1970’s

Co-ed Dynamics–

Published on by Kathy Baker

The dynamics changed for Mardi Jo Link (1973-78) when Camp Maqua turned co-ed. “I never felt threatened, if anything I had a lot of friends. That time helped me form my open mindedness as a young woman with all girls around, but it went away when the boys arrived. No one felt as comfy anymore. There was an easiness to having all girls around.”

“Maqua was always my escape from the real world. When it went co-ed, it seemed like it was just like the rest of the world, even though I did have my first boyfriend at Camp Maqua when I was fifteen. Those camping years coincided with my teen years, but it certainly didn’t have the same vibes when it was co-ed. It wasn’t that” Women Can Do Anything” camp anymore. When it was just girls, it made me feel like my life was like a blank slate. I had ownership of my own life. Those years gave me a sense of permanence. Camp was really important to me. There were so many opportunities. I could ask for help and I could also help others. It was a place to show your best talents, regardless of your skills. It was a place you could be a story teller, an artist, a counselor and it was just a happy place for me.”

“I was at camp for seven years, starting when I was seven (as probably one of the youngest campers) until the year it was co-ed, “said Kellie Moore (1970-77). “Our cabin of girls that year was probably the oldest campers at the time and we were not eager to change our ways, so we spent (or were sent) off to “Primi” most of that last summer. I often wonder why they had to invite the boys!”

The girls ended up sleeping in the army tent on the raised platform off in the woods and cooked many of their own meals out there, hung out by themselves and walked to Hale Park or into town to buy candy. “We liked to do the tricks and with the boys there, it was just different. We weren’t willing to change. There were six or eight of us and we felt this sense of entitlement. We had earned our privileges as older campers and they expected us to do things a different way. It was not terrible, but we were always getting punished for our pranks. They would make us clean our cabins or some restrictions when we ran our bras up the flagpole. At that age we were really not that much into the guy dynamic and we were not happy to be part of the camp.”

Amy Johns (1967-78) was also there for the transition and agreed the dynamics changed and she hated the name change to Camp Maquois. “When there was the introduction of boys, there was all this drama about relationships. It was stressful. I think that it ruined it when the boys came into a camp that was all about girls and their relationships.  Turning co-ed meant a downturn to me. It did not become more popular. It trended downward overall. Camp changed over time, the world changed and we did, too. To me, Maqua was about the girls experience year after year.”

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The Boys Have Arrived!

Published on by Kathy Baker

Only one summer and two weeks at Maqua, but Mark Blumenthal had the distinction of being in the last group of campers to attend the camp before it closed permanently. It was the summer of 1978 and Dave McEvers had scheduled his cross-country team to utilize the camp and its  great surroundings for the team practices. His group were post-session, but the summer of 1978 had co-ed sessions.

“It was the summer between my 17th and 18th year. I remember staying in the wood- sided cabins with the bunk beds down the hill from the lodge. We would run Loon Lake, eat breakfast, hang out and eat lunch before our speed work in the afternoon. I think our high school added two girls to the team that year, but I only recall one at camp and I don’t know where they put her,” he laughed. “That summer we invited our rivals to come up to practice with us, which was probably unwise, as they bested us in regionals that year.”

Mark said the horses were there and the rowboats were still at the waterfront. The team did some swimming while they were at camp, but he learned to skim board on the flat shallow beach. There was time to also go into Tawas to the movies and play volleyball, but most of the equipment was put away.

The camp store was closed, but the boys could see camp tee shirts (white with green trim and the logo on it), so someone opened it and he still has the shirt. What he wished he had was the recipe for the pizza burgers the cook made them the summer he spent at camp! (He also has memories of listening to Bill Cosby comedy albums while they played board games in the lodge until lights out.)

The other male camper, besides staff, interviewed was Matthew Prieskorn. (His was mother is Geraldine Prieskorn, and sisters are Cara Prieskorn, Susan Prieskorn, and Rebecca Prieskorn—and all attended Maqua.

