Mowglis Memories Mowglis Memories

Some folks would say that Mowglis is in the DNA of the Popinchalk family. 

Mark Popinchalk came to Mowglis as a member of the staff in 2011 and while also working his way through a degree in astrophysics, he returned for two additional summers.


Growing up as a boy of the world, living in many different countries where his dad, Michael - also a former member of the Mowglis staff - was teaching and serving as administrator in numerous American schools throughout the world.


Today, Mark Popinchalk is not just a Mowglis Man of the world, he is a Mowglis man of the Universe from his perch at New York's famed Hayden Planetarium.

Whether it's introducing elementary school children to the wonders of the universe or sharing the secrets of Mar's moons on TikTok, or reveling in the fun April fools "papers" that some of his colleagues create for April 1 publication, Mark points to his Mowglis experience as the source of his love for teaching.

Nick Robbins has been at the helm at Mowglis now for a decade and what a decade it has been. When Nick began his tenure Mowglis had fewer than half the campers considered to constitute a full camp, today Mowglis is looking full and robust heading into the 2024 summer.

In this episode, Nick shares the road that led him to Mowglis and the journey since then that has led Mowglis back to its rightful place as one of the premier summer camps in the US.

It is said that we humans have two families, those into which we are born and those whom we choose. Holiday tables are filled with the families we choose, and who choose us, and express the power of belonging and camaraderie borne of our free will and affections. Often times, these members of our families are the ones for whom we have the greatest affection. Jay Kranis is just such a Mowglis brother. He is a brother of our choosing - and of his own choice.

Jay first heard about Mowglis from John Sprung, whose boys Jason and Larry had come to Mowglis through their mutual friend, Mowglis icon Donald Cummings. Jay's own sons, Andrew and Jordan, were Mowglis campers, and today, are a great source of pride for him. Andrew is a celebrated architect and preservationist, teacher and tour guide in Italy and Jordan is an Emmy-winning producer who from time to time runs with the same crowd as Mowglis brother Benji Ringe.

Jay was a member of the Holt-Elwell Board of Trustees at the critical time in the later 1990s and early 2000s when Mowglis' future was very much in doubt, though he is quick to say that the members of the board themselves were never in doubt. Thankfully, their determination saw Mowglis through that period, and today, he and the other members of those boards can take great pride in the vigor of Mowglis's life. We are all fortunate for the gift of his time and talents that helped to bring us to this place.

James Hart: A Heartwarming Farewell 
If there is one name that speaks Mowglis over the last 50 years it is the name Hart. So you can imagine the pressure that James Hart, 38, was feeling when he was chosen to be the very first Development Director at Mowglis. Sure it was nice to have so many fondly remembering his grandfather William B. Hart Sr or his uncle Bill Jr, his father Jim Hart, and his uncle Phil, but it also carried with it expectations that must have felt very weighty for James. Luckily, for all of us who love Mowglis, James was not deterred by the challenge of carving his own path, and he has done it in spades. diamonds, clubs and Harts. 
Before you panic about the fact that James is moving on from his full-time role at Mowglis, let me assure you that he's still expecting to play an active role in helping to build Mowglis' future. Additionally, he and Director Nick Robbins and the rest of the incredible team at Mowglis have orchestrated a smooth transition with a very strong duo of Mowglis men stepping in, without a moment's hesitation. 
James is moving on to the very important work of helping to conquer hunger and to address the problems that food waste creates including the climatic problems of that waste. 
In this podcast James reflects on his years at Mowglis and looks ahead to the challenges of working on development at Food Rescue. 

Harry Kendall came to Mowglis in 1965 and continued on every other year through Den and then a year on the staff. In 1969 Harry and Nat Hemenway set off on a day off intending to hitchhike to Woodstock but the best laid plans went awry and they landed at Hampton Beach after being told that getting to Yasger's farm was an impossibility. Because there were 3 boys in the family each was expected to work odd jobs to play a part in the expense of attending Mowglis and they did so without reservation.

Harry attributes the environmental ethos of Mowglis as the inspiration for his outlook on life and his professional priorities. Harry's company BKSK Architects would go on to develop the first civic building to earn the coveted Platinum LEEDS certification in New York City. The Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center was NYC’s first civic building to earn a LEED Platinum certification.

Baird Standish came to Mowglis in 1969 and graduated from the Den in 1971. Along with his cousin Steve Minich . . . ok, yeah and Jr. Bender and Doug Beal among others His Blue Racing Crew holds a 50-year-old course record.