Waupecan Lodge 197 | Rainbow Council

Waupecan Lodge 197

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2023 Lodge Staff:
Lodge Chief: Will Ogrizovich
Lodge Adviser: Tom Stoiber

Lodge Vice Chief | Program: Catherine Archer
Lodge Vice Chief | Induction: Russell Smith
Lodge Secretary: Jacob Nadess
Lodge Treasurer: Jackson Ogrizovich
(Click on name to open a contact form for the individual officer/Adviser)


Rainbow Council

Rainbow Council is comprised of over 120 Charter partners serving Grundy, Kankakee and Will Counties.  Established in 1929, Rainbow Council serves over 5000 (and growing) young people through it's programs, camps and activities.

 

Lodge History

After Goodman and Edson brought the Order of the Arrow to the Philadelphia Council Camp in 1915, slowly, many lodges began to form all over the United States. It was the Summer Camp of 1940 when this new program made its way to the Rainbow Council. The Council had just opened its new camp - Camp Rotary, and the Orders tradition started here with a tap out ceremony.

 

The paperwork went through to the Grand Lodge however a name and totem had to be chosen to represent this new lodge. The members wanted a Native American name, and the first and most important word that came to everyone's mind was Waupecan.   Waupecan translated from the Algonquin language means place of clear water. During this time, the land that the camp was built upon was called the Waupecan Valley. On the property of the camp was Lake Waupecan, which formed as a result of damming up the nearby Waupecan Creek. During the hot weeks of summer camp, the lake was a highlight and central focus of camp.

 

The totem or symbol to represent the lodge was also chosen easily. Most every boy at summer camp knew the legend of Chief Shabbona. He was a friend of the white people and saved many lives during the Indian uprisings. It was also said that at one time the Chief lived on the very land the camp was built upon. The profile of the noble Chief from this area, seemed only fitting as a symbol for the lodge.


Lodge Chiefs of Waupecan Lodge

 

Name Term   Name Term
Lyle Craig 1942 David Langley 1982
Durwood Canham 1943 Fred Scott Jr. 1982-1984
Dale Denning 1944 Ronn Keck 1985
Don Hasse 1945 John Vowels 1986
Frank Motta 1946 David A. Brtva 1987
Arne Sandberg 1947 Frank Fodero 1988
Jerry Norton 1948-1949 David A. Brtva 1989
Walter Johnson 1950-1953 Bill Bavirsha 1990
John Djerf 1954 Brad Clem 1991
Jack Welch 1955 Matt Skelly 1992-1993
Darrel Grothaus 1956-1957 Kjell Hilding 1994
Richard Marcotte 1958 Matt Skelly 1995
Ronald Katz 1958-1959 Dave Meadows 1996
Steve Azuma 1960 Scott Duensing 1997
John Lund 1961 Chris Dunbar 1998
Mike Pauley 1962-1963 Tom Stoiber 1999-2000
Jim Girard 1964 Brad Cleary 2001-2002
Mike Pauley 1965 Nick Simpson 2003
Dennis Stevens 1966 Carl Engfer 2004
Stanley Jenkins 1967 Jeremy Vestal 2005-2007
John Palider 1968 Jim Naprstek (Elected Section Chief) 2008
Jim Thuot 1969 Tim Hankins 2008
Paul Horvatin 1970 Matt Jeslis 2009
Bob Boudreu 1971 Kyle Zugel 2010-2012
Mike Kearney 1972 Ryan Groves 2013
Don Zullo 1972 Grayson Wolcott 2014
Tom McHugh IV 1973-1974 Ian Bashor 2015
Steve Kapela 1975 Silas Rea 2016-2017
Terry Houchen 1976 Ian Rich 2018
Dave Gault 1977-1978 Kyle Land 2019
Jim Henry 1979-1980 Jonathan (JJ) Sulich 2020
Al Moretti 1981 Kyle Land 2021-2023
    Will Ogrizovich 2023