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Main Flagpole History
Dedicated to Bob Davison
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Robert Dwight Davison was born in Rockford on January 2, 1933 and resided with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dwight O. Davison
in Rockford, Illinois. Bob attended Lincoln Junior High School and West High School. He served on the Camp Lowden staff
for three summers, as quartermaster, kitchen worker, and storekeeper. He was a hard worker who set a pace that others had
difficulty following.
Bob wanted to follow in the footsteps of his brother Clint, who was a United States Marine, and as soon as he was old
enough, 16, he enlisted. He left Rockford on August 21, 1950 with Rockford's Marine Reserve Unit, Company C, 4th Infantry
Battalion.
He planned to study for the ministry after the service and had just completed his requirements for Eagle Scout.
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After being sent to Korea Cpl. Davison served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was
twice wounded in Korea, on December 8, 1950 and February 23, 1951, and was awarded the Purple Heart. His parents treasured
a letter they received from Roger Erickson, a buddy of Bob, who described how Bob helped to save his life after one of his
legs had been paralyzed by frostbite and he was unable to walk. Erickson wrote from the war zone,
"Although he is only 17, he has proven himself to be more mature and more stable than the average run of men
over here."
On July 15, 1951, Bob Davison was killed in action in Korea, as he stepped on a land mine while rushing to the aid of a
fellow Marine that had been wounded. He was 18 years old. His death occurred the day before his unit was to be sent back
to the United States.
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Bob Davison receiving the Purple Heart
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Back at Lowden, word of Bob’s death hit the camp staff very hard. Jerry Peterson recalls,
I was near the Main Lodge one day in the summer of 1951 when
Bill Mulford, the camp director,
got word of the death of Bob Davison. He was crying and very disturbed. I heard that the summer
before Mr. Mulford had counseled him into going into the service. The flagpole base was built and
installed that very summer in Bob's honor.
Ken Merwin recalls,
I knew Bob Davison very well. He was about my closest friend on the staff and our friendship
extended to visits during the rest of the year. He enlisted to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Clint,
whom Bob worshipped as a brother and a Marine.
Immediately after the news arrived, Bill
Mulford called a local pastor who came to the campfire site and
conducted a prayer service. As the camp bell tolled in the Boy Scout memorial service, the entire
personnel of 275 campers and staff gathered at the flagpole. The flag was lowered to half mast by an
honor guard of Stuart Conover,
Ted Kjellstrom, Robert Johnson,
Ken Merwin, Milt Carter, and
David Welker, all of whom served on staff the previous year with Bob.
The Scouts marched to the council ring where the Rev. Edwin Hunt, pastor of the Oregon Methodist Church,
conducted a memorial service. Taking as the theme of his address a sentence from the Boy Scout Oath,
“To do my duty to God and my country,” Rev. Hunt said,
To us is left a heritage of courage by one of your number who learned here to serve others in
the true spirit of scouting. At 17 years of age he gathered his courage in the spirit of service and left
this campsite to serve his country and you and me in a foreign land.
As the 275 leaders and scouts silently left the council ring, taps echoed throughout the wooded area.
Bob Davison was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Rockford (corner of North Main and Auburn Streets). His name also appears
on the Korean War Memorial in Springfield, Illinois.
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New Flagpole - 1951
Photos Courtesy of Stu Conover |
The original Camp Lowden flagpole, which was made out of
wood, was removed and a new metal flagpole was given by the Order of the Arrow.
Ken Merwin recalls,
Prior to Bob’s death the flagpole was wood and was centered on the Main Lodge. In the weeks
following the terrible news several of us scrounged flagstone along the route to Oregon. We built the
flagpole base in the shape of an arrowhead with love, sweat and tears. Raising the metal pole was quite a
chore!
On Sunday, August 19, 1951, H.J. Homann dedicated
the new metal flagpole and arrowhead-shaped base to Bob Davison.
Mr. Davison’s parents were present at the ceremony. The flag that was dipped in Bob’s honor was the same flag that was
given to Camp Lowden in honor of Vernon Wood. The flagpole was given by the Order of the Arrow and the stone base was
formed in the shape of an arrowhead. The plaque reads,
“In Grateful Memory of Cpl. Robert Dwight Davison who sealed his Scout pledge of loyalty to
his country with his life. Born January 2, 1933, Rockford, Illinois. Killed in Action – Korea,
July 15, 1951. Presented by his brothers in the Order of the Arrow.”
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Mr. Homann later receved a letter from
Mr. and Mrs. Davison and Clint, which was shared with the entire staff:
Dear Mr. Homann:
It would be impossible for me to set down in words our sincere thanks for your many kindnesses in the
loss of our son. Your comforting words to Mrs. Davison and myself, the great honor bestowed upon Bob,
the magnificent presentation and the beautiful memorial all will live with us throughout time. Bob’s
three great loves were Scouting, his church, and his devotion to his fellow man, and I know he would
wish that Scouting became ever stronger, more influencing in the lives of mankind, and ever a symbol of
fine manhood.
Be ever mindful that our thoughts and prayers will be with you and express our sincere
thanks to all Scoutdom.
For many years it was a custom to place a wreath at the flagpole each year on July 15...the anniversary of Bob’s death.
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1960s
Photo Courtesy of Ev Worrell
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1980s
Photo Courtesy of Russ Sarver
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2004
Photo Courtesy of Steve Sarver
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Base Disrepair
Photos Courtesy of Steve Sarver
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Over the years the arrowhead-shaped base had fallen into disrepair due to weathering and heavy use sustained during the
summer. Pieces of the flagstone began to crack loose and several ultimately were lost. It was often difficult to see that
the base is in the shape of an arrowhead. The area was overgrown with weeds and looked unsightly. An effort was made to
lay down wood chips, but that ultimately worsened the problem.
