The Persimmon Bugle

Amongst the flora and fauna of Camp Fawcett are Persimmons. Persimmons come in the form of brush and will grow to be trees. The fruit of the persimmon trees produce in late spring and summer, generally at the same time that summer Scout camp has been held.

Read more to discover what the persimmon and the bugle have in common.
 

Ernst and Julius Graw

Part of Scouting is having fun, clean fun and pranks are a part of Scouting. This true story happened back during the early to mid 1960’s.

At summer camp Reveille was played in the mornings and Taps at the end of the day. Taps is also referred to as “Butterfields Lullaby” or “Day is Done”. 

There were two bugle calls in the evening. One referred to as “Evening Colors” notifying all Scouts to encircle the Flag Pole. Then “Retreat” was played when the flag was lowered and properly stored till next use.  At around 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM Taps was played for “lights out”.

Occasionally a Scout that felt he could play both would do so, some needed practice and others nailed the tunes, otherwise there was a standard Bugler on staff to play Reveille or Taps.

Julius Graw was the Staff Bugler and had done so for several years.  Each time he finished he would hang his bugle in the V. A. Brown Mess Hall. Julius had both tunes down pat, with never an off note.

One evening, at the set time, Julius went to the gathering and started playing "Call to Colors". Now visualize near 200 Scouts encircling the flap pole, a late evening routine to listen to the soft melody echoing through the canyon.  The more Julius blew the bugle the more puckered his lips became and the more sour his notes became. Staff knew, especially his brother Ernst, what was happening, but not the Scouts. Staff could not hold their composure and started laughing.

Re-enactment of the effects of a Persimmon on a person's lips.

A persimmon when rubbed on your lips makes your mouth draw up or pucker -severely.  Staff picked a green persimmon and rubbed it on the mouthpiece of Julius bugle.

Thereafter Julius still hung his bugle in the Mess Hall, but always carried the mouthpiece in his pocket.

A memory is not a memory unless it is preserved and retold.

Jack Jones, 1956 Eagle Scout and 1959 Vigil comments:

At Camp Fawcett in the mid-fifties the most fabled buglers were Phillip and Kenneth McCoy from Rocksprings.Both were talented trumpet players in the band and both were on Camp Staff.

The orders of the calls, as I remember, were.............

Reveille.........early.....Wake Up!

Mess Call.....sometimes called Soupie....Come to breakfast.

Mess Call.....Lunch

First Call......Get ready to come to flag lowering

Assembly.....Come to the flagpole

To the Colors.....Salute

Retreat....Bring down flag and fold.....retreat signals end of the day

Mess Call....Supper

Tattoo.....Start shutting it down.....followed shortly by......

Taps.....Last call of the day.....Lights Out......Quit Talking!.....Turn Off Those Flashlights!

The McCoy's would play a beautiful version of "Silver Taps" where one brother would blow Taps from the hill and the other would echo each phrase from near the waterfront........Chills........

Ah, life was simple and camp was good.

Enst Graw:
During all my years in various scout camps, "Taps" was NEVER played around the flagpole.  It was played at bedtime and basically it just meant "lights out" or "hush."  "Day is done" pretty much summed it up.  In my earlier days at Fawcett (1950?), they had a huge megaphone set up on the hill for use with both "Taps" and "Reveille."  Of course, it wasn't long before a microphone and speaker system were used.  Sometimes I just have to wonder if progress is always a good thing?

When we gathered around the flagpole to lower Old Glory, "To The Colors" and "Retreat" were played.
 

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