ping pong in the old dining hall, 1974

 

Bud Cox and Bill Clarke enjoying some free time during pre-camp.1974 Old Boys' Dining Hall. Photo by Doug Tompkins late May or early June.

the bug

My (infamous) red Volkswagen, parked by the Castle in the late spring of 1973. The other vehicle was the ubiquitous Volkwagen microbus driven everywhere by the late Leon Van Heusen.

the Beirut connection

Looking over the camper list just prior to their arrival yesterday, I noticed two with the last name of "Hibri." This put me in mind of Bassem El-Hibri, whom I knew as a young man from Beirut, Lebanon. Bassem attended a Y camp in the mountains of Lebanon and somehow through that experience met Paul Brown, Halbe Brown's brother. Paul was doing an international Y stint in the middle east. (I think David Allen met Paul, and perhaps Paul and Bassem, over there too. David was in Egypt, I think.) Anyway, Bassem found out about Frost Valley from Paul and arrived in 1973 (in the midst of war and civil war back home). He was here in '73, '74, and '75, possibly '76 too. One summer he was the Totem village chief. Another summer he climbed all 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks with Bud Cox and a group of boys on an Adventure trip. He and I became pretty close friends and spent some wonderful days off together in '75.

I lost touch with Bassem a few years later. Last I heard, he had moved to the U.S. and was running an import/export business in South Carolina.

"Hibri" on the camper list. Okay. Then I promptly forgot about all this and went on with my check-in afternoon. Coming back from taking a family up the hill to a cabin, I ran into staffer Jessica Dymond who said that someone named Hibri was looking for me. His first name was Nadi. He was in fact Bassem's brother!

Nadi and his family live in Texas, where he is an MD (radiologist). "My brother has told me for many years that Frost Valley changed his life - that I must bring my own children here." So from Texas they came - with son Omar and daughter Nadia. As they drove a car along the New York highways, Bassem called his brother from Lebanon and asked where he was. "We are driving to Frost Valley!" "Oh! When you get there, look for Al." So they did.

Yes, Bassem is back in Beirut (running a business). So now I'm aiming to get back in touch with him. Meantime, Omar, as you see above, tried his hand at limbo in the Challenge contest this morning. He was eliminated fairly early (big guy) but seemed to have fun.

- - -

David Allen notes: "I met Paul Brown in Beirut but Rich Hanna new him there better. Rich came to Frost Valley first, and called me about an opening. Definitely a Beirut connection though. Part of my childhood was in Egypt, some teen years in Lebanon."

stopping with a sugar high after a stint at Katz's Bakery in Liberty

Coming back from Katz's bakery in Liberty. From left to right: Kenny Nathanson, Bill Walton, Bob Davis, Kevin Hanlon. I'm not 100% certain the fellow on the right is Kevin Hanlon, but I'm pretty certain. Can someone help? Anyway, whether or not this is Kevin, I should note, sadly, that Kevin died in an accident not more than a few years after his one or two summers at FV.

mowing the Castle Hill

Doug Kerr, now of Lewis, NY, was a camper in '68 and '69, then CIT, LIT, Counselor and then joined the maintenance staff. Eventually he worked year-round on the maintenance staff. Doug writes: "Did you know I had the record time for mowing the Castle Hill with a hand mower solo? Carl [Hess] trained us well!"

In those days the Castle Hill was mown by hand. I suppose that's because tractor mowers in those days were not built flexibly enough to handle riding sideways at such a steep angle. For whatever reason it was done by hand - tiring, hard work, and terrible on the ankles! Andy Kremer, I recall, wore spikes (like soccer shoes, or baseball cletes) when mowing it, to keep himself from falling over and tumbling down the hill.
Doug is our source for the spectacular photograph below. Top row, left to right: Bill Van Zandt, Carl Hess, Morris Slater, John Kremer, Norm Gurfinkel; bottom row, left to right: Mike Schiffer, Dave McBride, Andrew Schiffer, Doug Kerr.


John Kremer writes: "This would have been my first summer on the Maintenance staff - Norm and I lived in one of the dorm rooms in Hayden - I think the younger Schiffer is actually John, who would have been my age. Andrew is the youngest and he did not join the staff until years later when Chuck had the crew."

Gene Orbaker honored

Gene Orbaker invented women's soccer at SUNY Brockport. Here's what a news release from the college says:

The College at Brockport Women’s Soccer team is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008 and will have a special ceremony Saturday at halftime of the home opener against Buffalo State. The game is scheduled to start at 1 pm and the ceremony honoring the first head coach of Brockport Women’s Soccer, Eugene Orbaker, will take place at the end of the halftime intermission.

