Hankins Tales: Remembering Roy Page

(Originally posted to social media on February 11, 2023)

February 11, 2023

A number of people contacted me through messenger yesterday to let me know that Roy Page had died. I appreciate so many folks reaching out and I wanted to comment but I also wanted to give it some considered thought first. I had actually met Roy long before I came to Richmond in 1981. I had traded patches with him at events at Camp Chickahominy and I recall that he had one of the most impressive patch collections I had ever seen. He was not selling but he was always looking for an equitable trade, a fair trade.

When I moved up to Richmond as a full time Ranger I was to encounter Roy all over the place and we were on a number of the same committees. The Camping committee, Program, special events, there was Roy. We quickly developed a great friendship, and he wanted only the best for the camp and council. Roy had been deeply involved with the old Camp Shawondawsee, he had been on staff and he knew the old Ranger very well. He loved to tell stories about Amour Deschamps who was a character in his own right. I stayed in Richmond for 33 years and Roy was a constant presence, a trusted ally, and a huge supporter. If I ever needed anything for the Ranger’s Challenge program Roy would see to it that it showed up. I did not question his methods, his results were always welcome.

Over time Roy became more deeply involved with the OA lodge as an advisor and resource. One problem was that the OA had acquired a substantial amount of patches and mugs and awards that were simply laying around in boxes. They were seldom seen.

Roy was obsessed with trying to find a proper place to display all this stuff and to pay for the renovation. There was an old structure up near the entrance of camp that was on its last legs but it could be salvaged. And so we began a multi year renovation of that old Lodge and began to develop the Nawakwa Scouting museum. The entire structure had to be rebuilt from the inside out. New framing and a new roof, work on the chimney, new plumbing and septic work. Eventually I added a whole new front porch to the building and then I built a 20 by 24 addition to the end of the building for equipment storage. We got rid of the old outdoor refer units that were out back and we landscaped and painted and then the interior improvements came along. Roy had found a bunch of old display cases from the old Best Buy building out in Ashland. It almost killed us but they were moved in one at a time and hooked up for lights. We even added a security system because people began to understand that the collection was worth many thousands of dollars. Once everything was in place Roy began the painstaking work of laying out all the flaps and patches. It was spectacular. People began to stop by in droves and the museum was always open on Parents night. It proved to be very popular. But make no mistake, Roy Page was driving that train.

I remember once that Roy wrote a letter to the Scout Executive in Richmond to complain about me. He said” Do you know that the new Ranger is planting flowers all over the place”? It was true, I was planting monkey grass and day lilies and Rhododendron and azaleas. Lucky for me the Scout Executive was a big fan of flowers so he laughed it off.

The last time I saw Roy was just a few years back when they had the big Conclave in Richmond. I stopped in at the museum and there was Roy handing out pearls of wisdom. He was completely grey, but his eyes were still filled with fire. He had the fine lines of a man who has seen a lot in this life but he was still enthusiastic, and it was great to visit with him if only for a little while.

Roy will be missed by everyone; people did not understand what a fixture he was. He was always there and if you want to get a glimpse of Roy Page simply stop in at the museum, he will show up eventually…….

With permission of the author, these stories by noted scouter and storyteller John Hankins are featured here at Natahwop.Org. He shares these as part of the history and lore of Camp Powhatan, Camp Ottari, and the High Knoll Trail, where he spent many years of his youth. John has an incomperable first-hand knowledge of this scout reservation, as he blazed most of the original trails for High Knoll, and has hiked the rest of them several times over.

John Hankins grew up in Troop 50 (Woodlawn United Methodist Church) in Roanoke, VA. He attended Camp Powhatan as a young scout, then worked at Philmont Ranch as a ranger. He returned to the reservation to serve on camp staff from 1968 to 1978. He was a legendary naturalist who could interpret the outdoors unlike any other. As a teacher, John often relied on the element of excitement to get his point across. His weekly lectures at the nature lodge, for example, introduced scouts to either a live rattlesnake or copperhead – usually dangling on a stick within a few feet of the front row.

John and several others first envisioned the now-legendary High Knoll trail system. They took it to council leadership for prospective funding, where the idea gained several key advocates (but no funding). John recalls how – in those days – they couldn’t pay the staff with money, so they gave them patches. The High Knoll Trail would go on to become one of the best outdoor programs in the country.

John applied in 1979 for the open job of Camp Ranger, but the council said he needed more experience in that post. With his rejection letter in hand, he was immediately hired by Camp Chickohominy, and then by Camp Brady Saunders where he served for 33 years as Camp Ranger. John moved with his wife, Cheri, to West Virginia where they enjoyed the spoils of retirement: grandchildren, travel, and the great outdoors. As of 2024, they are living on the outskirts of Richmond where they can be closer to family.

(“Hankins Tales” are shared here by permission of the author. Each story is copyrighted by John Hankins, and may not be reproduced in any form without his express written permission.)

The Natahwop

Hankins Tales: Remembering Roy Page

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