CHAPTER 3

Over the years we got know a lot of the people at camp. Some came back year after and year and others stayed a year or two and left. Our immediate neighbor across the road was Phyllis and Chet. They came down most weekends, arriving after work on Fridays. Dick and Elaine Hudson and their kids camped at Fresh Pond also. They were tenters. At one time they had the spot next to Phyllis and Chet and later had the last spot on the waterfront row at the opposite end. Bonnie and Glen were our age and Donna was a few years younger. Paula, their youngest is a year younger than or the same age as our Diane. Dick had a speed boat that he had at camp. Several times he took us for rides around the pond. I remember Glen driving that boat around the pond. One summer Dick got hooked on sailboats and over the winter converted his speed boat into a sail boat. He took us sailing several times. I remember one day Dick took Bonnie and I out sailing. The wind was just right that day and then it stopped. After we sat out in the boat for a while not going anywhere Dick decided he had to lighten the load. Bonnie and I ended up swimming in from about 100 yards out. Don't worry, don't worry. We had life jackets on so we didn't drown.

The neighbors right next door that I first remember were the Weatherbees. His name was Ken but I don't remember her name. They fished a lot and often during the day played chess on the banking. They would go swimming once or twice a day. They were pleasant neighbors but eventually gave up their camp site.

The next neighbors were the Azaleas. Jeff, Scott and Peter were about our age. Their father didn't come down to often so the boys were their with their mother most of the time. She beleived in a year round educational system. During the summer the boys had to spend an hour or so a day working on school type projects their mother set up for them. This was something that they grew up with so it didn't seem to bother them to have to sit and do school work while the other kids played. If I remember correctly they were from North Dartmouth and lived near Lincoln Park. They also had a boat so when their father was down he took all us kids fishing. They had cousins who also had a place at the campground. One summer the park department had to move some of the camp sites due to fire regulations. The Azaleas were one of the camps that had to move. They got a spot in on of the rows beyond the rec hall. That summer they did not set up their camp. They did come down once or twice during that summer but didn't stay for more than a day or two. I had heard their mother had had a nervous breakdown during the winter and had spent a great deal of time in the hospital. By the time they were ready to come back the campground had closed. That was the last time I saw those kids but use one of Peters lines often. "Nice play, Shakespeare, when are you going to do another one?"

We had a lot of fun with these kids. We played games or went swimming all day long. We went to Pilgrims Progress each week with them. We even got into the study habit and got math workbooks for our grade level and sat out front and did our homework for a while in the morning.

Some of our other neighbors at camp were the Chirillo's from Quincy who camped behind us. Billy Chirillo was my age and we used to go fishing a lot. His father would take us to Fishermans Landing to fish once in a while. Mrs. Chirillo organized the "Twisters" for the talent show one year and drafted Shawn and I to participate. Mr. Chirillo was a Quincy Police Officer. The last time Ma and Dad saw Mr. C. was in the early years of the Massachusetts lottery. The Lottery was headquartered in Quincy and when Ma and Dad went over to claim a winning ticket, Officer Chirillo was on duty guarding the door. He made sure Ma and Dad got in to claim their monetary prize and get to their car safely after. Mr. Chrillio passed away shortly after.

Shawn saw in the paper during 1997 that Billy Chirillo passed away. There was no cause of death listed but he was in his early forties.

There was also Mae and Charlie Hughes from Framingham. They had 2 kids who were Joan and Eddies age. Sandy and Chick who was Charles, Jr. Charlie worked for the auto plant in Framingham. They came down most weekends and during their vacation. Mae would often sit on the banking with Ma and Phyllis and chat and watch us swim. They were very nice neighbors. Ma and Dad used to get a Christmas card from them at Christmas time but I haven't seen one from them in years. I think they may have moved to Florida when Charlie retired. Mae always reminded me of Ethyl Mertz. Shawn, in chatting with Phyllis recently found out that Charlie has had a stroke, Sandy is recovering from a broken back and Mae is still hanging in their.