Orbaker led the Golden Eagles from 1983–1985, compiling 30 wins and just 12 losses. In 1983 –- the first season of Brockport Women’s Soccer -– Orbaker led the Golden Eagles to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship with a 12-1-1 record.

Orbaker coached the team for the first three seasons before Connie Werner took over for a two-season stint during the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Current head coach Joan Schockow took over the head coaching reins in 1987 and has been the head coach every season since. The 20-year coaching veteran won her 200th career game last year with an overtime victory over St. John Fisher and became the all-time winningest soccer coach (men or women) in Brockport history in 2003 with a 1-0 victory over SUNY Cortland in the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament. Under Schockow, the Golden Eagles won the SUNYAC championship in 2006 advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

In the 25 years of women’s soccer at Brockport, there have been 77 players named to All-SUNYAC squads, 40 players to All-State honors and seven named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All-Region team for the Northeast Region.

From The Stylus, which I'm guessing is the student newspaper of SUNY at Brockport, comes this news story, which is in part about the honor conferred on Gene, who, with his wife Mary, and two sons, spent many summers at Frost Valley in the 70s and 80s. Gene did various jobs at camp, including, for many years, coaching our soccer programs. For a few years there was a two-week "soccer camp" (soccer village, really) during the first session, and Gene was the coach for those kids. Mark Gottdenker, who learned his soccer from Gene at FV, directed me to this article. You'll probably want to skip directly to the italicized parts.

By George Banko
STAFF WRITER

Saturday, Sept. 20, The College at Brockport Golden Eagles women’s soccer team celebrated the 25th anniversary of their program. With the sidelines packed with fans and notable alumni, they did not disappoint. Brockport jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against SUNYAC rival Buffalo State, off a Jess VanAllen goal 11 minutes into the first half. From there, the Golden Eagles offense did not look back as Brockport scored two more goals by senior Ashley Broadhurst and sophomore Jessica Bush, which gave Brockport a 3-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Brockport put their offense in neutral, but still maintained their strong defensive presence, shutting out the Bengals en route to their second win of the season. Brockport coach Joan Schockow, now in her 20th season, credited the team’s commitment to work ethic as the main reason for the win. “We had an amazing week in practice,” Schockow said. “We’re not used to losing the way we have been recently, and our girls showed a great amount of toughness all week long, and I think that carried over into the game.” The women’s soccer team has had their struggles early on in the season, dropping their last two games to opponents Nazareth and Walsh. “It’s a huge lift to get this win,” Schockow said. “On a day like today, against a division rival with so many people here, it’s a big positive for us.” Determination has always been a focal point in Schockow’s coaching philosophy. “I don’t like to talk about the things we do well and the things we don’t do well,” Schockow said. “The biggest thing is that we outwork the other team, if we can do that, then we feel that we can win any time.” Schockow’s statements have proven true. The Golden Eagles looked like the team from last year, out shooting their opponents 21-11 while committing few penalties and scoring with a variety of players.

The win for Brockport came on a special day. At halftime, there man by the name of Eugene Orbaker, who many consider the father of women’s soccer in Brockport.

“Eugene is a great man,” Schockow said. “When people say that he’s the biggest asset to the Brockport soccer program, it’s true. Eugene always supported the male soccer program here and with his support we were able to start the women’s program as well. I am glad we got to honor him today.”

Orbaker was a 1953 graduate of SUNY Brockport. He was named All American in soccer and served on the faculty from 1958 to 1995 in the department of physical education and sport.

The Brockport women’s soccer team will play two home games on Friday and Saturday against SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh. Game times are 4 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m on Saturday.

Mark Gottdenker says: "Gene is one of the classiest people I have had the privilege of knowing and working with at FV. His contributions to the Tokyo-FV sports program were amazing and should/need to be recognized."

outdoorsy guy

Blast from the past this afternoon. Bill Clarke (at left in the photo) showed up here. Bill Clarke! Bill's first summer was as a Lenape camper in cabin 18 - Bud Cox's cabin. (Bill remembers Bud as a fanatic about winning the camp-wide cabin clean-up competition. The winners, some readers of this blog may recall, won a watermelon.) That must have been '65 or '66, when Bud was Lenape VC. Later Bill moved up the counseling ranks and eventually was our "Nature" director. Although born and raised in Manhattan Bill was one of our real outdoorsy guys. He was here through the early to mid 70s and then moved on. He now works in Albany for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (the DEC). He was here today to bring his nephew to camp for the fourth session.

