I was exposed to Scouting long before I was old enough to be a Scout. My dad (Henry Porter, Eagle Rock Council's first president) moved to Montclair when I was two, in 1912, into a great big old Victorian house on Park Street, where the George Inness Junior High School is now, next to Rand Park.

Dad had worked his way through Cornell University as a night telephone operator and lived at the YMCA, so it was only natural that he became involved with the Montclair Y. At that time they were raising money for the new Y on Park Street and that is where dad met Frank F. Gray, now known as "Uncle." He was the only "Uncle" I ever knew. There was an Uncle De Witt and several other uncles, but no other "Uncle." Well he asked Dad to help him with a group of boys at the Chestnut Street school. From that he served on the Council when it was first started.

"Uncle" was a guest many times at our house and he always wore his uniform, khaki britches with leather puttees. I was well supplied with Scout literature and a set of Ernest Thompson's How books. When I was 8 or 9, I became a Boy Ranger. The leader was Emerson Brooks. They used Indian ceremonies, the group was divided into tribes and each had a war whoop. Mine was HOW COLA WAH.

I most remember the trips that we went on two or three a year, to the Aquarium, the Woolworth building, Day Line boat ride up the Hudson to West Point and the tour of campus, to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and also to Bear Mountain Park. We had khaki colored uniform shorts, a short sleeved shirt and a cap.

All this time, Dad was involved with the Scouts and I tagged along on the visits to various campsites. When Camp Glen Gray was being built, I visited many times with Dad. I still remember them cutting brush and trees where the lake is. I also remember when they were pouring the cement for the core-wall. We didn't drive into camp, but parked at the bridge and walked up the road which was always washed out. Later they put in thank-you-mams, some of them were so deep that the bottom of the car would strike. It was a few years before culverts were put in and the road paved. Then came the telephone. Wires were strung on trees. After a storm they would have to be spliced. Radios wouldn't work. Not until the superhetrodine (a large powerful radio) was perfected could we get any reception.

In March, 1922, I became a Tenderfoot and a member of Troop 4. We met in the Congregational Church on Monday afternoons and "Uncle" was my Scoutmaster. A member of the fox patrol, Howard van Vleck was my senior patrol leader. At that time, every Saturday there would be scoutmasters in the woods up on top of the mountain above Watchung Ave., near the water tank, who would help us pass our tests. For merit badges there was a list of examiners. We would meet with them, go over the requirements and after we had mastered them they would sign our papers. About once a month, there would be a court of Honor at Scout Headquarters, we were questioned again about the subject, then we received our badge.

1922 was the first year that I was at Glen Gray as a camper. I had a wooden platform for a 7x7 wall tent, located about halfway between the Council ring and the Hospital. I had two cots. One was for Dad when he came up on the weekends. We were allowed to bring our dogs with us. I learned to swim in the cove by the spillway.

Camp was run by a bugler, who was a very important person in camp. There was a call for every activity. After reveille we lined up on the dam, brought with us a rock for the back of the dam, had roll call, flag raising and a dip in the lake. Then there was a call for mess and we lined up with our mess kit. The mess hall was a wooden floor and a canvas roof. It was up to us to wash our own kits, and if they were not clean at the next meal we did not get served. After breakfast we had time to make our beds and clean up our tents.

Camp was divided into squads, one to help in the kitchen, one to gather firewood for the campfire, and one to work on various projects. Remember, there was no electricity, so boy power was used to turn the dough making machine, ice cream machine, potatoes had to be peeled, etc.

There was a swim period before lunch and in the late afternoon. The only time we wore trunks was when the Mothers came up on Wednesday and Sunday. After lunch there was a rest period for about one hour when you were supposed to write home or read.

About one hour after supper was the campfire, conducted by "Uncle." He always had a whistle, one of those Bosun pipe whistles they use in the Navy, more of a pipe than a whistle. He made use, of the older boys, and visitors in leading the songs and story telling. He would accompany us on his piccolo.

The hikes out of camp were not well organized. It was patrols of two boys going out together. I took a hike out of camp to West Point with one other scout. I don't remember much about the hike, except that we slept in a horse barn out in a garden area. The only horse there was blind and he kept kicking his stall all night long. We learned later that they kept him to work in the fields as that was part of a firing range.

When we hiked over the Old Cannonball Trail, there were still signs of the charcoal pits where they burned the wood to make charcoal that was used at the ?? fort during the Revolutionary War.

The first time my mother came up to camp, she was just about to yank me out of camp. It seems that at mess we were all to take a bath or shower before the next meal. Well, I and another fellow got our soap and towel and went down to the lake and proceeded to wash in the lake. Well, that was a no-no. At the time I didn't know that there was a shower to use. Well every two year camper was allowed two swats at my fanny. And when my mother saw the black and blue spot on my fanny, she about threw a fit.

I made Second Class that first year at camp, First Class the second year, and Eagle Scout the third year. I served on the camp staff after that. I was not a very good student and had to go to summer school, but managed to get to camp on weekends.

Much of my time at camp was spent after camp closed. I bummed rides, sometimes my mother would drive me. I took the Erie to Midvale and hiked into camp. Back then there were plenty of dead Chestnut Oak trees, so firewood was plentiful for campfires and for building lean-tos and cabins. For my Pioneer Merit Badge, Dave Stickney and I made a bridge over the brook down below the headquarters lodge and a lean-to up in back of the Mothercroft. When there was snow on the ground, I spent many a weekend with Whitney Olds in his cabin. He had a wood burning stove to cook in and for heat. There was always someone at the Ranger's station and we had to register when we came in and when we went out.

