Sixties and Staffing and Issues #4

Published on March 22, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker

Finding experienced and mature staff was not an easy task in 1966 for Dorthe Balaskas and sometimes areas were understaffed or staffed with girls who just did not make the grade. She did not tolerate behavior problems and expected her staff to not only do the job efficiently, but with a good attitude.

Dorthe felt it was not fair to the campers to have a counselor with a blank, unsmiling expression and for one girl, her duties as a cabin counselor were removed and she was described as “lacking enthusiasm”. Whatever her problems, it reduced her effectiveness.

One counselor had difficulty handling the older girls, leaving them un-attended, which set a bad example, so she asked that she not be re-hired as she “seldom showed awareness of camp as a whole”.

Another came inexperienced in the camping and childcare areas and did not work well with her associates, with comments such as poor attitude and “everything was a joke”, Dorthe felt she could not retain her position and continually had to be supervised in the area she finally landed.

Sixties Staffing with “Superdoo” #3

Published on March 20, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker

Sue Purdue was one of the young girls who transitioned from camper to counselor and learned some life lessons through her experiences under director Dorthe Balaskas.

“I think I was thirteen years old in 1964 when I first went to Camp Maqua. My cousin Laurie Cone was from Toledo and she was a year younger, but had been the impetus for attending,” said Sue. “I’m sure those lodge walls do talk. It housed so many girls. It was a time in your life that you didn’t realize was so important until you were older. The skits, the singing, the experiences—all that reflection looking back——-what a flood of memories!”

“I was an extrovert to the hilt and loved the social network. I was a camper first and was wildly social and gregarious. I camped under Dorthe and was in Senior Village and loved all the counselors who were my peers when I became a full counselor at the age of seventeen. I had written to Dorthe to consider me for the positions as kitchen aide, “ she laughed. “Big self esteem thing being a kitchen aide. She hired me and several other girls who were never campers before and the three of us worked together.”

Sixties Staffing and Issues #2

Published on March 15, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker

The application for the renewal of license for the camp in 1964 from the Dept. of Social Welfare for the state of Michigan listed Dorthe Balaskas as the director and she had previously experienced six years of camp leadership. Miriam Carr, who had been a YWCA camp director in California, was her assistant that summer. Rosalind Prophet, who had been a counselor at Maqua for three years, was listed as the waterfront director in 1963-64.R Lillian Richards also returned as the camp nurse, so Dorthe had some experienced staff to begin a new season.

There were twenty over the age of eighteen listed, with two maintenance, two cooks, two kitchen aides, and three others. It was the summer the Bradley Basin sink was installed in the “Brownie”, which was listed under improvements. Hoppers were still being used in the dining room, and there were notes in the camp committee minutes concerning the creation of a position for director for the evening programs.

Dorthe’s reports were always comprehensive in depth and scope. She outlined everything in detail, never leaving any items to chance, in case she was replaced or did not return the following season. The tasks she performed and the vendors she used, even in the shoulder season, were always listed for future reference.

In 1966, Dorthe mentioned how important it was to communicate with returning staff. The Michigan Employment Agency was noted as a good source for applications, as well as colleges, who not only had lists, but places to interview. She made sure all letters requesting applications were answered, and required three references.

“Recruitment of staff was a problem this year and four staff members were hired the week before camp, “ she wrote in 1966. Unable to interview them in person on such short notice, she had to use her best judgement based on phone interviews and recommendations. Even though she loved the interview process, it was a time consuming task which took up her weekends and admitted to losing sleep over the timing of her last hires.

Sixties Staffing and Issues #1

Published on March 13, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker

The sixties ushered in tenures of longevity for directors Alice Bishop (1960-62) and Dorthe Balaskas (1963-69). The director’s reports were fairly comprehensive, which were great sources for the staffing issues they had to contend with on a daily and seasonal basis.

