Friendships and Relationships

Kicks, Bites, and Fears–

Published on by Kathy Baker

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There were a few girls who would have loved to ride, but could not afford the lessons. They admitted they were envious and some of them made room in their lives to learn years after camp. Others had the opportunity and experienced some accidents and incidents that changed their minds about ever wanting to ride again.

“I hated horses,”said Phoebe Atha (1947-48). “In fact, I remember my sister riding “Gypsy” at camp. I had a camera that I bought. My sister loved horses and I didn’t. I did not want any part of those big animals, but I took a photo of her on the horse. Well, she was so mad. When the photos came back, I had only half the horse in the photo.”

Her sentiments about riding and being around horses were shared by many—some who tried and some, like Liz Anderson (1973-74), who wanted to ride, but “the horses were so big and mean and they tried to eat my shoes and scared the heck out of me, so when I started crying, they let me take arts and crafts instead.”

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Meet Kay Webb!

Published on by Kathy Baker

IMG_5710Kay, her brother Dick and father Merton all worked at camp, teaching and caring for the horses. The horses belonged to her father and Kay taught riding at Camp Maqua in 1950, as a high school student, after helping from 1947-1949. Merton loved the girls, and they loved him. Dick, who was four years younger than Kay, was in “girl heaven” with all the female attention, and was a gentle wonderful brother.

Although she never attended camp, Kay felt like it was her second home. “We lived on Long Lake, and I could go over and saddle up all the horses, go home for lunch and come back to unsaddle them”, she said. “In a way it was good I didn’t stay. Even though I ate lunches there as an instructor, those girls had to eat everything on their plates. I hated peas and liver. They had to eat the peas and liver. I would sit at that table every noon, and while the other counselors dashed out back for a smoke, I was back taking care of the horses. I never felt like I was missing anything. “

She believed the Webb horses were probably at camp until 1970, as her sons used to help their grandfather and stepmother Olive. Merton was also caretaker for a short time, doing whatever needed to be done.

“I can still remember my brother getting caught in quicksand down near the lake on his horse”, said Kay. “ Geri Fleming heard him screaming and pulled him and the horse out with a rope.”

She also recalled a funny story about her friend Alice and herself riding into town, following some of the girls from camp, who were “posting”. “We would ride behind them and make fun of them as they lifted themselves out of the saddle to post. Years later I had to teach that!” she laughed. She taught on “Dixie” and the girls loved that horse.

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Seventies Staffing #2

Published on by Kathy Baker


Two very thoughtful and well-written letters were also included in the files at the Great Lakes Bay Region YWCA. One was from Judy Moore, written on letterhead from the Women’s Athletics Program at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and dated January 24, 1972. It was addressed to Marjory Eakley, who was director of the YWCA at that time, and expressed apologies for not being able to attend the camp meeting.

“There is no way I can express my indebtedness for so many experiences,” she wrote. “My childhood was refreshed and strengthened through the eyes of the excited girls and willing staff members. The aura of a camp setting shall remain just as the brightness and warmth of the sun over many of my fondest memories.”

Her letter continued with suggestions to “better enrich the experiences for those to come.” Having worked with Mert and Ollie on repairs to the physical parts of the camp, she felt there were some immediate improvements that should be made. She referenced the  re-wiring of the total camp, cabins and lodge, (which she considered “obsolete and sub-minimal to the regulations of the law”). It was especially noticeable after the harsh storm that summer with dead trees threatening the camp. She considered two of the cabins to have weak foundations, and believed Dutton and the boathouse to have “outlived their time”, especially since the top of the old boathouse was used as a cabin. She suggested it not be in use as a cabin. With the budget demands in mind, she suggested a three to eight year projection of repairs and replacements to unsafe buildings.

Despite the best efforts of Mert and Ollie, she felt the safety of the campers was a concern. She outlined projects for their consideration, which included a “facelift” of the programs, since many of the returning campers need to have different and additional challenging experiences. With that in mind, the primitive camping was an option– if it was more challenging. Better food suppliers needed to be found, as the local grocers were happy with the business, but “at top prices”.

Some of the staff had suggested more inner city and welfare kids could be “culturally enriched” by the camping experience. She alluded to the drop in enrollment and suggested increased publicity, possibly with Camp Mahn-go-tah-see, so families could drop their sons and daughters off in the same area.

“Everyone praises the happy atmosphere of the camp, so I think that recruitment and public awareness would increase the enrollment, thereby decreasing some of the incurred debts”, she wrote.

She also felt there was a gap in communication between the camp committee and the staff at camp, and thought more careful screening of staff was necessary, with more incentives. “In order to attract good leaders and the experiences of past staff members, salary considerations must be reviewed. Any organization is only as strong as its leaders,” she continued. Her letter was written out of a “deep concern for camp and young girls, and wrote that she felt very strongly about the problems facing the camp, despite not having the answers.

Were any of the other counselors or campers aware of the deterioration of some of the buildings?

 

Seventies Staffing and Issues #1

Published on by Kathy Baker

The first two years of seventies’ directorship belonged to Barbara Haggart, also known as “Beanie”, whose directors reports were less detailed than her predecessor, but did not diminish her leadership qualities or her staff’s love for her as she ran the camp with educational experience and her previous years as an assistant under Dorthe Balaskas.

