A Short history of George and Raymond Frank – the founders of Camp Kawanhee

Camp Kawanhee for Boys was founded in 1920 by George and Raymond Frank. Born in Westbrook, Maine, the brothers both dedicated their lives to youth work and eventually chose Weld to further that mission. Over a century later, the Frank’s wish of helping boys, lives on through the George and Raymond Frank Foundation.

George Reginald (g.R.) Frank (1888-1977)

Born on May 30, 1888 in Westbrook, Maine, George took an interest in architecture, hands-on work, and youth education. He went on to get his teaching training at Gorham State Normal School in Gorham, Maine. Frank then moved to Columbus after being offered the role of Manual Arts Teacher at Indianola Junior High School, which is notably the first junior high school in the United States. Frank is credited as the first junior high manual arts teacher in the country. After teaching at Indianola, Frank he served as Principal for McGuffey Junior High School in Columbus for 20 years.

Shortly after arriving in Columbus, Frank met Florence Wright. They got married in 1912 and remained married until 1966, when she passed away. The two were married for over 50 years and honeymooned on Webb Lake.

After her death, Frank got remarried to Mary Baker, who was the head of the nature department for Kawanhee for 17 years.

Frank would vacation in Temple, Maine each summer with his cousin. In the summer of 1910, a deer was tearing up Frank’s cousin’s garden. The two, shot and killed the deer and took it to the top of Mount Blue. There, Frank saw Webb Lake and the beauty the location held. He stated that if he ever got married, he would honeymoon on the lake. Two years later, he did and the two went back each summer.

In 1916, George invited Raymond and the two men shared the love of the area. Raymond, having just served in World War I, was thinking about life after the war and a career. The brothers both had a passion for youth education and development. After taking trips around Webb Lake, the two decided on the present day location. They admired the beachy shore, which can still be seen today, as well as the expansive nature of the area, and the potato field, which currently serves as the athletic fields.

The brothers decided on the location and received loans from the bank and from Ma Frank to fulfill their dream in Weld. in 1920 the camp was founded and construction took place, allowing the first season to occur in 1921.

G.R. was the Managing Director for 51 years and continued to serve camp even after he sold it to the Estabrooks in 1969.

In 1977, he suffered a sudden medical emergency while operating a vehicle. This caused him to lose control of the car and collide with the propane tanks outside of the dining hall.

Raymond Conant (r.C.) Frank (1894-1966)

Raymond was born on December 22, 1894  and grew up in Westbrook, Maine. He attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He would later study at Columbia University and graduate with a Master’s degree in Music and Religious Education. R.C. was known to have “perfect pitch” and put himself through college with his gifted singing voice.

After graduating from Springfield College, the world was turned upside down and R.C. volunteered for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. He served for two years.

After serving in the war, Raymond started focusing on youth education and church work. He worked for the First Presbyterian Church in Englewood, New Jersey. There he was the choir tenor soloist and served as the Director of the Boys Work Program. Eventually, he became the Director of Young people’s Activities and the Superintendent of the Sunday School. R.C. was also the Business Manager for the Englewood School for Boys. However, left the school when the workload at the church got to extreme.

The First Presbyterian Church was also where R.C. met his wife Frances Lawton in 1929. She worked as the Director of Girls Work Program. They married in 1935 and in 1938 had their daughter Betty, the only child of the founders.

Raymond also had a love for the outdoors and was even a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America. Many of the first campers came from Raymond’s troop.

Raymond is credited with the selection of the camp’s name as “Kawanhee” is believed to refer to a group of Native Americans who migrated through Lake Webb. There is no full confirmation of this information.