Nancy Michelson was one of four sisters who attended in the sixties and seventies. Close in age, they were known at “The Michelson Girls”. Their mother was not only behind the sisters going to camp, she was the ringleader of the many girls from Flint who attended in the late forties.
Ellen Hydorn was part of the “Fifth Street Gang”, which consisted of five girls who lived on the same street. Four went to camp together in 1954, when they were eleven years old. The other girl had a mother and two daughters who attended.
Friends Lori Rosenbaum, Karen Magidshohn and Pamela Hartz were known as “The Three Musketeers”. “I was the youngest in that group of Jewish girls, but we never felt prejudice. I always felt incredibly safe,” said Pamela.
Kim Wynne-Parry was eight in 1963 when her Mom and Shelley Wright’s Mom decided they should go off to camp together. Kim continued until the end of middle school, but Shelley continued on as a counselor. “I was always with Shelley when I went to camp, but she was the more athletic one and made friends more easily.”
Melissa Plambeck (1968-78) met a girl by the name of Julie Bernard at camp and they stayed in touch long enough for Julie to stand up in her wedding. Carol Wahl met Pam Moore in 1974 in her first year at camp. They ended up as college room-mates and was also in Carol’s wedding.
The parents of Jan Mosier and Mary Lou Clay were good friends when the eight year olds set off for camp in 1947, and both ended up going to college together. Jane Miller’s family were good friends with Amy Falvey’s family when she and Jane camped together in 1969 as nine-year olds, but never got to share a hut, although they remained friends all these years.
Debbie Tweedie, who used to model with her friends in the mother-daughter style shows at the ‘Y’, had a group of friends from Essexville at camp in the mid-sixties whose parents were all very involved in the Bay City YWCA.
Many girls influenced their friends, cousins or siblings to attend, believing they would love it just as much as they did. It was not always the case. Some pretended to be ill to get home, or lasted for the allotted time– never to return to camp again.
Time and time again, the campers interviewed agreed that having a good friend at camp could be the best or the worst experience. Siblings often tried to live up to their sister’s abilities, only to find their own niche. Friends discovered friendships disappeared amidst jealousy when friends made new friends at camp. Often good friends hung together and did not make new friends.
For those who feared camp and its uncertainty, new friendships were made quickly as the counselors gently nudged girls in new directions. Sheryl Biesman remained connected to some of her camp friends. At one point in her sorority, two of her friends had gone to Maqua. She wrote letters to Diane Bakeman all through college and has lost touch, but hopes to be reunited, as do many of the girls who have found each other after many years.
“Many serious bonds were formed by attending the same session each summer,” said Stephanie Patterson, who met friend Barb Baumgartner at camp and stayed friends when they attended the same high school.
How many of you stayed in touch with girls you met at camp?