The Hudsons camped next to the Hughes. Bob Hudson is Dick Hudsons brother. They were from Brockton and had a bunch of kids. Linda, Judy, Susan and Bobby. They were nice kids as well. Susan and Bobby were the same age as Shawn and I and Judy was 2 or 3 years older. Linda was about Joans age. Their camp was directly across from the raft. We also raced the grounds with these kids and played ball in the water. I remember one summer when Judy was out at the raft, she was on the diving board. She was jumping off but didn't jump out far enough and when she came down she scraped the side of her body on the end of the diving board. Someone with a boat had to go out to the raft to bring her in. She spent the rest of the summer limping around the campground. And was a scabed mess as well.

Another Judy story, as remembered by Joan was the day Judy was off fishing. After Chet, Charlie and myself she was one of the most avid fishing people at Fresh Pond. Mrs. Hudson was out and about looking for Judy because she couldn't find her bowl. Rumor at the time was that Judy had the bowl and was using it for bait storage. Mrs. H. finally found Judy and as they went by our camp

Mrs H had said to Judy "But I need the bowl to make jello in." And Judy's reply? "Why can't you use the collander?"

The last time I saw Mr. and Mrs. Hudson was at Chets wake in 1981. Their kids are all grown and they have a bunch of grandchildren.

The Hudson children - Linda, Judy, Susan and Bobby all live if Florida. Recently, Bob and Ruth Hudson sold their home in Brockton and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

The Allens were another family with kids our age. There was Herby, Patty and Jimmy. Herby was Eddies age and he had a motor boat. It was the safest boat at Fresh Pond. Herby was pretty carefull with his boat and didn't buzz around the pond recklessly like some of the others. The last summer or two we were at Fresh pond, Herby had a new speed boat. It was a lot faster than his old boat. One Sunday morning we got up and the only part of his boat above water was the nose. It seems the plug came loose or some wise guy pulled it out and the boat sank. They came from Brockton and were in most weekends as well as vacations.

When Joan was in the Convent she had gone to the bank in Brockton. And who do you think the teller was? None other than Herby Allen.

Another family at Fresh Pond was the Wirtzes. They were on the water front beyond the Hudsons. They were behind the life guard chair. They used to keep the swimming kickboards and oars to the life guard boat under their camp when the life guard was off duty.

Another family was the Mc Graths. Their daughter was Susan and she was my age. They also had a son who was Eddies age. They were in a trailer in the area of the playground. I thought that was a neat place to be because on Friday nights they could watch the movies from their trailer. They eventually had to move their trailer. They had the option of a spot up back on the hill or take a regular camp spot in the second row behind Bob Hudson. They opted for the latter. Mr. McGrath didn't seem to be around camp much except on occasional weekends. The son, whose name I can't remember, went to Boston Latin High School. During the summer he'd wear his Boston Latin High School jacket to the dance on Saturday night and kids were always asking him to "speak some Latin." He never did. Last year, one of the Mackey kids passed away and Susan had signed the online guest book. She noted her address as Rockland, MA.

(I received an email from Jack McGrath in March 2007. He told me he did not attend Boston Latin but his friend, Jimmy Curley, who was from the cottages up back did. So it was really Jimmy who would never speak latin. Jack also noted that he and Jimmy were college roommates and Jimmy was best man when Jack got married. Jack attended Rockland High School. Thanks for the correction and update, Jack)

Another family was the Partridge Family. They were from the South Shore area. No, they didn't tour the country in a wildly painted bus and sing their little hearts out. They had a camp behind the Bob Hudson family campsite. The oldest was Linda and their was a son Bobby. Their were a couple other kids, I think. I used to walk their youngest son around the campground for an hour or so once in a while so Mrs. Partridge could do what she had to do without interruption. Mr. Partridge had a heart attack and died during the winter one year. Everyone wondered if Mrs. P. would come back to camp after her husband died. To a lot of folks surprise - she did continue to come to camp right up until it closed. The last time I saw Mrs. Partridge I was working in Dunkin Donuts. She had stopped in a time or two and I was sure it was her. One afternoon she stopped in for coffee with Linda and I had a minute to chat. I asked if she was Mrs. Partridge who once camped at Fresh Pond. She was surprised I remembered her. She didn't remember me specifically but did remember their was a Kelley family on the waterfront from the South Shore area. She spoke of several families from camp that I remembered at the time. Their was a family named Terry that camped near the Wirtzes. The oldest daughter, whose name I can't remember (Judy?), married John Perkowski, whose family camped up on the hill. They had a little boy but their marriage didn't last. Mrs. Partridge passed away on 8 November 2002.

