Acknowledgements
The author and compilers of the information in this site gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of the following persons and organizations. Without their steadfast assistance and encouragement this site might not have emerged. Leaders who were either military personages or outstanding politicians have shaped my thinking on the U.S. military over the years. It was this thinking that precipitated the interest in Camp William Penn, Camptown and subsequently La Mott.
Commissioner Harvey Portner, who as president of the Board of Commissioners, Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, and the representative of the district in which La Mott sits, provided me over the years with numerous pieces of information about the community and its political development. Additionally, his introductions to many of the Township’s officials provided the author with invaluable information residing in the records and maps of the area.
Several others have been closely connected with the growth of this site: Original Webmaster, David A. Reichard, who formulated the original on-screen ideas of the writer as well as added important touches of his own; David M. Lynch, Director of Engineering, Zoning & Inspections, Cheltenham Township, who aided in the search of the official records of La Mott and the surrounding area; Mrs. Dorothy Spruill, Museum Curator of the historic Wall House in Cheltenham; Ms Nancy Gibson, Cheltenham Township Public Information Officer; Michael Johnson, a graduate of the Professional Healthcare Institute, while as a student there spent countless hours in the map room of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Central Branch where he extracted detailed information about the “Early Years of La Mott”.
Other persons who have been instrumental in the research of information found here are the men and women of the Social Sciences and History Department and the Map Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Assistance is acknowledged for the transcribing and editing of materials on this site is made to Ruth Fulton, Rachel Fernbaugh, Judy Girton and Shawnna Lacomis.
Before the first pages were written, the author sought residents of the Township who would act as an Advisory Panel. This group of people would have pre-publication access to the site as it was being written and were encouraged to submit their comments or criticisms. The members of that group were Mr. Reynold Greenberg, Chair, Cheltenham Township Historic Commission; Mrs. Ronnie Bronstein; Mr. Charles Higginbotham; Mr. Norm Triplett.
A special word of thanks and praise goes to The Canton Group of Baltimore, MD. It was their expertise and technical abilities that brought forth in shining light the ideas of the author and the initial layout of David Reichard.
To each of them and to all my critics, unnamed assistants, and especially to all those who have by their encouragement led me on this fascinating journey of enlightening research and reading, I owe deep gratitude.
Finally, this website would not have been possible without the continued dedication to its existence by my wife, Joan. Not only was she the encouraging factor to all the work that has gone into gathering and formatting the information it contains, but perhaps most importantly it was her editing capabilities that made the writing a readable work of history. Even today, as new sections are added and others extended she continues this work. For this, she gets my undying thanks.
Special Acknowledgement
The recounting of the founding of Camp William Penn, its establishment and what happened as its presence in history …Therein lies the purpose of this site: To show the importance of the training site and those who were trained there- to Camptown – to the village of La Mott, their meaning in history and to provide an understanding of what La Mott is today.
The assistance in making this site reality lies with the inherent interest of Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. and that of the author’s corporation, Chambrés & Associates, Inc.
The website is grateful for the additions that have been authored by Dr. Joanne Taylor, of Portland, Oregon, whose family genealogy is wonderfully outlined in the section, “The Early Families.
Lt. John Slavin’s Power Point presentation of the Cheltenham Police Force clearly illuminates the history of the organization.
Author and local historian Don Scott has provided permission to re-print articles that he has penned.
Cheltenham Township is fortunate in its list of dedicated historians who have added their encouragement and support to this website. To Lise Marlowe, Joyce Werkman, James Paradis, and the members of the Old York Road Historical Society my thanks is extended.
William F. Chambrés
February, 2002-October, 2016