Matthew’s mother Geraldine, who had attended Camp Maqua in 1942, forced Matthew to go to camp the year it was co-ed in 1976 at the age of twelve. Unlike Mark, he was in the regular sessions. He hated it, didn’t know a soul, and left after a week. It was his first time away from home. His memories include one canoe trip, which was rained out and a pretty cool sail on the lake. He left without keeping in touch with any of his cabin mates.

What do you recall of the first arrival of the boys?

 

 

 

 

 

Ken Dike—Last Director

Published on by Kathy Baker

When the decision was made between the YWCA and the YMCA to merge Camp Maqua with Camp Iroquois on Sand Lake, David Bast was the camp director at the boys’ camp. He was designated to be the director of the combined effort, but was offered a job in Alabama.

Ken Dike was the program director in 1976 under David and at age twenty-two, he was then offered the position in the winter of 1997 to become the director at “Camp Maquois”, which was the name David had created merging the two camp names. He had already accumulated seven years experience in camping and four years in directorships at Camp Nelson and Camp Oakes in California–in waterfront and programming, and had always worked in co-ed camps until Iroquois.

Born and raised in Chicago, he attended George Williams College, and received his B.S. in Recreation and later a Masters in Environmental Education and Administration. At the time he was hired, he was engaged to be married, and was offered the position for six months with the possibility of a full-time job. “I was offered the full time position with the YMCA during the off-season and the camp in the summer. That offer was made because of the initial success of the summer by making a profit of $1500,” said Ken. “It was my choice not to accept it and go back to grad school.”

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Camp Falls On Hard Times–

Published on by Kathy Baker

 

Camps across the country were closing in the seventies for many reasons. Some of these camps were positioned in areas that were popular for vacations and second homes. Property taxes had risen and many families began taking family vacations together, instead of shipping their kids off the camps. Camps closed when they could not afford to operate with high bills and lower enrollment. The media was focusing on issues of pedophilia within some camps, which caused parents to tighten the reins on allowing their children to attend.

Judy Alcorn, forties camper and board member at the YWCA, wrote, “It was at the end of their time at camp when it fell upon hard times. There were four women who served on the board who decided to begin much needed repairs and painting. They, along with their husbands, were Marge and Jim Falvey, Georgie and Jim Fenton, Nancy and Bob McAlister and my husband Pat and me,”

“We put hundreds of gallons of paint on all the huts. We called ahead to the hardware store in Hale, which stocked the paint for us. They would have it all shaken and ready to pick up during the weekend. We all cleaned and generally picked up the place. Our kids came with us and we would build a fire in the lodge at the end of the day and sleep in our sleeping bags. Although we worked hard, we had a good time. We used a small fund raising campaign to pay for the paint and the material used.”

“That kept the camp going for a few more years. I am not sure about sharing with Camp Mahn-go-tah-see across the lake. Camp came to an end and we started an agreement with Camp Iroquois, the Bay City YMCA camp, for a few years. Then, that folded as well. It was a sad day when that happened. At that time many sports camps were in business and the competition was too strong.”

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Camp Transportation–

Published on by Kathy Baker

Campers had several ways of getting to Camp Maqua, which included the bus that left from the Bay City YWCA or their parent’s vehicles. Once the girls arrived at camp, there was always a necessity to have a camp vehicle to provide transportation to and from overnight outings, emergency trips to the doctor or hospital, trips to church and shopping for supplies for camp.

The notes and minutes from ledgers at the YWCA discussed trucks as early as April 1, 1932. The camp committe had the decision whether to pay a flat rate to the YMCA or hire a truck and that summer they hired a truck on a mileage basis.

May 10, 1935, there was a mention in the minutes that read; “Balcer Brothers Bus Company has agreed to furnish busses for our campers at twenty-seven dollars a trip from Bay City to Camp Maqua.” Members of the camp committee, Mrs. Ramsey and Mrs. Hewitt were given the job of interviewing automobile dealers to secure a loan of a car for the camp season. The result was Mrs. Stegall of Packard Cars made sure Mrs. Ramsey’s car was in good condition and she loaned it to camp, even after two members investigated the loan of a car from a local dealer.