Another family was the Chisolms. They camped on the other side of Phyliss and Chet. They had three sons around our age. They only camped at Fresh Pond for a few years. I think the boys names were Barry, Robert and ?. I think they were from the Carver, MA., area. The youngest son had an appendix attack during the night and woke up many of the campers with his screaming. We didn't hear it. His mother and father took him to Jordan Hospital where he had his appendix removed and was back at camp in a couple of weeks ready to run wildly about. Mr. Chisolm passed away in 1996/1997.

The Briers camped in the row behind Phyllis and Chet. Stella and Arthur had two sons Peter and Paul. They were about Eddie and Joans age. Arthur used to head up the talent show every year. He made sure those that signed up practiced regularly and were ready for the show. He emceed the show some years and other years he paid the contestants after their act. Payment for the show was $2.00 for a solo act and groups were paid at the rate of $1.00 per participant. A multi talented kid could make a few bucks for the night. Arthur died one year after being hit by a car. Stella still came back to camp with the boys. They turned out to be hoodlums. One summer several boats were stolen from their moorings and used out on the pond then left to drift about aimlessly. They were caught redhanded stealing a small motorboat left on the shore and were going to go out to one of the big motor boats out on a mooring.

Another camper from that same area were the DeYoungs. Bob DeYoung was in real estate and he and his wife had a bunch of kids. I think they lived in the South Shore area, possibly Weymouth. I had heard stories that he was a womanizer and was seen around town with women who were not his wife. I did hear he and his wife divorced.

Their was a family named Farrell that camped in the row adjacent to the privy. I thought they were from Attleboro, MA., but received an email from someone who didn’t sign their name and told me they were from Brockton, MA. They had a bunch of kids. Joanne was the oldest and about Joan’s age. Elaine, Paul and Timmy were the others. It seems to me their was another kid in the family but don’t remember a name. Timmy was the youngest and a little shit. He was a wise guy from day one. And if something was going on the campground he was usually in the middle of it. They were one of the family’s that arrived at camp the day school got out and stayed right through Labor Day. The Farrell’s had cousins who camped at Fresh Pond. They were near the Farrel’s. One of the girls was a heavy set girl probably around Joan’s age. One summer Joanne and her cousin stopped by our camp for a visit. The cousin, whose name I don't remember, had lost a lot of weight. Dad asked her if she had been on a diet. She explained that she had a brain tumor removed that had caused her eating habits to be out of control.

Names, names names. As the years go by I forget more and more of the names. But I think I remember a few more families.

The Giffords were from Quincy. They had one daughter Sharon who was Joans age. Mr. and Mrs. Giffird were older people and I think both were a bit sickly. Sharon had an older brother whom I don't remember being at camp. They were pleasant enough to say hello to once a day but not to carry on a conversation with. When I worked in Boston I jumped on the Red Line at Quincy Ceneter. For a short time I used to see Mr. Gifford on the subway. Shortly after, I read in the Patriot Ledger that he had died. Mrs. Gifford has also passed away in the past year. Recently, Joan was at work at Napoli's Pizza in Quincy Square. A man came in and Joan recognized him immediately. He was Curtis Gifford and is the older brother of Sharon Gifford. Joan asked this guy if he used to camp at Fresh Pond. He said he did and that was thirty years ago. Curtis passed away in September 2001 after a long illness.

There was another Gifford Family that camped next door to the Farrell’s. They may have been from Rhode Island. They had a daughter that used to pal around with Mae and Charlie’s daughter, Sandy. These two girls along with a third used to sing at the talent show each year and usually sang a song from the current top ten.

Another family that camped in the same row as the DeYoung’s but were behind the Gifford’s from Rhode Island were the LaFortes. They only camped their for two summers and sold their camp when their mother and father divorced. Their were three kids in the family. The only one I remember is Michael. He was my age and we used to hang around together and go to the dances on Saturday night. We even won a dance contest one Saturday night, collecting a bag of penny cany for our efforts. Their mother and father called Shawn Frenchy.

Their was a family from Braintree by they name of Habeeb. They caught the tail end of camping. They lived by Wyatts or Wynotts gas staion in Braintree. They were pretty nice kids but tough competition in the field and track events on Labor Day.

