In 1967 Mollie Forester was the camp nurse. Dorthe described her as a talker with a kind heart, who was always willing to help out. Her Infirmary was always spotless and there were only two trips to the doctor and one hospital visit on her watch. She had a wonderful rapport with the younger campers, but strained with the older ones, so Dorthe passed out meds to the seniors that summer.

One of her patients was Cindy, who never forgot the orange Mercurochrome, but then who doesn’t remember that little cure-all? Cindy Naylor (1967) turned around in her horseback riding class and the horse raised his leg and kicked her. She still has the dent in her leg.

Zoe McGrath had camped at Maqua as a young girl in the mid fifties, so going back to camp, smelling the campfires and eating “S’Mores” the summer of 1968 was a good bridge between her graduation and her future career as a nurse. It was her first experience as a camp nurse and not only did she fulfill that duty, but she helped out in a kitchen staffing emergency with her director, Dorthe Balaskas. There were a few suggestions from Dorthe to the camp committee for the following summer, and Zoe had the desire to leave her present job and return if she was re-hired.

“One day I was the one that got injured with a concussion on a sailboat,” said Zoe. “They came about quickly and I got whacked in the head with the boom and had to spend the night in Dorthe’s room in the lodge, so they could check me all night.”

Maureen Moore (1968-70) broke a tooth in a water fight when she was working as a kitchen aide. “The girls had their rest period and it was a hot day to do dishes, so we went out with pitchers of water. One of the girls grabbed a metal pitcher and I turned my head just in time to catch it on my teeth. My Mom was horrified when she picked me up because the root was exposed. It was close to the end of session. I don’t know why that girl didn’t grab a plastic one like we did.”

In 1969, Nadine Furlong was listed as the registered nurse, with Dr. Payea still serving as the camp doctor. In her end of season report, she mentioned a staff meeting where she addressed the crushes girls might develop on staff members, as well as notifying some of the staff of the severe ailments they may encounter. (One camper suffered from seizures.)

“One of my cabin mates had a seizure,” said Sue Robson, who camped in the early seventies and believed it was a doctor’s daughter. “I didn’t assist, but it was in the lodge and I didn’t know what was going on. She talked funny at first when she came to and it was the first time I had seen anyone have a seizure. The odd thing is I can still remember feeling jealous that she got all the attention!”

When she wasn’t passing out meds or inspecting cabins, Nadine dealt with sleep-walking, ringworm, poison ivy, Cerebral Palsy, twisted ankles, headaches, laryngitis, bone inflammation, earaches, bee stings, colds and homesickness. Three girls were bitten by the same non-poisonous snake and the cold damp weather affected the general health at the beginning of one of the sessions.

Karen Ecker was listed as the nurse in 1971 and was also a first-timer, but adjusted to the camp routine. She handled her responsibilities during office hours, checked cabins, and dispensed medications at mealtimes, often participating in evening programs and helping out in other areas. (Other medications were picked up by camp committee members.)

Barbara Haggart was her director and felt she was very willing. When the 1971 report came in from the Michigan Director of Social Services, it stated; “The health center was run by a friendly and qualified R.N., who remarked that some of her best assistance to campers with a an upset stomach was a little hug and some motherly encouragement.”

How many of you went to the Infirmary with ailments that had an undercurrent of homesickness in reality?