Bill wandered around looking for Bud Cox to say hello--and eventually found Bud. But in the dining hall the little reunion featured in the above photo consists of Bill, Paul Brown, and Marie Hess. Paul, Halbe Brown's brother and the twin of Paula, has lived in Grahamsville for many years, where he works also for the government - on water quality. Paul came over from Camp Fitch when brother Halbe did. In '71 he was the CIT Director (for the boys) along with his twin sister Paula who was CIT Director for the girls. I should note that Paul was my CIT Director.

big-time lawyer a camper at heart

They harbor memories for years, for decades. Every summer there's that latent thrill. Something's happening up there in the mountains. Can I be a part? Then the children start to come of age and latency turns to consciousness. I know. I'll send the kids there. And then for months dinner conversations include village cheers, stories about stories, tales of super-tall, super-wide, super-funny strange and beautiful now-mythic counselors.

This has been happening. There are more former campers and counselors, now in their late thirties and forties, showing up on check-in day with their own kids, the parents more excited (if that's possible) than the kids, than I can recount or document in this blog.

One I can.

Jeff Gold was here from 1972-77. He never forgot its impact on him. Now he's the managing partner at a law firm. But he's a camp guy deep in. He found me on the 'net and has been corresponding with me. Yesterday he brought his daughter. It was a big moment.

I asked him what he learned from camp. Here's his response:


1. I learned to appreciate that which I have.

Upon arrival in Camp in 1972, I met my bunkmates in cabin 15, two of whom were on scholarship. Each came from the inner city, and it was evident that they had little in the way of material means. Coming from middle class Long Island, I had minimal contact with those from different economic strata, and it was an eye opener. Looking back, my liberal political beliefs began forming that summer.

Over the next five years, I had quite a number of bunk mates (and tent mates) who spent two or three days a week on dialysis. I spent many hours visiting with them while they underwent the procedure. Today, I’m a regular blood donor, and should I pass prematurely, I will be an organ donor.

2. I learned to share.

Long before there was the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, there was the Brotherhood of the Traveling Rugby shirt (Red and Yellow) which Albert Szabo I wore interchangeably during the summers, and which we each took home in alternating years. Albert and I shared a lot of laughs during our Frost Valley Years. Only recently, I used the one Hungarian word he taught me while playing poker on the Queen Mary 2.

3. I learned about soccer

My first exposure to soccer was at Frost Valley. I played throughout high school and have coached both my daughter in the sport for six years and my son for eight. I doubt I ever would have played the game if not for Frost Valley.

4 I learned about the weather.

Thanks to Miles [Weaver], I can still tell a day in advance if it is going to rain. Myle also taught me about fossils and I actually found one on one of his field trips. He also taught me to fish.

5 I learned about competition and that I don't like lake swimming.

During [Olympics], and while on a bicycle trip to the Montreal Olympics. The summer of 1976 bicycling from Albany to Montreal remains one of my childhood’s best memories.

6 I learned to appreciate the moment

There are events in everyone’s life where time stands still, and if you close your eyes you can picture the event as if it was just happening i.e. their wedding day, the birth of child, etc. At Frost Valley and on the bike trips that I took, I had many such moments. I still remember the day, I spent in the woods as part of the CIT training. It was a wondrous experience being alone in the woods with my thoughts. In 1975, I remember seeing Tommy at a theatre in Wolfsboro NH, and knowing that my taste in music would never be the same. I remember eating my first lobster while on that trip. From my 1976 bicycle trip from Albany to Montreal, I remember my first concert at Saratoga Performing Art Center (Seals & Croft). It was a great concert, but I knew I liked the Who better. I have wonderful memories of the Olympic Village, of watching Israel play Spain in Soccer and of watching Olympic Volleyball, Field Hockey and weightlifting. I remember Tom Roseberry (Rosebud) being one of the funniest people I’d ever met. I remember eating clam chowder on Cape Cod while it rained outside, and I remember Provincetown.

7 I learned about the country and the world from the counselors and campers I met along the way.

I think the most important lesson I learned at Frost Valley is that everyone is different, and that different wasn’t bad. I met campers and counselors from all parts of the country and from abroad and came to appreciate the diversity.

8. I learned to appreciate music.

The first time I heard an Elton John song was at Frost Valley (“Daniel” and “Goodbye Norma Jean”). The first time I heard the "Piano Man" was on bike trip from Frost Valley. (The last time was at Shea Stadium last week. I learned the Lord’s Prayer made a great song. I saw my first live concert while on a bike trip. I learned that some guy lives under the streets of Boston, and that even though we ain't got money, love is important.

