Chapel Hill was a quiet place, with a vision of a spot in the clearing of the woods bearing a cross on a platform. It took years for Sheryl Biesman (1973-78) to realize that YWCA on the podium stood for Young Women’s Christian Association. She was Jewish, but felt no prejudice and if there had […]
Jeananne Grego
Childhood Feelings—
Did Anne Pennington know there were girls who were envious of her tall, thin summer body? Or that the Kiltie sister’s hair was the epitome of summer hair? Or that “Beanie, Superdoo (Sue Purdue), Kiltie (Susan) and (Anne) Obey” intimidated some of the less secure girls? Probably not! Little girls in the process of growing […]
Someone Who Knew Someone—
Someone knew someone who knew someone who said Camp Maqua was the best. Either a mother, aunt, friend, cousin or sister would recruit future campers to enjoy the experiences they found to be so positive. Some would remain friends their entire lives and others lost touch. “It was a huge part of our lives. We […]
Mail Call!
“Mail was a big thing and I saved the funny letters and postcards that I wrote and my parents, brothers and grandparents wrote to me with encouragement,” said Gail Schultheiss (1966) l, who said she begged for a Maqua sweatshirt and tee shirt in every piece of mail, which her family still laughs about to […]
Even The Walls Sing!
“We were always singing,” said Kimela Peck (1966-74), who said she could still see “Beanie” with her guitar by the fireplace and the girls in their “whites” swaying back and forth to “High On Chapel Hill”. “The lodge was filled with kids all summer long from Bay City, Saginaw, Flint and Detroit and everyone seemed […]
Kicks, Bites, and Fears–
There were a few girls who would have loved to ride, but could not afford the lessons. They admitted they were envious and some of them made room in their lives to learn years after camp. Others had the opportunity and experienced some accidents and incidents that changed their minds about ever wanting to ride […]