Hanging Up the Hammer

After a decade of dedicated service, Bill Cox is retiring as our Facilities Director and one of our fishing counselors.

“I’m so happy to have been able to give back to these boys in a unique way. What a blessing to hang my hat around here!” Bill says. “I hope I've left camp a better place."

Bill moved to Fort Point Road, just outside our gate, from Missouri, expecting to retire after an Army stint and a long career at Hallmark. But curiosity drew him down the road to Kabeyun, where he soon began helping maintain and enhance our facilities year-round.

“I never know what to expect when a new neighbor casually drops into camp,” says director Ken Robbins. “For that curiosity to turn into not just a decade of service to camp but a close friendship ranks among the greatest gifts I’ve received in my time here.”

Bill’s imprint is everywhere around camp: the well-functioning water system, freshly-painted wooden row boats to match the Towne sailboats, a lush croquet pitch, and 40 beautiful benches he and his father-in-law built for the dining hall.

Looking back, which projects bring him the most pride?

He says overseeing the construction of the new health center and staff lounge certainly were significant. Yet, “I’m pleased because I’ve been a restorer more than a builder,” Bill says, noting the painstaking work he did to refurbish Kabeyun’s giant 1930 canvas Old Towne canoe, remodeling the office “two or three times,” and sanding all the dining hall and Lodge floors, walls, and posts and refreshing them         with polyurethane.

“Mostly, I hope I’ve set an example of how to do things right and how to stick with projects even when they get hard.”

Ken agrees, saying “Bill genuinely took to our philosophy of balancing improvements and enhancements with ensuring the place remains timeless. Everything Bill has put his hands on during his time at Kabeyun reflects his attention to detail and craftsmanship.”

Bill also loved taking campers fishing on Winnipesaukee and nearby and says the trips he and Terry Dash led to Lake Umbagog were “highlights of            my summers.”

What’s next? Bill’s already dedicating more time to helping care for his in-laws, who live next door. Plus, he says, “I’m excited to explore the Northeast, to find new places to fish myself. I’ve tied a lot of flies in the past couple years. Now I need to go lose some.”