Like many of the Moms who sent their daughters off to camp, the little labels were sewn into Jeri Smith’s camp wardrobe in the sixties. The list for camp would arrive in the mail to check off the activites and articles of clothing plus items needed for the two-week sessions. Of course, there was always the excitement of checking the boxes next to the ones she loved. In addition, there was the yearly physical, so that she was up to date on her shots.
“I remember my Mother marking every piece of clothing by sewing in little labels,” said Karen Short (1945-48) who added there were now marking pens for the same thing.
Randi Wynne-Parry”s Mom would shop with her for special camp clothes (1969-73)– then the labels went inside. Rosemary Orgren (1956-58) only recalled labels inside her “undies”.
“My Mom would always get me some clothes for camp, so I could last two weeks without washing them. I recall sitting in my bedroom writing my names on all the tags on my shirts, shorts, swimsuits,” said Lindy White (1970-73). “I used a light blue trunk to pack all my clothes and set it at the end of my bed in my cabin. There was a tray in my trunk that I would keep all the miscellaneous stuff, including stationary to write home.”
“I usually went to fourth period for the first few years and I never remember being in the first sessions, but I attended for six years until 1952,” said Jan Mosier. “The other great thing about my friend going up with me was that her Mom could drive. If I stayed for more than one session, my Mom would send up new clothes, all with labels sewn in.”
Cynthia Gregory( 1960-65) recalled one girl in her hut wore the same clothes every day for a week, so director Alice Bishop told her she had to wear something different. “I also remember my Mom putting my name on all my clothes in my suitcase, but we really didn’t care what we wore.”
Aside from wearing whites on Sundays and photos, labeling camp clothes was a time honored tradition. The worry was always if the Moms had packed enough clothes for the entire stay, but many girls did not care what they wore!
And then there were the girls who were sent for the whole summer. “One girl felt like she was not wanted and she never changed her clothes and wore her bathing suit to bed,” said Amy Falk (1971-74).
Kathy Hall (1966-71) would be the first person to tell you she did not care what she looked like. “I was never concerned with style. I was not a primper and liked that it was all girls.” Debra Osher (1963), a self-professed tomboy hippie also did not care about the clothes, despite her Mom’s attempt packing her Dad’s green Army trunk full of camp clothes.
With three brothers at home, Anne Shutt (1961-66) did not have a footlocker filled with new clothes as some girls did. Instead, she wore her older brother’s clothes and did not care one bit, as she said she was also a tomboy.
Maureen Moore (1968-70) had a wardrobe that was a combination of new and hand-me-downs from her sister, claiming she was oblivious to fads and fashions, but noticed the girls from Livonia with their painted nails and great tans.
Everything at camp was exciting to Barb Hale (1950) and although her parents were not lavish, they did buy her new clothes to go to camp. Cynthia Behan (1945) did not get new clothes unless she had outgrown the old ones.
“I remember having to get a foot locker for my clothes, but I usually had hand-me downs from my cousins, but maybe I got a few new things,” said Cheryl Short (1964). “It didn’t bother me. In fact, I was on the Captain Muddy Waters television show and he held me on his lap and told me I was a cute little girl and called me Little Alice Blue Gown. He asked me where I got the pretty dress and I said “a rummage sale”. I just didn’t care.”
Did you care about your camp clothes?
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