At the very end of the summer of 1976, the renovation of the old "Boys' Rec Hall" - the old Forstmann-era cow barn that had served Wawayanda as its first dining hall at Frost Valley, and later out-trip, Arts & Crafts, and the ski shop - was finally complete. It was Chuck White's first major renovation as Director of Development. The renovation used the stone foundation of the old barn, but everything else was new: a large activity room in the back, two large offices on either side in the front and a smaller one in the middle, and 8 rooms upstairs of the sort (motel-like) that we'd never seen at camp to that point. Dissenters and grumps called it "the Halbe Hilton" and we mocked the idea that anyone would sleep at camp in an actual bed other than a cot or bunk or one of those droopy 70-year-old frame beds in the Castle.I was the Program Director in August '76 and remember my conversation with Halbe and Chuck about the extent to which we could use the new building. It was session 4 and we were certainly hungry for an alternative indoor space for rainy days. They
resisted but finally relented: yes, summer camp could use the new building. It was not yet named "Margetts Lodge" (after Walter Margetts, a long-time Wawayanda friend and the Forstmanns' attorney). Halbe referred to it as "the conference center," which seemed not just ambiguous to me but definitely something summer camp should stay away from. But in we went. On Period 4 schedules and handouts I have from that summer, I see it referred to as "NCC" (e.g. "Forest will meet in the right-side room of the NCC"), "New Conference Center." Oh, and yes, that summer everyone who entered the building had to take their shoes off--a little bit of brand-new-building decorousness that was gone within two weeks of the start of the next summer.
Yeah, we grumpily protested the renovation of the old barn but soon appreciated having the extra indoor space.
Can't tell for sure but I think the yellow-hatted guy on the right is Norm Gurfinkel and on the left is Doug Kerr. Just guesses.
