“Counselor Bob”

( the late Robert Faus )

by Ron Gordon

The evening sun was low and golden in the hazy western California sky as viewed from a Friday evening campfire circle at Camp Peaceful Pines, high in the Rocky Mountains. Our week of fun (1959) was ending. No more hiking up high ridges or trying to catch fleeting lizards dashing under the nearest rock. The next morning would usher in a long bus ride for most campers. The staff anticipates these end of the week emotions, and regularly plans an evening of skits and music to help 9 and 10 year-olds combat the heartache of "it's soon over blues."

Counselor Bob was one of our staff favorites. He just had a way of relating to campers. Perhaps he was vulnerable enough to allow himself to be a big kid for the rest of the campers. Kids enjoy being around people like that. He teased the campers and they teased him back. Teasing can be an innocent way of saying, "I think you're neat." I was sorry that I wasn't in his unit. That bunch was always doing fun things. Hiking to the best places, swimming at the right bend in the creek, playing volleyball to the extreme.

It's now late Friday afternoon. The setting sun reminds us that all that fun will soon be over. Staff and campers have met at the campfire circle for one last time. Each unit has a skit or musical activity. Last of all, a few units have banded together for one large finale, and they invited Counselor Bob to join them. It was to be a story about the life of a tree. They formed circles within circles. Three or four kids stood in the middle to represent the roots of the tree. Another six or seven formed a circle around the roots to represent the trunk of the tree. A second circle of ten or fifteen kids resembling branches surrounded the first circle, with yet a third circle of twenty to twenty-five kids signifying the leaves was formed outside of them all. Counselor Bob was invited to jog slowly around the outermost ring during the telling of the story. The kids were all on their knees with Counselor Bob jogging around the outer perimeter when the narrator stepped forward to tell us the story about the life of a tree.

"It began with a seed in the ground which formed roots that spread out for nourishment (the inner group of kids stand and spread out their arms). The stem grew upward towards the light (the first circle of kids raise their hands and slowly stand up). As the stem became a sapling, it formed many branches (the second circle of kids raise their hands and slowly stand up with Counselor Bob still jogging around the outer perimeter). The branches were covered with leaves to make tree food (the third circle of kids raise their hands and stand up). As winter came, the leaves fell off (the outer circle drops to their knees), but as spring came, the leaves came back again (outer circle raises hands and stands up, with Counselor Bob still jogging around the perimeter). (This cycle of winter and summer is repeated several times with the outer circle standing and kneeling to represent each season.) Finally the tree grew old and died. First the leaves fell off (the third circle drops to their knees). Then the branches fell off (the second circle drops to their knees). And then the trunk rotted to the ground (the first circle slowly drops to their knees). Last of all, the roots finally rotted away (the inner group drops to their knees as Counselor Bob is still jogging around the perimeter). The tree has finally died. The leaves fell off. The branches fell off. The trunk fell to the ground. And the roots rotted away. But, the "sap" was still running! Counselor Bob stopped jogging and began laughing heartily along with everyone else."

I still see Counselor Bob's picture in denominational literature from time to time. Once in a while I will have the opportunity to meet him and briefly chat, if only for a moment. Of course my greeting is always the same. "Hey Bob ... is the sap still running!"

Ron Gordon
Bunkertown COB
McAlisterville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Southern District