Camp meant freedom from family, the chance to make new friends and the opportunity to learn new skills often not offered at home. For many girls who did not experience the pang of homesickness, leaving camp held true sadness.
For Harriet Crumb, it was the best experience! “You can see I loved it. In 1929 I went for one week—to take and pass the tests for my American Red Cross Life Saving badge. I was a big girl then, of course, and the next summer when I couldn’t go at all, I thought the world had come to an end. Other girls seemed to be able to take it or leave it, but from the first I was hooked and in some form have enjoyed camping ever since.”
Sue Augustyniak lived in Bllomfield Hills and camped 1962-68 at Maqua. “Our parents wanted us to become independent and they encouraged up. We felt like we could do anything. We mastered skills. We expected to do well and we did. Saying goodbye on the last day was always a sad day.”
Kim Moore was nine years old when she attended Camp Maqua for the first time in 1967 and continued every summer until she turned fifteen when she ended her camp career as a kitchen aide. “It was a huge part of my life—one of the best parts of my life. I would cry at the end of the session because I didn’t want to go home. I felt so grown up at camp and so safe and independent.”
“There was a two-week block in July when I went to camp and loved it,” said Kathy Butsch, who was ten in 1968 when she first attended and camped until 1974. “I was always sad and depressed to leave camp because I was leaving all my new best friends”
“One cherished memory for me,” said Judith Moore, assistant director in 1970-71, “was the sight of the young campers making friends and bonding throughout the two-week period, so sad to leave each other at the end. They too had an experience for the first time and it was very emotional. There were those who waited so anxiously for their parents to arrive for pick up and it was always obvious to me which parents had a special bond with their girls. These young campers had an adventure that asked that they survive without their usual family support and develop these skills. Remarkable when I think about it.”
Three granddaughters were born to Judy Alcorn, who had camped in the forties. Her granddaughters all went to Camp Arbutus, a girls camp in Detroit, but “having been there, I don’t think it compares (to Maqua) in any way.” She had sadness that they would never experience what she had.
Pat O’Tool (1944-52) was often the “Loon” writer during her years at camp. There was a little description of camp in 1949, followed by this paragraph: “Due to our wonderful camp and expert director and counselors, everyone has had a wonderful time. I wish to express the feeling of the first period campers by saying that when we depart from camp, we leave with only sadness in our hearts and wistful dreams of returning.”
Another summer, she penned this piece in third period; ”I’m sitting here on my bed in Hut 7. I’ve been thinking about camp, how long I’ve come here, and why I come. Seven summers ago, I came here for the first time. I didn’t want to come. I was sure I would hate it. I’ve been back every year since. I’ve made new friends, learned new things, had new experiences and had tons of fun. Difficulties, yes, I’ve had those, too. They always seem to be straightened out. There isn’t any way, I’m sure, that I can express my sadness of all the campers as they leave camp this year. I can only hope that I may see them again in the future—better people because of a summer or two at Camp Maqua.”
The camp staff jointly wrote a piece in the July 29, 1961 issue of the “Loon”. “Dear Campers, Was it really only two weeks ago that all of us gathered in the lodge together, watching the Kangaroo Court for counselors? The time has gone by so swiftly, and now we say “so long”, but let us not say “goodbye”. Instead, why don’t we take with us memories made rich by new friendships, made rich by new skills learned, made rich by evenings spent around the campfire. We on the staff will remember the fun we had on cabin day when we got to know each one of you well. We will remember the time when we sang together after meals and the way Alice would holler “garbage”. Sure, we all know about the dishes and cabin cleanup, but deep inside we all know that these are only part of camp life and were they really that bad? We have all enjoyed these weeks. We hope you have, too.”
Kay Alcorn moved to different cabins during the late forties and met different girls and counselors. Every summer was very special to her and she recalled the bus back to the YWCA in Bay City was filled with crying girls, “waving frantically” to their friends and counselors, but for her “When it was over, it was over. I never aspired to be a counselor.” Did you feel like Kay or were you one that experienced the sadness?