There was always some project to work on, men and boys together. Dad came up often. He and Pop Williams were great friends and great cribbage players, and he spent many a weekend at camp. Pop Williams was always counted on to demonstrate his use of the crooked knife, making axe handles, and making pack baskets. I still have mine and a Hudson Bay axe that I won as a prize for having the neatest tent for a week. While at camp and at home, I made a ten foot canoe. It had been started in the manual training shop at high school. There were several canoes made in camp known as the kiddie canoes.

When I started at Glen Gray, the scout mothers were raising money for the Mothercroft. It was the first place that the whole camp could gather under one roof, and a place where we could work on craft projects. It was designed to be closed in for winter use, but it was cold and drafty. I remember there was a total eclipse of the sun one weekend. We were excused from school, set up camp in Mothercroft, and was it cold that night! We were awakened at about four in the morning and we hiked past the Sander's farm over to Alliger's (North) lookout, where you can see New York City on a clear day. The sun came up and was just fully up when the moon crossed in front of it and we were in total darkness. That was an occasion that I will never forget.

On the Fourth of July we always had fireworks. Somebody's dad worked for a powder company, and that year I was on staff. The fireworks came in a large wooden box, sky rockets, Roman candles, and flares. We spent all afternoon setting up troughs for the sky rockets, when somebody bent over the box with a lit flare that dripped into the box and set the whole thing off. Did we scramble out of that pit and up the side of the hill ! They said that was the best fireworks that they ever saw, but it sure scared the devil out of us!

One of the favorite assignments for the newer camper was to go for the mail, meeting the mailman at the bridge at the bottom of the hill. That was a favorite place for us to wait for our parents, then walk up the hill with them. A parking space had been made just this side of the river. My time at camp had been limited. My mother's father had a farm in Connecticut and I spent most of the summer on the farm. In 1926 I got my first driver's license in Connecticut and I spent most of the summer working on the farm. That was the summer the mess hall was completed and I spent little time at camp.

Sunday Church services were sometimes conducted by local clergy. The camp hymn was "Rock of Ages" because of the boulder in back of "Uncle's" chair. He told us to watch the crack in the boulder every time we came to camp as the split would become wider. The last time that I was in camp, it was split in two. The campfire was never allowed to go out, and ashes were saved from year to year.

There was a night watch, generally an older camper with a younger camper. We served one hour and made a tour of camp every half hour, checking each tent and then awakening it for the next shift. We also struck the ship's time on a large chain link every half hour. This link was said to be part of the chain across the Hudson river and woe-be-gone to anyone that let the fire go out even during a rainstorm. After taps, "Uncle" would play a Victrola and I still dream of those bull frogs. They had the loudest churums that I have ever heard.

The Old Guard cabin was the hospital and had about three cots in it and "Uncle" made his quarters there. He kept track of each boy physically as well as mentally. No chewing gum, no cigarettes, nor soda (he called them belly wash). Even when we went on hikes we were not to have it.

There were no open flat areas in camp. Camp was divided into two and an older boy was elected the leader. We made a hidden campsite out of camp, each boy was given a ribbon with a knot on one end to be tucked under the belt. To capture one of the other camp's men, you had to get his ribbon. After capture, the prisoner was taken back to your campsite and his hands were tied behind the back and around a small tree. The ribbon was put back under the belt. If you could free yourself, you could escape. I understand that some time later, the tie-ins were outlawed because they were putting razor blades in their cuffs so that they could set themselves free.

In an effort to hold the older boys, "Uncle" wrote ceremonies, and a ritual for the High School and College students, known as "the senior honors degree." Uncle was living in the Madison building, on the top floor. In one room was an imitation campfire around which we sat Indian style. We met about once a month. Two boys were assigned to cook supper for the next meeting. I did have the manuals for both degrees, but I can't find them. I believe that chapters were set up in Philadelphia. I still have my staff that was used in part of the ceremonies with a banner that my mother embroidered for me to go on the staff. At this time, "Uncle" was not very well, so we were not as active. I was elected to the Old Guard in 1931. But my name was not recorded until Dad found that my name had never been recorded.

After ninth grade, I spent very little time with the troop as it met on Monday afternoon and I was involved with sports at school. But weekends and vacations I was up at camp. The following summers I had jobs with construction companies, and after school I went to work doing most everything. It was the depression at the time and jobs were hard to find. I got a job selling Chevrolets strictly on commission. All this time, I served as Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 12 and later in Troop 10. In 1932, I got married. In 1934 we had our first child and in 1936 bought our first house. In 1942 when Fred, our oldest boy became 8 years old, the Cub Scouts has just started and we were concerned that they would have a bad effect on scouting. However, Belle, my wife, soon became den mother and I landed on the Troop Committee. When Fred became 12, he joined Troop 2 in North Caldwell. At that time there was a dandy scoutmaster by the name of George Tidsdale. I had as much fun with my son in scouting as I did when I was a boy. My second son came along four years after Fred. I wound up on the District Committee and the Council, served as District Commissioner, then Council Commissioner, Vice President, then Chairman of the Camping Committee.

It just so happens that Dad was the Chairman of the Camp Committee when the mess hall was built and I was the Chairman when it burned down. There was some discussion about opening camp, but we arranged to have food brought in by a caterer and served at each campsite. Boys made their own breakfast and dinner. Electricity was brought into camp when the mess hall was built. A Dr. Colton almost single-handedly raised the funds and did much of the labor in building the second mess hall.