Picture admission counselors, considering applications, at the United States Air Force Academy.
“Hey,” one says. “This guy sold 6,429 boxes of Camp Fire cookies.”
They may put the application on top of the “great kid” stack, for sales gumption alone, but when they get a gander at the rest of Anthony “Tank” Deal’s resume, he may get a warm welcome.
Tony, 15, a member of Camp Fire USA Snohomish County Council, is on the local board of directors and serves on the National Camp Fire Teen Advisory Council.
“Tank,” his nickname on the field, is also on the football team at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
This is not a kid who spends evenings texting friends or zapping opponents in the video world.
He seldom gets time to even nap on the couch.
Tony is one of those straight-postured young men, with a short-cropped hair style and honest eyes. He isn’t self-conscious about wearing his Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps uniform on a city bus, his mode of transportation besides his bicycle.
He is educated with Academy Northwest, a private school extension program for home-school families. He is president of Horizon Teens in Action, a high school service group, is ranked shodan (black belt) in Shito-ryu karate and has competed three times at national events.
During football season this fall with the sophomore team, the first four weeks were stinkers. Tony wasn’t getting as much playing time as he wanted and it was looking like time to quit.
His father, Michael Deal, operations director for Camp Fire, told Tony he signed up to play and should finish out the season.
“Keep working and it turns for you,” Michael Deal advised his son. “Go to the meetings, carry the bags, you stick with it.
His son took the advice and became the starting center.
As a day-camp assistant, Tony not only helped counselors, but encouraged kids to structure their time, with rules they conceived, like “no hitting or throwing.” As the president of his Camp Fire teen group, Tony contributed to many service projects. The teens made quilts for the needy, and Tony sewed. They worked at the Christmas House gift-giving program in Everett.
He said he hasn’t heard anything negative about being a boy in Camp Fire. His father said his wife was a Girl Scout.
“Patti is dedicated to the children,” Michael Deal said. “She is a great mother.”
Tony Deal is a valuable contributor at Camp Fire board meetings, said Tobey Brown, capital campaign coordinator. She said Tony pledged to raise money for the organization.
“He is as nice as he seems,” Brown said. “Tony truly is an exceptional young man.”
Camp Fire only served girls until the late 1970s, said Dave Surface, executive director in Everett.
“It was in the early ’80s that Camp Fire actually rewrote the program curriculum to be more welcoming to boys, but we spent a decade trying to change the attitude and acceptance of boys into our programs,” Surface said. “It was the opening of Camp Killoqua to boys that started to make the change really happen where we now serve 60 percent boys and 40 percent girls. In our other programs they are approximately 60 percent girls to 40 percent boys and most are still between the ages of 3 and 12 years old.”
He said Tony is unique because he got started at a very young age.
“He and his younger brother, Jeremy, have grown up in Camp Fire and are the first generation of older Camp Fire boys. Tony will be the first boy to earn a WoHeLo Award” in Snohomish County.
Another notch for his resume.
They’ll be impressed at the Air Force Academy.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.
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