Oh! San Pedro!
By John Esquivel
"It's there
that you hear the loud boom of the sea...
And we're bound for San Pedro!"
Old Boy Scout Song
On the occasion of San Pedro's 1501 Anniversary, I wish to honor John Mark Jacoby, S.J. (Brother "Jake", God bless his soul.) Brother "Jake" was a brilliant mathematician and teacher at Saint John's College in Belize for about 20 years (19401960?). He founded the boy scout movement (Holy Redeemer Boy Scouts) and every summer took as many scouts as possible to summer camp at San Pedro.
I was lucky to have been a pupil and a scout. I spent five years at summer camp in the early 1950's and got to know Brother "Jake" quite well. In those good old days, the grand and beautiful Elsa P was queen of the sea, and she faithfully and safely carried us from San Pedro to Bacalar Chico (for an overnight stay) and on to Xcalak the following morning.
 The old Boy Scout House - Photo courtesy of Belize Archives Dept. |
Brother "Jake" arranged many other scouting activities as well as civil responsibilities and religious services. One of the exciting scouting activities was the launching of the large raft named "Katrinka" which required the united effort of every scout to haul her from beach to the sea where she would be anchored and used for swimming and diving. Perhaps the high point of summer camp was the annual baseball game between the scouts and San Pedranos. San Pedranos always won, naturally!??
It is impossible to tell how many young men and their family's lives were influenced by Brother "Jake". One thing is certain: He loved his pupils, his scouts, and San Pedro.
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