the Crowell family camped at the Glen from the 1930’s – 1980’s and served in leadership roles in in Scouting in Montclair, Essex Fells, and Caldwell. David Crowell (91) and his brother Kenneth (87) were both inducted into The Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray and have served and contributed to the camp for many decades. Ken was on the camp staff from many years in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. David was an Assistant Scoutmaster and eventually Troop Committee Chairman for Troop 12 Montclair from the 1960’s to early 1980’s. David’s sons Paul and John were members of Troop 12, for which John was also an Assistant Scoutmaster. The family has supported the Friends of Glen Gray over many years and was happy to make a significant contribution this year in memory of David’s wife Helen, who frequently ferried scouts between Montclair and the Glen and was a pillar of support for Troop 12.

The Crowell family produced two Life Scouts, two Eagle Scouts and a Silver Beaver Award recipient. They have left a lasting legacy to Camp Glen Gray throughout a period of over 100 years, and The Friends of Glen Gray are pleased to honor them as a family this year.

In addition to the Crowell family, Glen Gray will also honor Jack Dean and Robert Cunniff. Dean and Cunniff are active members of The Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray and were founding members and Trustees of The Friends Of Glen Gray. Cunniff is former Scout Master of Troop 65, Caldwell, while Dean is Assistant Scout Master of Troop 2, West Orange.

Established as a boy scout camp in 1917, Glen Gray is one of the oldest continuously operated camps in the U.S. In 2002, the camp transitioned to public ownership as part of the Bergen County Parks system. It is operated by Friends of Glen Gray, a nonprofit, volunteer organization. Over 4,300 scouts, youth groups and families enjoyed the wonders of the Glen in 2019.

The virtual event will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 25 from 1-2 p.m. Friends of Glen Gray, current and former Scouts, members of The Old Guard Of Camp Glen Gray and others who have enjoyed time at Camp Glen Gray in Mahwah, are encouraged to sign up for the event at www.glengray.org.

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