Camp Cadet honors founder, 50-year volunteer
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — As about 80 cadets graduated from a state police-sponsored summer camp, a retired trooper who started it all 50 years ago got his spot in the spotlight.
Camp Cadet is a summer camp put on by state police troops throughout Pennsylvania. The first camp began in Butler 50 years ago and was the brainchild of a Troop D trooper named Albert Vish.
Friday night, well over 100 family members of cadets gathered at the site of the camp — Camp Lutherlyn — for a graduation ceremony. Vish came to deliver a speech to the cadets, not knowing that he would be the subject of another speech by an old friend and police partner, Cpl. David Jungling.
“I would argue that Trooper Vish, through the formation of Camp Cadet, has done more than any trooper in the history of the Pennsylvania State Police to promote a positive image of not only PSP, but all law enforcement,” Jungling said.
In an interview before the ceremony, Jungling said he recalled seeing a plaque commemorating Vish at the state police academy in Hershey. On a recent visit, he realized it was gone. He tried to find out where it went, but couldn't find any answers.
“I wanted to make sure he was recognized,” Jungling said.
In addition to a plaque hand-delivered to Vish, Troop D mailed a duplicate to the academy to be displayed at a police museum there.
The summer camp is designed to simulate the state police academy, but Vish had visions far beyond just training the next generation of police officers.
He wanted to improve the image of police officers among kids in his community by giving them a first-hand peek behind the curtain of law enforcement, he said.
“I had a dream to change the way people think and thought about police officers,” Vish said.
The camp isn't just staffed by state troopers, but by various municipal officers, too.
Boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 15 attend. Today, they are able to attend for three years, advancing a rank each year.
Back in the early days, Vish would visit each applicant's home to meet potential cadets.
Another piece of living Camp Cadet history was similarly honored.
Nancy Bard has volunteered as a nurse at every Butler Camp Cadet since its inception. The cadets always have called her “Mom Bard.”“The experience I have with the kids, well, I'm just amazed what they become in a week long camp,” Bard said.She recalled one boy who illustrated Vish's vision of the camp. He struggled early on, she said, but found his stride by the end of the week.Years later, Bard arrived one day at her job working in an emergency room to find a card waiting there for her. That boy, now a man, had visited to thank her and left a card telling her that he had starting working for the FBI.Aside from his days as a state trooper, Butler County residents may recognize Vish for his years working as a school police officer for the Butler Area School District or as a Butler County deputy sheriff.Four cadets were honored during the ceremony as “Honor Cadets.”In the first-year group, or Phase 1 cadets, were Chasity Lucas and Chase Jenkins.For Phase 2, Domenic Vivirito took the honor.And in Phase 3, Gregory Young was honored.Donavan Biggs served as the cadets' honorary speaker at the ceremony. It seemed his experience during the week echoed Vish's mission.“When I first came to Camp Cadet, I thought it would the worst week of my life,” Biggs said. “It turned out to be one of the best.”For the record, Vish said he was totally surprised by the night's events.“I told my family 'no tears' tonight,” Vish said. “I lied.”
