Each summer, on the night before opening day at Camp Dudley, we ask someone to speak to all the assembled Aides, JLs, ALs, Leaders, and Staff about the important work ahead. We call it the Preseason Keynote, and it’s meant to serve as a kind of pregame speech.

In 2025, that role went to our Assistant Director, #15017 Evan George. A 1989 Cub, 2025 marked Evan’s 30th summer at Dudley!

His message about the unique, vital, and historic role that Dudley plays in confronting the challenges facing young men and boys resonated with all of us, reminding us how we can continue to grow and learn as an institution and community. Although we didn’t record the full speech on video, #15877 Brendan “Lefty” Loughman collaborated with Evan to produce this video essay based on the talk.