“I was the director for three years and I always regretted that I did not go back, but life circumstances, plus searching for a permanent teaching job kept me away,” said Beanie (Barbara Haggart) a little wistfully. “My years at Maqua were the happiest of my life. People who have not experienced the camaraderie missed out. The kids were great.”
“We took our chances with staff, but if they didn’t quite fit, we tried to help them. I had six or seven friends from Western who came. Judy Moore had been in college with me and played sports. We also took applications in the mail and the Bay City Y” sent out flyers to recruit. One time we had a problem with one of the cooks, who had a drinking problem. She made these thick ugly pancakes and no one would eat them, so she served them at lunch with tuna fish salad on them,” laughed Beanie. “ A couple of times we had Jello that was like glue. She did not add enough water. So, we had a food fight with the Jello!”
“We worried about safety and prowlers and a few times we were on alert, but nothing serious. Homesickness was always a major issue in some of the kid’s life. You couldn’t just “poo-poo” their feelings, but we didn’t coddle them. I don’t think I sent any home. We had the usual allergies and bee stings. What worried me was sending the older kids on the AuSable River and if there was bad weather, it was hard to get a hold of them. Somehow the counselors always coped well with those situations, though,” she said, “We always had concerns about keeping money on the premises. Lee, who ran the camp store, was the financial person who handled the kid’s accounts. With one hundred thirty five kids and about thirty five staff, it was a big responsibility.”
“The farewell campfires were always a huge deal. I would lead the singing and the songs were usually sad. Every cabin would put a candle on a little piece of wood, decorated with leaves, ferns, etc. and melt the candle so everything would stick. The wishing boats would go out into the water and the little ones would cry as they made their wish. We would pass out the awards for the session for those who were leaving.,” said Beanie. “The last everyone decided I should take a cabin for the last session, so I had the older girls. It was great. The director didn’t usually take a cabin, but it was nice. I think Sue Carney was in my cabin. As a counselor with the older kids, I was in Dutton, but stayed in the lodge as an assistant director. The kitchen aides usually had a room in the lodge. There were two that were water-side.”
“I was always interested in sports and enjoyed helping kids. I enjoyed teaching and learning. Camp helped me to know kids in a different way,” said Beanie, as she listed her many teaching credentials. (Elementary education degree, special education Masters degree) The majority of her jobs were in physical education and coaching, but she taught special education and mentored many students who would later praise her for her influence in their lives.
Beanie’s director’s reports were a testament to her interest in the campers and staff, and wrote, “The most important part of any camp is its staff. The finest equipment, the best food, the smoothest public relations are all lost if the counselors cannot develop the quality of rapport with the campers that makes worthwhile growth possible. If the camp season is to be a successful one, each counselor must be aware of each camper, her interests, her desires, and her needs. As the counselors show her awareness, the camper will respond, develop and grow. Unless the counselor has this awareness and shows it, little will happen.”
Debi Gottlieb camped under Dorthe and Beanie. “Everyone thought she was awesome. She was fun, took great care of the kids, and we all just thought she was the coolest person in the world. She had a great voice, played the guitar, was bubbly-someone you wanted to hang out with. As a director, she was respected, but she was also warm and fuzzy.”
“Beanie was our director and she was so cool and I had never met adults that were that cool,” said Sue Robson, whose memories included a girl named “Strings” who played the guitar and Carole King’s “Tapestry” album, which was so popular that summer with the campers.
Karen Cox and Pamela Hartz also had fond memories of their dirctor. “Maqua had such a good reputation. I remember Dorthe had such a huge presence as a director,” said Pamela, “but Beanie was—OMG, she was huge! Strong, friendly, relaxed.”
Karen was a counselor under Barbara and said, “Everybody loved her and I don’t think I know anyone who was more beloved or knew more people. Everyone was just drawn to her.”
The director had to manage the people on a very low budget,” said Judy Moore, who was the assistant director. “Beanie was not a real detail person with her reports, but she did all the hiring and she hired energetic girls, with personalities that had flair and even an 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.”
Judy’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 had 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.”
“This summer was a tremendous one. It was a very unique season for most of us. 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,” Beanie ended in her 1971 report.
How did Barbara Haggart or any of the staff during the seventies influence you?