Across the road from Herby, Patty and Jimmy Allen was another Allen family. They were from Rhode Island and came to camp every weekend. That's all I remember about this Allen family.

Joe and Elsie Sloan from Weymouth camped at Fresh Pond. I think they were behind Phyllis and Chet. They bought the camp from the family that had four boys in four years. The Sloan kids were Joe, Jr., Georgianna and Terry. J., Jr. and G. weren't down the camp all the time but Terry was. She was a couple of years younger than I. Elsie Sloan was known around Weymouth as the "Writer". I guess that was for her penchant for writing Letters to the Editor in the Patriot Ledger. Joe and Elsie divorced. When I lived in South Weymouth I used to see Elsie in Purity Supreme from time to time. Joe rents an apartment from from David Kelley on Pond Street and acts as superintendent. Terry married Chucky Hickey from Baker Avenue about 10 to 12 years ago. Elsie Sloan passed away in the spring of 2001.

The family that Joe and Elsie bought the camp from had four little boys. Billy had red hair and green eyes. Kevin had blonde hair and blue eyes. I don't remember the other two boys. There name was Holden. But the kids were very nice and often played with the DeYoung kids. I guess four kids in four years were to much and they gave up their camp.

Another camper was a girl by the name of Nadine. She was a retarded kid and I don't think her mother gave a damn about her. She often wandered around the campground looking for kids to play with. She couldn't go to the beach by herself and often was told to stay away from the camp until her mother told her it was okay for her to come in. No matter what the weather - ferocious sun or cold, cold rain. That kid was always outside. I don't remember her family being at camp for more than a few years.

Their was a family from Arlington that camped two doors down from Bob Hudson heading towards Fisherman Landing. The father was a fireman in Arlington. I think there was four kids - 2 girls about my age and 2 boys a few years younger. One of the girls was Betty. The other names I don't remember. I don't remember their last name at this point in time. They knew Dad was a fireman from Weymouth but did not realize he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant. Dad came to camp one night from work and was still in his uniform. He had his white hat on and the father of the crowd from Arlington saw him. I was at their camp at the time and he said to me. "Your father wears a white hat. Does he drive the chief around?" "No." I said. "He's a lieutenant." Then this guy yells to his wife. "Hey, Ed Kelley doesn't drive the chief around. He's a lieutenant."

(I received an email from Susan McGrath in March 2007. She noted the family from Arlington was Corbett. I think that is correct. Susan also noted that when it thundered and lighteninged, the mom would get the family in the car and drive around until the storm was over. Thanks, Susan, for remembering their name and the storm story. Susan has a daughter and granddaughter.)

If I had written about camp 15 years ago like I had planned to I'm sure I would have remembered a lot more folks names. But I might still come up with s few more.

There was a family on the hill with two sons who were related to the Azaleas. Eric was about Eddies age so he was one of the older kids at camp. He was a scuba diver. In the evening after dinner he would often come down to the pond dressed in his wetsuit and be equipped with diving mask, swim fins, air tanks, weighted belt - the whole shooting caboose. He'd scuba around the pond for a while. I doubt he found much in his subsurface travels. He had a younger brother by the name of Stanley. He was about my age. His mother thought it was awful that I used to hang around with all the boys and played baseball and football with them. I think that was because Stanley was a lousy athlete and his mother hated to see me do better than him in anything we played.

Another kid at camp was a wise guy by the name of Steven something or other. He was a twirp. He camped with his family on the hill in a tent. He was not allowed to go swimming without his mother being present but he did come down to the waterfront to play with us kids. One day this kid took his life in his hands. We were all playing trucks in the dirt in the boat ramp to the beach in front of our camp. This kid came up behind me and said, "Want to see what I did to your brother?" So I turned around and the kid punched me in the mouth. And then he ran like a little wimp. "I better not see you down here alone or I'll kill you!" I yelled to this little shit as he ran away laughing. For the rest of the summer I did not see the kid without his mother. He came to the beach with his mother and stayed by her side if I was around. If he was in the water and I showed up he'd come out of the water and sit with his mother. If I left the beach he'd go back in the water. He only came to the dance on Saturday if his mother came down to the rec hall. The summer was nearing an end and I still hadn't gotten my chance to smash his weasley little face in. One day, after I got tired of waiting I went to his tent site and rattled the tent flaps. "Is Steven here?" I asked his mother. "What do you want Steven for?" She asked quite suspiciously. "I just want to say goodbye before we leave." I said. He came out of the tent and I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and punched him right in the face. And then threw him on the ground like yesterdays garbage. I walked away as his mother yelled at me about being a bully and picking on little kids. What she didn't know or didn't acknowledge was that her son spent the entire summer smacking kids around and I was the only one that hit back.

