Jack Drutman

Camp Electrician, Electronics Shop & Model Airplanes



Jack arrived at Tyler Hill Camp in the mid sixties and for around 25 years, was known by many at camp as "The Wizard." Jack could do just about anything the camp needed him to do. He was in charge of maintaining all of the public address modules on the HCOs and at Wayne Hall, he handled the lighting and audio amplification in the Social Hall and Dining Room, he took care of all of the electrical needs and repairs, and he helped to configure all of the intercoms in camp. An incredibly intelligent man, he used to whip through the Sunday Times crossword puzzle in minutes, with a ballpoint pen. As an artist, Jack was in charge of designing the scenery for the camp plays, as well as the scenery for Color War Sing. As a photographer, Jack took many beautiful and artistic shots of the camp, as well as many wonderful candid shots of the staff, many of which are in the Canteen and Social Hall.

Jack had his little shop under the Canteen, where he provided several popular activities for the campers, which included building radios, and building and flying gas-powered model airplanes, which could be heard throughout the camp. For several years, Jack ran a darkroom, in the basement of Wayne Hall, for use by campers and counselors. Jack and his crew were a familiar sight at camp, tooling around in their old beat-up smoke-spewing station wagons, which were filled with the kind of tools and gadgets you would expect to find at NASA.

Many of us remember when we had blackouts and how quickly Jack could restore power to the camp. He spent most of the time behind the scenes, performing the kind of thankless tasks so many of us took for granted. But Bill Heft never took Jack's talents for granted, as he regarded Jack as an exceptional asset to the running of Tyler Hill Camp.

Video Clip: Jack at his shop