Joyful Soul: A Tribute to Tom Deupree
By Hugh Haller
Knee deep in snow, Tom Deupree plodded across the leech field, using a pair of old ski poles for balance. “Tom,” I yelled, “Where in the hell are you going? You’re going to get stuck out there, or worse, fall and break your good leg.”
Eight months earlier, in the summer of 2007, I met Tom Deupree for the first time. I was in International Falls to interview for the role of president of the Camping & Education Foundation. With the last round of interviews behind me, I ventured off to Thunderbird to reflect on everything that had transpired over the past six months.
As I made my way out to the deck surrounding the lodge, I spotted an intriguing character sitting by himself, cocktail in hand, engrossed in a tattered magazine. I might have paid him no mind except for the fact that he had a weather-beaten Kooch hat propped on his head and a prosthetic leg perched on the chair next to him. Kooch is full of characters, I thought to myself, but this guy takes the cake. I walked up and introduced myself. He invited me to sit down.
“He had a weather- beaten Kooch hat propped on his head and a prosthetic leg perched on the chair next to him. Kooch is full of characters, I thought to myself, but this guy takes the cake.”
It turned out that “Deup” knew far more about me than I did him. Being one of the behind-the-scenes search committee members, Tom had done his homework. I don’t recall how long we chatted, but I re- member we were both sunburned by the time we shook hands and parted ways.
We had covered every subject imaginable, from politics to religion to Native American art. We dissected 80 years of Kooch-i-ching history, the importance of the Foundation, and the launch of Ogichi Daa Kwe. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that would unfold over the next 12 years—and one that I will cherish forever.
Tom relaxes in a golf cart at Ogichi in 2018. (Liz Hattemer)
In the spring of 2008, we put together a committee to figure out the best location for Ogichi’s’ permanent home, and Tom played a big part. We spent days investigating every nook of Deer island to see if there was a suitable spot. When that failed, we revisited the idea of Rainy Lake Lodge. The early Ogichi campers and staff had become attached to the property, but the site had serious problems. There sim- ply wasn’t enough land and, worse yet, the only flat space was an old leech field.
That’s when Tom unleashed his creativity. He made it about three-fourths of the way across the field before he got stuck. I chased after him, calling out for him to stop, but his only response was, “This is it! This is it!” By the time I caught up to him, all that was left was his prosthetic leg, standing at attention, peeking out of the snowpack.
The rest of Deup had made its way to the edge of the woods. He was swinging his ski poles madly, exclaiming, “Can’t you see it? This is it! This is Ogichi’s ballfield! We plow this stench of a field under, re- plant the soccer field here, and build the camper cabins up on the ridges.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The solution was simple, yet perfect.
Some people see things where others cannot. Tom saw the best in everything: in camp, in his friends and family, and in the beauty and stillness of the Northwoods. It was his church, and where he felt most at home, surrounded by the community he loved and that loved him back.
“We are a mere speck on the drumhead.” This was one of Tom’s favorite sayings, taken from the Grand Council closing ritual:
The circle of the earth is the head of a great drum. It moves upward with the day... booming. It moves downward with the night...booming. The day and the night are its song. I am very small, as I dance upon the drumhead. I am like a particle of dust, as I dance upon the drumhead.
Tom understood the truth of these words more than most, yet he lived his life... booming.
Tom Deupree assed away peacefully on October 5, 2019. Tom’s involvement with Kooch-i-ching, Ogichi Daa Kwe and the Camping & Education Foundation spanned decades, starting with his first Prep summer in 1951. Tom later served as a Foundation board member and trusted advisor to its leadership. He was a lifelong supporter of Kooch-i-ching and Ogichi, and an unwavering champion of both. This article was originally published in the Spring 2020 issue of the Alumni Newsletter.