There were cousins of the Farrells (I think) who camped up on the hill. One of the younger kids was a few years younger than I. One summer at the annual auction, this kid came down with her beach chair and sat in the front row. As the bidding opened for each item this little girl jumped up and bid "TWENTY FIVE CENTS!" As the bidding escalated this kid never bid any more than twenty five cents. After a bunch of items were auctioned off, a box of miscellaneous dishes came up to bid. She opened the bidding with her "TWENTY FIVE CENTS!" Someone from the crowd yelled "Give her the box of dishes for twenty five cents." "SOLD! To the little girl in the front row!" declared the auctioneer. She paid her twenty five cents to complete the transaction then took her box of dishes and chair and went home.

The Terry family camped on the waterfront near the Wirtzes. Their were several kids: an older daughter, I think her name was Judy and a younger son. It seems to me their was a son somewhere in the middle who was probably around my age. I don't remember the mother but I sure remember the father - Bob Terry. He was pretty strict with the kids. He was also very LOUD. When his kids were disciplined everyone knew it and why. He didn't seem very consistant with the things he'd yell at the kids for or allow them to do. One week he'd allow them to attend the weekly dance, the next week he'd pull them out of the dance hall for the way they were dancing. Looking back I can see where dances such as the "Twist", "Bunny Hop" and "Limbo" should have been outlawed. I sometimes wondered if he was on drugs.

A very interesting charector at camp was a guy who didn't have a camp at Fresh Pond but he had a cottage next to the camp down the road from Phylis and Chet. His name was Joe Robbins and the name of his cottage was "Robbins Nest". He had a sidekick from the campground who had a camp on the waterfront, I think. The two guys could be seen walking back and forth between the cottage and the camp. Joe had a couple of ducks he used to walk to the pond.

On Friday and Saturday nights Joe and his sidekick could be seen with their babes, who were always much younger than their two escorts. They'd often walk from cottage to camp and shortly after back to the cottage. I don't remember seeing them with the same women very often and I don't know who these women were. They could have been relatives for all I know. I don't know what these guys had to offer but it was always interesting to see who'd they'd stroll through the campground with. Perhaps I should have investigated this further back then. Joe's cottage has since burned down and Joe has died. I'm not sure about his sidekick but I think his name was Joe also.

At one time next to Phyllis and Chet there was a camp and I beleive their was a family by the name of Allen who camped their. They had a son who was Eddies age. I don't remember his name but he and Eddie were always fighting. Not just verbally but physically. I have no idea why they fought so much but they did. The family eventually gave up their camp or relocated elsewhere in the campground. I wonder if the fact that their son was always getting his brains beat in had anything to do with their leaving or relocating.

Another neighbor of Phyllis and Chet was a kid about Eddies age. He played the electric guitar. He practiced almost daily and was pretty good. He played all the surfing songs and songs of the summer. I don't remember his name. When ever he practiced he always had an audience of all the kids in the campground.

Once in a while folks would roll into camp looking for a temporary spot to pitch a tent or park a trailer. Once when the spot next to Phyllis and Chet was vacant a tent pitching group of beatniks moved in. They were the typical long haired, bongo beating, weird talking beatniks seen on television and in the movies. They caused quite a stir on the waterfront as I remember. We were not allowed to investigate and as I recall they weren't allowed to stay very long.

After the Chirrilo's gave up their camp at Fresh Pond, they went to Ellis Haven. Their site remained vacant for the rest of the camping years. It became a site for trailers looking for a spot for a short time.

Did you camp at Fresh Pond? Blast me an Email! I’d love to hear from you! Proceed to Chapter Four – Chapter Five Or return to the Beginning

(Last revised 21 January 2009)