In 1936, the camp committee again discussed a camp car and Mrs. Hewitt suggested a station wagon, which was needed and could be purchased cheaper in the spring. “It is especially needed for transporting the girls to and from church on Sundays,” she said. Minutes in March stated there was still no decision, so the old car was sent to the factory “to be put in first class condition”.

By 1937, a station wagon was to be purchased for $500 in Detroit, “if a satisfactory finance can be worked out”, stated a committee member in the minutes, who also suggested the old camp car be sold for whatever money it could bring, and the March minutes verified the financing was agreed upon and the car was sold.

No mentions of vehicles were made until May 21, 1943, when the first item of business was to repair the station wagon, presumably the one purchased in 1937. “Work on the motor of the wagon has been done by the Travelers Garage at a cost of $68.05. After trying several places to get the woodwork put in good condition, Mrs. Macaulay finally took it to Saginaw to the Wienecke Company. Mr. Wienecke has promised to do a good job on it, the cost around $22. This will consist of almost an entirely new top and woodwork,” the report stated.

In 1945, ideas were discussed by the committee on how best to come up with money for a new station wagon. (Borrow from the finance committee, raise money through teas, bridge parties or food sales, some other money making project or something with the Community Chest, of which the YWCA was a member.)

On October 13, 1953, the minutes stated a station wagon had been offered to camp by Mr. Harry Richard.

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Families Who Felt Like Camp Was Theirs—The William Evans Family

Published on by Kathy Baker

Delphine Evans was hired as the director for Camp Maqua for the summer of 1976 and was in the unique postion of directing with her two children Melinda and Billy living on the premises. Her husband William, a lawyer with the state, managed to drive up on weekends and help out with camp duties, while doing his own legal work in between. Delphine wrote;

“After accepting the position, we agreed that my children could go to camp with me and that instead of hiring 3 kitchen aides, I would hire
four and they would rotate between working in kitchen and watching the children.  (I would reimburse the “Y” for the salary of one of the kitchen aides)”

“The kids and I lived in the lodge and that seemed to work quite well.  I could be part of the evening activities and the after hours staff gatherings without worrying about the kids.  I remember the staff as being a hard working cohesive group with no major conflicts or issues-rare among camp staffs!”

“My first session at camp has been one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever spent as a director. Who will ever forget our 1950’s party and all the great costumes? Then the fourth of July brought us parades, campfires and Chris as the Maqua monster. All the campers up here were happy and excited about camp and I really hope to see all of you next week, or if not, then back next summer”, wrote Delphine in the “Loon”.

Billy and Melinda were interviewed the summer they stayed at camp and were featured in a copy of the “Loon” in 1976, presumably to Mary Toburen, who was the assistant at that time. What a wonderful summer the two siblings must have had, enjoying camp with the other kids!

Under the heading “Infirmary” Melinda dictated, “ First we came and moved in and then we went to see what the waterfront looked like. Next we looked at the lodge and everything else at camp. Then we had to go home again with Daddy. When we came back the staff was already here and the campers were going to be coming soon. Our first day we went swimming and got into area two. After the campers came, we started doing lots of things—like arts and crafts and playing all different kinds of games. The four kitchen aides are our babysitters and we have lots of fun every day. I think that camp is really good.”

Billy’s interview was just as delightful—“First we came up, then we looked around camp and we decided to go to the lodge. Then we went home for five days before coming back. On Sunday, the campers came and we played games. The next day camp started. We started doing all kinds of stuff, like arts and crafts and swimming. We had a big bonfire on the fourth of July. The people left to go canoeing and biking. We get to sing songs and have toasts at every meal. Our babysitters are Mary, Mo, Judy and Sue. They are K.A.’s.”