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In 2004 Steve Sarver led efforts to improve the
area around the flagpole and to restore the monument.
At the Order of the Arrow fall conclave the entire base was dug out and refilled with road rock and a plastic weed
barrier. It was then topped off with decorative stone. Railroad ties and bricks were laid in to establish one direct and
definitive approach from the Main Lodge to the flagpole. This area was also lined with a plastic weed barrier and sand and
then paving blocks were laid down.
This worked out well, and was still holding up several years later. In 2008 the Main Lodge was rehabbed, and a
deck was installed on the west side of the lodge. Gravel was also brought in as the area along the west side had turned
to mostly mud. However this gravel quickly began to erode as there were no railroad ties to define the area (the ties
and pavers that were installed in 2004 had been removed). In addition the gravel had covered up some of the flagstone in
the arrowhead-shaped base.
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Time Capsule
Photos Courtesy of Dave Savone
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A “time capsule” was placed in the memorial when it was dedicated in 1951. However over the
passage of time those with knowledge of certain camp traditions had moved on and many traditions had been lost, including
the knowledge of where the time capsule was. In 1997
Stu Conover brought the issue to the attention of
the Order of the Arrow lodge, but apparently could not remember precisely where it was located. An attempt to find it at
that time was not successful. In addition, it was not located in 2004 when the base was dug out.
In 2005 Stu contacted
Steve Sarver and asked him if the time capsule had
been opened. Stu told Steve that it was located underneath a thin layer of concrete behind the dedication plaque (the one
place that had not been checked!) and that he and the 1951 staff helped put it there. He said that his father made the
plaque. As far as the contents, Stu said that it was a mason jar that contained Bob Davison’s OA sash and similar items.
Stu insisted, on several occasions, that the men who were on the 1951 staff meant for it to be opened and they were amazed
that it had not already been opened.
With the council's permission, the plaque was pried off in September 2005. Unfortunately there was not enough time to
chisel out the concrete to get to the time capsule.
In March 2011 Dave Savone cut away the concrete, found the mason jar, and pried out the contents which did indeed include
Bob Davison’s OA sash, arrowhead totem, and a ceremony manual.
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Steve Sarver has proposed that a new display be
made to complement the
existing Davison display
that he had made in 2007. The new display would include
the time capsule artifacts, and a brief history of the time capsule and its recovery. This proposal is presently being
considered.
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2011 - Restoration and New Flagpole
Photos Courtesy of Dave Savone
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In early 2011 Steve Sarver and Michael McCleary
led an effort to restore the base and the surrounding grounds. A meeting was held to inspect the area, review and update
Steve's original plan, and to discuss ways to restore the flagpole (which had not been part of the original plan from
2004). However it was immediately apparent that the flagpole itself, which had served as a central gathering place for
numerous Scouting activities for 60 years, needed to be replaced.
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After the old flagpole was removed in mid-May, the entire stone base was excavated, both inside and out, to reveal as much
flagstone as possible. The flagstone was pressure-washed to remove moss, loose mortar, and to lighten up any discolored
areas. Replacement flagstone and mortar was added as needed. Landscape fabric and decorative red rock was added (red is
one of the colors of the Order of the Arrow).
Railroad ties were installed along west side of Main Lodge as well as along the path from the Main Lodge to the road near
the Wienke Lodge. This established definitive walkways, helps to control erosion, and dresses up the area. Much of this
work was completed at the spring 2011 OA conclave and by OA candidates during the first week of summer camp.
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The results of this project are many:
- Preserves a camp landmark
- Restores a memorial
- Increases awareness of the memorial
- Honors the person who is memorialized
- Controls erosion
- Beautifies the area
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In looking at the calendar, it was noted that July 15, 2011, was the 60th Anniversary of the death of
Bob Davison, for whom the flagpole is dedicated (a Friday in 2011). Therefore it was
fitting that we have the rededication of the flagpole and restored base on Wednesday, July 13, 2011, in conjunction
with the flag lowering ceremony at family night.
Invitation |
Program
Jon Krause, president of Blackhawk Area Council, began the ceremony by introducing the United States Marine Corps,
who raised the American flag while the National Anthem played in the background. Mr. Krause then introduced guests of
honor:
- Ralph Rowe, who served with Bob Davison in Korea
- Staff members from 1948-1951 who were present
- Rockford Marine Corps League Detachment 83
- Our two Trumpeters for the evening, Jon James and Matt Plote
- Don Kinney, Council Scout Executive
- Dave Savone, Council Vice President of Properties
- Steve Sarver and Mike McCleary, Co-Chairs of
the Flagpole Committee
After his remarks, Steve Sarver gave a brief
history of who Bob Davison, and how the flagpole and arrowhead-shaped stone base were built in
his memory.
Mr. Rowe and the staff members from 1948-1951 who were present then unveiled the restored original dedication plaque from
1951, and laid a wreath to honor Corporal Robert Davison. Members of the Marine Corps League then gave a 21-gun salute
and “Taps” was played by the trumpeters. The Marine Corps League gave a blessing of the memorial and a short prayer.
The ceremony concluded with Dave Savone presenting the top of the original metal flagpole to Don Kinney, and segments to
both Steve Sarver and Mike McCleary.
The 2011 camp staff then lowered the flag, and the regular family night program continued as scheduled.
The ceremony was very meaningful to all who attended.
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The new flagpole, as well as the restored arrowhead-shaped base, will continue to honor the memory of Bob Davison...an
Eagle Scout who gave his life in service to our country...for many years to come.
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