Verona Scout Leader Honored by Camp Glen Gray

Jerry Graham, a long-time scout leader in Verona and surrounding area, will be inducted into the Camp Glen Gray Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 24th. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have helped grow and preserve the century old camp.

Jerry Graham has had a lifetime involvement in scouting. Jerry’s scouting career started as a young boy in North Arlington, where he joined Troop 123.

Later as an adult, he came back to scouting. Jerry enrolled his son, Matt, in Cedar Grove Pack 65. He became Den Leader and later Assistant Cubmaster. He and his son moved up to Troop 65 Cedar Grove where Jerry became Assistant Scoutmaster. When he moved to Verona in 2006, Jerry volunteered as Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 2 Verona. His scouting involvement grew with roles in the District Committee. He served on the District Committee for Activities. In recent years, he has chaired the District Advancement Committee. In this position, Jerry has helped many scouts earn their Eagle badge. His service has been recognized by the District Award of Merit, Scouter Key, and Silver Beaver awards.

As a Troop 2 members and sponsor of the Troop 2 cabin, Jerry became involved in Glen Gray. Camp became a second home for Jerry. He served in the Camp-master Corps over many years. He also contributed his skills as a commercial painter to refurbish cabins and other structures around camp.

Jerry joined the Old Guard of Camp Glen Gray and was inducted as an honored member in 2010. The Old Guard is a service organization, founded in the early days of the camp, to spearhead special events, camp-mastering and maintenance of the camp. He served on the Steering Committee in various positions. In 2017, Jerry was elected as President of the Old Guard and had the honor of presiding over the 100th anniversary of camp. He continues to serve as Old Guard President today as well as a Trustee of the Friends of Camp Glen Gray.

In his personal life, Jerry keeps busy with his business, Eastern Paint & Body, painting large trucks and construction equipment. He enjoys spending time with his son Matt, and daughter, Stephanie.

Camp Glen Gray, one of the oldest camps in the U.S., was founded in 1917 as a scout camp. Today, the Glen Gray is a Bergen County park and is operated by a volunteer run, non-profit, The Friends of Glen Gray. In 2019, over 4,000 campers – representing a wide range of scouts, other youth groups and families – enjoyed the wonders of the Glen. The camp was closed at the start of the covid epidemic, but re-opened to campers in September 2021.

Due to covid restrictions, this year’s Hall of Fame Induction will be held via zoom. For more information, go to www.glengray.org and look under the Homecoming / Hall of Fame event.