9. I learned to appreciate comedy.

I still crack up at the thought of “The Important Papers”, The Three Thousand Year Old Man, or the "Looks like Dog Poop – good thing we didn’t step on it" skits. I remember Robert Pollard letting me listen to George Carlin’s seven dirty words. From that day on, I loved George Carlin.

10. I learned that its important to have fun when you’re young

Because it will bring a smile to your face when you no longer are.

'70s kid, now mom, returns

In the dining hall this afternoon during session 3 check-in, from left to right: Stacey Jennings (known here as Stacey Gregory), our CEO Jerry Huncosky, Carolyn Connell, Ben Connell (counselor), Ladd Connell.

I've mentioned the Connells a few times across the entries, but Stacey is new to the scene. She brought two kids with her - one is in camp tonight and the other will apply to be CIT next summer. Stacey was a camper here from 1972 through 1975, Susky to Tacoma. She is now a resident of South Orange, where she serves as a town councilperson and works nearby at Hewlett Packard. Welcome back, Stacey!

wellness revolution

Since this summer we're inaugurating a big beautiful new Wellness Center, it seemed apt to dig back into the history of the Wellness Revolution, which took place from around 1976 through 1981 or so. In '77 and '78 in particular, it seemed that every thing we did, said, touched, trained and progammed was wellness, wellness, wellness. It was such a huge change, and bred such natural resistance among the campers and staff (and to some degree camper parents also), that I suppose it could never have happened had it not been so forcefully and relentlessly implemented. Had it not felt to many to be a rejection of beloved customs and the general spirit of the place (what-the-heck fun, a certain spirited recklessness, a non-PC approach to giving kids a good time), it would have seemed too obvious to fuss about. After all, the idea was simple: camp should be a place where kids have lots of healthy options; where they can get away from the Junk Food, Couch Potato World out there.

Several effective and well-meaning zealots were empowered by our Exec Director, Halbe Brown, to make this happen, and several mild-mannered good-health-above-all types, such as the beloved Mike Ketcham, continued in their genial ways but felt emboldened by the zealots, made it all happen. And fast. Cigarette smokers on the staff were confined to a small space. Soda, candy and ice cream served for many years in the canteen were gone. And the after-dinner "canteen" (long lines visiting the camp store on the end of Hayden Lodge) was eliminated, which, since it was a hang-out hour for both camps, felt like a huge loss to everyone. It was our free period after dinner and the only time in those days that Boys' and Girls' Camp could casually get together. Sugar was removed from the dining hall tables.

And staff training was completely redone. I might be misremembering, but I believe that in '78 at least 50% of the week-long staff training was on topics and programs related to Wellness. That's a lot!

The iamge here is a scan of the cover design for the 1978 Counselor's Manual. Oh that design! It was on the manual, on t-shirts, on brochures... everywhere. The people were (ironically) drawn as pudgy generic figures, skin color quite diverse (more diverse than the actual people on staff, though we were trying) and rainbows always in the background (just in case you didn't get the idea).

By '81 or '82 we'd moderated the emphasis a bit, but the change had been made and Frost Valley as a whole - not just summer camp - is much better for it.

Now the challenge is: We have an fine new Wellness Center, which we're formally dedicating on September 13, so we need to re-focus on some of the old Wellness questions. I don't mean health and medical ones (content ones)--although these are also of crucial importance--so much as institutional-political ones: what is the tone with which we want to be wellness "back"? There are many many possibilities among the options.

At the 2006 Labor Day reunion Dari Litchman (a wonderfully design-conscious person) thought to base the reunion T-shirt on this by-then outdated late '70s design. It was hilarious and everyone loved the retro look. How funny (well, not funny, but you fill in the word) that wellness could have become retro! It's then, it's now.

Above: the new Guenther Wellness Center (to the left of the Brown pavillion) as you see it from the lower field. I was standing in front of the Ad Office when I snapped this shot yesterday. The building is up on the hill about 200 feet to the southwest of the dining hall. You can see it's landscaped already, grass growing, and it blends into the hillside well. I'll have more photos of the building later.

Chuck White

I bear the sad news of the death, this afternoon at 12:30 PM, of Charles J. ("Chuck") White.