Alice had ten years of previous camp experience at Camp Cavell, three years with the UAW-CIO, and a year at Camp Yakewi. Her leadership included program director and waterfront director when she applied for the position. Notes from the camp committee listed twelve girls, mainly college age, and activities specialists yet to be hired, but Alice carefully selected them.

Sue Hier was her assistant that summer and Barbara Pearson was the business manager. Janet Gehres hired on as the camp nurse, with Karen Landee, Edith Gerhard, Phyllis Finn, Edie Olsen, MaryLou Goggin, June Mitchener, Christine Hubert, Sandra Lappan, Laurie Linder, Suzi White, Bonnie Baker, Joan Hopkins, Janice Zawalski, Kay Rahn, Lynn Whipple, Kay Cornor, Jane Byrne, Judy Talford and Karen Kaiser rounding out the team.

In general, Alice wrote that she was pleased with her staff and “they had not gone sour midway during the summer, as so often happens”. She had personally talked to each one of them. She was especially complimentary of Sue Hier, her assistant, and MaryLou Goggin, who taught horseback riding. She had been less pleased with the boating instructor, who she felt lacked proficiency and ignored safety rules. One waterfront counselor worried her so much that she suspended canoeing, boating, and cross lake swimming, with exceptions made when the waterfront director was assuming authority. Safety was important, especially with waterfront activities.

Directors #8

Published on February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 by Kathy Baker

There were no records of camp committee minutes referring to Sue Patenge as the director during summers 1972-74, but Rhonda Thayer and Carol Hulett were at camp during those years and had totally opposite impressions of her, as did a few other counselors, parents and campers.

Sue had been a physical education teacher in Mt. Clemens and despite the five- year difference in their ages, Carol, a pre-med student and the nurse at camp, and Sue became very close friends.

“She was very organized and business-like and loved being with the kids. Her Mom had been a camper (Berta Patenge) and her grandmother had been on the board at the YWCA and had even come to visit her one summer at camp. She was a very detail-oriented person and everybody liked her,” said Carol.

“Hypo”, as Carol was known lived with Edna the cook in the Infirmary. She nicknamed Sue Patenge “Junior” because she was the boss and Carol was the junior boss, as outlined in the article entitled “The Big Four” in the “Loon”. According to the 1974 article in the “Loon”, Sue had discovered her job from friends (B.J. –a classmate in one of her high school classes) in Bay City and thought she would enjoy directing a camp because “she enjoys being with us—likes the things we do, the decisions we make and the stunts we play on the staff, as long as they are funny”.

For “Junior”, who had a three-year directorship, this was the only camp she had ever worked and she wanted to return. She enjoyed travelling, playing cards, tennis, reading, and listening to people.

Directors #5

Published on February 8, 2017February 20, 2017 by Kathy Baker

“Dorthe had a gargantuan job with all those girls ages six to sixteen and those counselors in their twenties, “ said Kim Wynne-Parry, who camped 1963-68. “She did her job with kindness and benevolence. I remember her as a huge presence.”

“A reserved and capable woman, friendly without acting silly. You took her seriously,” said Nancy Sautter (1968-70). “Very professional, people-oriented, caring and wanted everyone to succeed,” said her sister Tricia. “It took a lot of work with all the different personalities and she had many fires to put out, but she handled them with dignity.”

“We used to take turns with campfire watch, down by the campfire pit, and we knew some girls would sneak out. We could hear the noise coming from the woods. Their goal was to scare us. One of the counselors wanted to tell Dorthe, but I knew how she hated hiking down that long hill and back,” said Sue Wiegand (1966-67). “The girls finally revealed who they were, but when they saw Dorthe, they knew she had a firm hand, even the counselors were intimidated by their presence. But, inside once you got to know her, she was a marshmallow. She just had that walk where you knew she was in command.”

Doris Engibous (1973-75) agreed. “When I was twelve and Dorthe was director, she was the ultimate. No one could fill her shoes. She was a formidable leader and I remember that you did not stray too far from the straight and narrow. I never felt like her style was too regimented or disciplined, though.”

Girls of Camp Maqua

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1960’s