Camp Wolverton Neckerchiefs
From the collection of Frank Glick

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Early Screened Neckerchiefs - According to a discussion in the summer of 2005, with 1956 staff man Steve Schiff, in 1956, he and Camp Director Paul Jordan began making special staff and camper neckerchiefs in Steve’s garage.  Steve made a silk screen of a bear’s head (the Hamm’s Bear) based on the camp patch of the time.  A mother in Steve’s troop cut and sewed the material for the neckerchiefs.  Together, Steve and Paul made a few dozen neckerchiefs each summer for several years (probably 1956 through 1959).  As these photos show, several different types and colors of material were used during this time. The light print one is on pink silk or sateen material.  The same pink material was used to make an Order of the Arrow, Area 12E neckerchief.  Photographs believed to be of Scouts at Wolverton in 1957 show them wearing the pink silk neckerchief.  There is a matching blue silk neckerchief which is believed to have been issued to the staff.  There is a color photo of the 1957 staff, taken at Camp Wolverton, where they are clearly wearing the pink silk neckerchief.  We are guessing that the blue silk neckerchiefs were not made or available at the beginning of the summer when the staff photo was likely taken.  The third and fourth photos in the group are red neckerchiefs made of cotton material.  These were probably available to campers.  Somebody has hand-embroidered over the silk screen on one of them shown here; several of these are known to exist.  A similar red cotton neckerchief with a pirate was silk screened for campers in about 1959 at Camp Emerald Bay.  Also, somebody hand-embroidered over some of those too.  Lastly shown here is a silk screen on a blue cotton neckerchief, with the word STAFF stamped on the neckerchief.










Early Embroidered Neckerchiefs - These are the first 3 machine embroidered staff neckerchiefs.  The blue neckerchief is the only machine embroidered neckerchief with the “Hamm’s Bear”.  It is believed that Camp Director Paul Jordon ordered these as the first “dress neckerchief” for the staff of the 1959 summer.  The next known staff neckerchief is the orange one, with a full bear, issued for the summer of 1962.  This was the first year that Stan Morse had full responsibility for the camp.  Before that, it was Bill Kenny’s responsibility.  Stan thought, that in a land of real bears, the Camp’s bear should look real.  So, he replaced the Hamm’s bear with the bear on the California flag, the extinct, California Grizzly.  Also issued in 1962 was the green neckerchief.  It was made after the delivery of the orange ones, and substituted the year 1962 for the word “STAFF”.  They were given to the adult Scout Leaders at camp at the request of the Council Camping Director, Hugo Olson.  These three early embroidered neckerchiefs are very rare.  Probably only one to two dozen of each were made.






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