Judy Moore’s stay at Maqua was only two years—1970 and 1971, as an assistant director to Barb Haggart, “catching, fielding, and doing whatever had to be done for Beanie.” She played sports at Western Michigan University with Sue Wiegand, Nancy Sautter and Barb and was recruited from the physical education pool. That first summer was a summer she knew she didn’t have to make much money, since she had just been hired on as a physical education teacher in Sarnia, Ontario for a real job in the fall.

“I was an enthusiastic, energetic and triple type A person. I loved giving the counselors a break at night, since they were tired from their long days with the campers. I didn’t interact with the kids on a daily basis, but I impacted the activity level by acting as the program director that laid out the nightly activities and pocketed the daily schedule,” said Judy. “I became the person who immersed herself, mostly in the trenches with the counselors.”

“What a playground it was for me to practice my leadership skills. I attribute my introduction to my career to the leadership and savvy experiences I gained at Maqua,” said Judy. “It turned out being at camp was everything it could be for me. It was rich, meaningful fun.” “The director had to manage the people on a very low budget. Beanie was not a real detail person with reports, but she did all the hiring and she hired energetic girls, with personalities that had flair and sometimes evenan edge. She understood kids. The counselors she hired were there, for the most part, to make each day a good day for the camper and to put joy in their day.”

For Barbara Haggart, 1971 was, in her words from her director’s report, a tremendous one.” I think this particular staff had something special about them. It seemed to be just the right combination of people. They were hard workers and always accomplished what they started out to do. They were very aware of the camper’s personal needs and saw to them. The campers responded to the staff with great enthusiasm and I believe that each child thoroughly enjoyed their stay at camp,” wrote Beanie.

She said two of the periods were low in attendance, but seemed to run smoothly in spite of the gap with no big problems. Some new activities were added to the already full program and she tried to keep the evening programs interesting for every age level. She felt her activity directors were very responsible and “enhanced the program with their outstanding skills and interesting activities”, including the new counselors who became “masters” by the end of the summer. “It was a great summer—one that I will never forget,” she ended.

What do you remember about the year 1971 at camp?

 

Sixties Staffing and Issues #9

Published on by Kathy Baker

The camp aides were Sue Purdue, Sandra Hines, and Norma Hancock. “It was Super’s first year as a staff member,” she wrote,” and this is not always an easy transition to make from camper especially when your friends are here, but Sue hurdled this part of growing up and did eventually become a full fledge staff member.” She taught tennis with great skill, even for the beginners, and was so dependable and pleasant in the kitchen, doing more than her share easily with her co-workers. Dorthe felt she seemed to enjoy her summer, “in spite of not having the most pleasant or easiest job”. She expressed an interest in coming back.

The junior counselor program in the activity report from 1969 listed three who worked in different areas that summer. They assisted during inventories, repairs and preparation. Sometimes they took over cabins for evening programs if someone was ill, needed rest, or had time off. They had the same amount of time off as the senior staff and were usually free on cabin days unless asked to accompany an outing. The senior counselors always helped the juniors become acquainted with the campers and were described as versatile, since they could float from one activity to the other when needed, despite the fact Dorthe believed the junior counselor program rendered the staff less efficient.

Emmy Host was the crafts director in 1967 and ran the camp store. She was described in the report as organized, and Dorthe never felt she had to worry about her, since she ordered all the supplies and made samples of the items to be made by the girls each summer. She trained two girls at pre-camp for the crafts section.

“She was my sounding board and unfortunately I overburdened her with my woes. She found it difficult to participate in camp activities and to relate to the staff, but she did try and personally felt she had outgrown camp,” wrote Dorthe Balaskas in her report in 1967.

“There was a banquet at the end of the year and all the kids had gone home and just the staff were left. I think it might have been Dorthe’s last year there and we didn’t know it. Her partner Emmy didn’t like being at camp, “ said Ann Carney. “Dorthe called me into her office and said there will be two people speaking and I think Ann Obey was the other one. Then she called me in to read my speech to her. It was a big deal to be in a room with her approving or disapproving my speech. We both cried after I read it. She never stayed for the banquet. She left before I got up.”

Ann Obey served in campcraft and boating and Dorthe found her to be a joy and an asset to the staff with her alumni status. She had cabin two the second session, which was the younger girls, and she treated them with patience, understanding and great responsibility, noted Dorthe, who felt she could always call on her. “Ann’s loyalty to Maqua was very apparent and greatly appreciated.”

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Sixties Staffing and Issues #8

Published on by Kathy Baker

528600_2138064229394_189573804_nLaurie Cone was a kitchen aide for the first time in 1966. Her room was in the lodge as a kitchen aide and at fourteen, she was the same age as many of the campers. Laurie’s older sister Tally, was in Senior Village the summer she attended Maqua for the first time. It was 1962 and she was ten years old and she camped until the summer of 1966, when she joined the staff.

“I worked the first summer with Sue Kiltie, Chris Varney and a few others. We worked three meals a day for one hundred and twenty campers for $50 for the entire summer,” she said.

Laurie Cone “was indeed one of my rewards”,  said Dorthe, who was thrilled to see a “once camper become a staff member” According to her director,she took her responsibilities very seriously and was an asset to the nature director, as well as her assistance in boating. She had shown her director that her two summers were a true learning experience.

The four junior counselors that summer were Susan Kiltie, Laurie Cone, Ann Obey and Chris Varney. They were used as cabin counselors in various activities, having previously been camp aides, and they were also experienced. They arrived early to help the activity directors, were used in the dining room and kitchen on occasion and were considered the best group Dorthe had ever had!

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