Dorthe Balaskas was the assistant under Alice before becoming the director in 1966 and served until 1969. She had worked for other camps, so when Alice Bishop wanted to retire, Dorthe applied for the position. Her degree was in Special Education, specializing in physically impaired methods from Eastern Michigan University, but she also received her masters for teaching mentally impaired students and worked in the Lowery School for fifty years.

“I worked on the camp work all year long,” said Dorthe. “It was a lot of work with interviews, and visiting college campuses. The waterfront director was always the hardest to get, but it was the number one important position to find.”

She recalled one young woman who applied late for a position and scolded her. “Young lady, did anyone ever tell you not to apply for a job at such late notice?” and the girl replied, “Well, it worked, didn’t it” (Of course, she got the job—)

She hired all the staff and expressed how difficult it was, but never had to fire anyone, although one girl quit because she missed her parents. (Dorthe never could understand, since she was a college girl and she should have been used to being away.)

She described a “big cook problem” one summer, when one of the cooks drank herself into a car accident and they had to scramble to find someone to go into town to submit a food order.

Dorthe loved the singing, sang in her church choir and of course, there was plenty of singing when her assistant Barbara Haggart came on board. She was well-respected, developed a wonderful rapport with the camp committee and was revered by her staff and campers. Her comprehensive reports were neatly typed and outlined every duty, chart, financial item, supply sheet, mileage, staff evaluation and recommendation for the entire camp and staff.

The 1966 “Loon” described her as “being of unknown age and ancestry” and a schoolteacher during the year; seen everywhere at camp, but usually at the lodge; known to raise her hand during mealtime giving out the “unforgettable cry of let’s mind our manners and no toasts during this meal”. The writer ended with the statement-“So, after many years have gone by and we are old and gray, we will always remember our days at camp with dear “Mother Maqua”.

Cathy Hawkins (1962) became a junior counselor for the first time between her junior and senior year of high school. “All the other girls were college girls. I felt a little less in stature, but I do remember her telling me at the end of the summer that I showed maturity for a girl my age. She wasn’t easy on us, either.”

She can still picture Dorthe’s living quarters in the lodge. No one was allowed to sit on her porch, which faced the road, unless invited, and she could often be seen smoking on her little private porch.

Dorthe was indeed a respected mother figure to Cara Prieskorn (1966-71) and like a second mother to Sue Purdue (1964-68). “She was a strong leader and I looked up to that strong mentoring woman. She had a great sense of humor, but ran a tight ship. She caused us to be introspective, to consider our poor choices when we made them.”

Karen Magidshohn (1965) remembered her as the stern grandmother type, but loving and incredibly respected. “She needed to be stern with all those girls. When she retired, everyone was devastated.”

How did Dorthe Balaskas influence or mentor you as a camp director?