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The St. Petersburg TimesThings he learned at campA former attendee of Camp E-How-Kee returns to the place that taught him how to survive throughout his life and after being diagnosed with AIDS.By CHANDRA BROADWATER
Published August 23, 2006BROOKSVILLE - The smell of the woods took Bob Davids back.
Back to Dec. 3, 1968, when the then 12-year-old stepped off the yellow bus after a bumpy ride to Camp E-How-Kee, Jack and Ruth Eckerd's first outdoor camp for troubled boys.
Tuesday, after almost 40 years, Davids made the trip from his Clearwater home to the Hernando camp that helped shape his life. As he lives with AIDS he contracted from a blood transfusion, Davids said he had to see it again.
Driving through the camp's gate was like turning back time. It didn't take long for Davids to recall the morning he stood in a convenience store on Seminole Boulevard in Largo, shoving fistfuls of gum into his pockets so he could impress his first crush. Her name was Beverly.
He quickly learned then of the perils of love - and the consequences of stealing - when Beverly ratted Davids out.
But it wasn't the first time he had sticky fingers, and police gave his frustrated, blue-collar parents two options. Hand their youngest of five children over to the them, or send him to the camp.
To the newly built camp it was.
As he walked with the help of his cane through the 880-acre camp in Brooksville Tuesday, 51-year-old Davids took a big whiff of air.
Ever since he left Jan. 15, 1970, Davids has longed for the smell of pine trees, cypress and sandy soil - his world for the 13 months he lived in Hernando County.
Looking back, Davids knows now that he acted out for attention. He was the youngest child who got the hand-me-down everything.
When it was his turn to use the lawn mower to make some extra money, one of his brothers presented it to him with one wheel.
At the camp, Davids learned how to build the shelter where he lived, which campers are still required to do. He continued his studies and learned how to cook meals and roast s'mores, also considered integral parts of the program today.
He went canoeing for the first time down rivers like the Withlacoochee, Chattahoochee and Suwannee. His group of latchkey teenage boys, who soon grew to be close friends, and their two counselors even got to take a hiking trip through the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
A bunch of snot-nosed kids learned how to survive - and not just in the woods, Davids said.
When anyone acted out or had a temper tantrum, the counselors lined the boys up and took them out into an open field. There they circled the unhappy one and helped him figure things out, even if it meant missing dinner.
It was at Camp E-How-Kee that Davids learned how to realize that he had a problem, think about how to solve it and move on. What he learned all those years ago has stayed fresh, he said.
The only time he thought about giving up was when he found out that he had HIV about 10 years ago. Doctors traced the virus to blood he was given in 1982 while having surgery.
After four years of waiting to die, Davids said his camp-inspired values came back to him. He started taking care of himself, and slowly worked his body out of a wheelchair and wrapped his hand around a cane.
Today he relishes being around to see his 13th grandson, not to mention watching another season of Buccaneers football. The trip back to Camp E-How-Kee is another highlight that he'll never forget.
"If it weren't for Jack Eckerd, I'd be dead or in prison," Davids said. "I wouldn't be here."
Chandra Broadwater can be reached at cbroadwater@sptimes.com or 352 848-1432.[Last modified August 23, 2006, 05:53:44]© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times