As a camper in 1994, Steve Melton’s cabin was dubbed “Clueless.” As an AC the next year, his cabin was “Dazed and Confused.” Fortunately for the future of Camp RYLA and the U.S. Army, these titles only describe Steve upon his initial arrival at camp.
It was in the cabin, on the rag ball field and in the lecture hall that Steve, at 17 years of age, discovered that leading people was a passion he wanted to continue to follow throughout his life. This led to his decision to attend college at West Point and then join the Army.
“I think the biggest thing I learned as a camper was that everybody has something to offer, some strength they can bring to the table,” Steve says. “It’s the job of the leader to harness those strengths and get everyone involved in the process to better leverage those strengths for the good of the organization.”
Steve served on active duty in the Army’s field artillery unit between 1999 and 2006. He then took two years off before rejoining the service in the Army Reserves and has spent the last year in command of a petroleum pipeline company out of Tyler. In addition to this, he is a Well Optimization Specialist for Occidental Petroleum out of Houston.
Steve is newly settled in Katy with his wife, Erica, and their three kids, Lauren, Stephen Thorton III (a.k.a. Trip) and Brandt. His favorite hobby is spending time with them, “soaking up the family life.” In addition to this, Steve also spends quite a bit of time writing. Whether writing on the cooperative writing website for which he is an administrator or penning a novel, he’s always working on something. He’s currently writing a number of pieces to sale, including a couple screenplays, a novel and a graphic novel. “I also tweet, if that counts as writing,” he says.
Steve has been a large part of the RYLA team since he was a camper. He has attended 14 District 5810 camps, serving in most of the available camp positions at some point or other. “I’ve been an AC, on activities staff, on Big Duff’s construction crew, on the alumni staff, head of the alumni staff, a cabin counselor, and a general troublemaker,” he says. “I’ve had just about every role but being an AC in a girls’ cabin.” But does that mean that Steve has even been a counselor in a girls cabin…?
Girls counselor or not, Steve is currently the Deputy Camp Director. This means that he, along with his partners, Laura Rojo-Eddy and Emily Spivey, assist Mark in running the camp. Together they do everything from getting the mail and making Wal-Mart runs to serving as advisors to the counselors, ACs, and alumni. The trio is also the self-appointed Lights Out Crew, Steve says.
Steve’s favorite aspect of camp is absolutely the people. “I love the staff and our ever growing family. They annually restore my faith in humanity. I am a lucky man to have this group of friends, family, and role models.”
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