The photo at right shows Michele Palamidy singing at the memorial service on the Sunday of our Labor Day 2001 centennial reunion. Michele had been the second nurse director of the dialysis unit at camp. The first, Cheryl Melber, was there the first summer but did not return. Michele, an experienced dialysis nurse but not someone who'd had much experience as an administrator, quickly began to thrive in the job--and stayed for years, until Stuart Kaufer succeeded her (and then he stayed for many years). (In the more than 30 years of this program, we have been blessed by five talented people serving in this tiring, challenging role who have been as passionate and fabulously devoted as Michele. There's remarkable continuity and dedication here.) We also quickly realized that Michele, despite her kid-from-Jersey-so-what-do-I-know-about-camp-ness, came to Opening Campfire and did a hilariously accurate imitation of Janis Joplin singing "Oh Lord, who't you buy me a Mercedes Benz" and sang, with guitar, like an angel. In my years as director she accompanied me many, many times, singing a beautiful rendition of Dan Fogelberg's "There's a Place in the World for the Gambler" ("there's a song in the heart of a woman... there's a light in the depths of your darkness"). Here is a song she wrote called "Bright Angel." And here is another original, "Just Pretend." When Michele visited me at the Kelly Writers House a few years ago, I persuaded her to sing a few of our old favorites, and so here is a recording of Michele singing "The Boxer".We sang the "Gambler" song at the 2001 reunion. Go here for more, including a recording.
