Jennifer McLogan and Laurie Borgeson were kitchen aides in 1969 and described their positions as assistants to the cook and her helper, who prepared whatever accompanied the main dish, retrieved the utensils for the meal, served seconds, coffee and tea and cleaned up.

Basically, they cleaned up after meals, including trash, dishes and kitchen. There was a three-compartment sink and racks for drying and towels to cover. The pots and pans had to be dried and set upside down on the racks, floors swept, and countertops wiped. Garbage was disposed of and floors were mopped three days a week.

(Doris Engibous,1966-70, remembered a story of Sue Purdue, who was always in trouble for calling the trash garbage or the garbage trash as a kitchen aide. “I cannot remember which was the proper word, but there would be hilarious and uproarious laughter when she got yelled at.”)

The storage room, which was located in the back of the “trading post”, housed all the food items, and the aides kept an eye on items that needed replenishing. The aides also assisted with classes in their spare time.

The kitchen aid schedule started at 7:15 on “toast days” and 7:30 on easy days. The “hopper” bell rang at 7:45, flag raised at 8:00, food served at 8:10 and at 9:10 breakfast was over. At 11:30 the aides were back in the kitchen, with another “hopper” bell at 11:45, food served at 12:00, and cleanup was finished by 1:15. Dinner prep began at 5:30, the “hopper” bell ran at 5:45, flag was lowered and food was served at 6:10. Cleanup for the day was over by 7:30, but every kitchen aide had to be in the kitchen half hour before each meal.

Kitchen aides the summer of 1970 included Kathy Carney, Shelley Harris, B.J. Henderson, Marty Stein and Jan Schreiber. They assisted the cook and her helper before, during and after the meals, which included many tasks. They prepared the necessary accessories to the main dish and assembled the materials needed for the meals.

“The first year I was at camp, we lived in the nature hut, past the Infirmary,” said Kathy Carney (1970-71). “I was in the ninth grade and I was in the kitchen making $50 for the whole summer with Jan , Shelley, B.J. and Marty from Saginaw. We lived in that cabin all by ourselves and we felt like we were living in an apartment. There was no bathroom, so we had to go down to the Brownie or pee in the woods.”

The milk came out of the milk cooler, which was located on the back porch, and clean silverware and dishes were unloaded. During the meal the aides served seconds, poured coffee and tea and placed garbage pails and soapy water to help with trash and washing of cutlery.

After the meals the aides gathered the good food and the waste, cleaned up the kitchen, washed dishes, cleaned countertops and sinks, swept floors and disposed of garbage. Dishwashing was done in three- compartment sink, which was a wash, rinse and sanitize process and stacked on a new tri-level dish rack with towels over them. Silverware was loaded into the new dishwasher! (Finally!)

They also had the responsibility of refilling salt and pepper shakers, napkin holders, sugar bowls, and washing the floor twice a week. When the aides were not in the kitchen, they assisted at classes and participated in the evening programs.

“It’s a fun summer but you have to work hard,” a 1969 report ended. There would have been agreement from kitchen aides Cilla Johns, Kenlynn Kaufman, Lori Gottlieb, Cindy Horner and Kathy Hall, who were all first-year staff in 1971.

“I remember B.J. Falvey and Amy Johns as kitchen aides with me that last summer and we all had a riot, ” said Kim Moore (1967-72).” I thought there was nothing better, but I do think I still have horrible fingernails from washing dishes after hundreds of girls three times a day, seven days a week all summer. But, I loved being a part of it all and was ecstatic to be working in the kitchen! In fact, I never disliked one bit of it,” she said.“The four us that worked in the kitchen all received our senior livesaving cards that summer.”

If you worked in the kitchen, what was the most difficult part for you?