Chuck and his wife Joy and 4 children arrived at the end of the summer of 1973 and were full-time resident staff members from then until 1991, when they retired and moved to Florida. Chuck built Margetts Lodge, renovated the "girls" dining hall (now Geyer) after the 1/1/83 fire, and then--his major project--oversaw the design and construction of the new dining hall, the second Thomas Lodge. He also built several of the first cabin-lodges. He worked very closely with Halbe Brown in what was then called the "development" (meaning construction as distinct from maintenance) department. He was tough as nails and a genius at fixing things. He is remembered by many as the guy who was fiddling with a running tractor diesel engine with a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. He was our sheriff, and caught many poachers. He was an environmentalist at heart, and almost singlehandedly converted us from snowmobiling to cross-country skiiing in 1974-75. He loved to flyfish the Neversink and take his "grandson" (Leslie Black's son Jake) fishing at sundown in Lake Cole. He and Joy lived in the gray house (now called "the group home") and it was an open house--anyone could come, and sit in front of the fire, and stay the night if necessary. Chuck loved eggs and bacon for breakfast on the one day each month when he wouldn't be at work at 6 am. At one time or another, he fixed or overhauled or towed the broken-down cars of most members of the staff. He was the guy who invented the "modern" key system (B, BCB, GM, etc.) and was the same guy who stared at you with a blank expression when you came to him to say you'd lost yours. (I lost a GM once, in 1984. He reminded me of this when I saw him last spring.)

Chuck built the extension of Smith Lodge - the back room that became our dialysis center - and finished it not many days before the start of the summer of 1975, when our dialysis program began. When photos of Eva Gottscho and Halbe Brown and Ira Greifer were snapped at the dedication of that facility, Chuck was not in the picture. He was busy getting greasy while making the generator work so that the dialysis machines would not be interrupted by an oncoming storm.

Chuck White was crucial to the development of Frost Valley in the 70s and 80s.

He loved Frost Valley - honored the work we do - and, although a rare visitor in recent years ("You can't go back home again," he said), he talked about Frost Valley all the time. All the time.

When he retired the pond near the Neversink, across the road from the new Hunter Road homes, was named for him: Chuck White Pond. Fish there sometime, and think of Chuck.

- - -

remembrances

Stuart Kaufer: "In the early hours of this news here is what I have to say. My best memories of Chuck were that he was always magically there. If he saw thunder clouds he would just appear at the dialysis center to be sure the generator turned itself on. It was old and diesel and he lost blood fixing the damn thing with his lit cigarette. When the State inspectors came and said we need to treat the h20 he had a whole system rigged up in minutes leaving the h2o company in the dust. He was easily frustrated by bullshit and tolerated none of it. I was always impressed that he never lost patience w me and my crazy questions about electricity etc., topics I remain ignorant of to this day; knowing full well that I put at least a couple of those wrinkles on his well worn face. Rest in peace and wherever you are headed I hope there are cigarettes and generators."

John Giannotti: "First there was his voice. I answered the phone one night in late 1972 and this stranger was on the other end, speaking to me in a silky voice sounding as though it was dripping from the spout of a Sugar Maple. The voice identified itself as Chuck White, a salesman who was working with a group of neighbors to design and build a playground for their local elementary school in Willingboro, New Jersey, one town over from where I lived with my family in Mount Holly. Chuck wanted to know if I was the John Giannotti he had just read about in a newspaper story based on playgrounds I was designing in Atlantic City and Camden. When I answered yes, he invited me to a meeting with his neighbors and family to discuss plans for their project. I'll never forget the meeting. There were kids running every which way, with all of their high-spirited parents sitting in the Living Room excitedly discussing what they could build and how quickly they could build it. The most spirited of all was Chuck's wife, Joy, a woman who immediately impressed me as a person with a huge heart and pure spirit. My lifelong friendship with both Chuck and Joy began right there in that room, INSTANTLY. Sure, I helped them with the playground, but it became apparent to me on the very first day that Chuck knew more about building and engineering than ever I could possibly know. Our families started hanging out together and one early spring morning we all hopped into Chuck's favorite vehicle, an old school bus that he had painstakingly converted into a camper -- of sorts. Joy called it "that big s.o.b. in the driveway". Well, on that spring morning we headed out to the lonely Pinelands of southerm New Jersey. Chuck drove that old s.o.b. over highways, then onto single lane asphalt roads, then dirt roads, and finally onto sand and pine straw. We stopped and had lunch parked next to a remote lake the color of the deep cedar forest. When it was time to return, Chuck tried to start the bus but no fuel was reaching the carburetor. I thought we were stranded and tried to keep the kids in good spirits. But Chuck disappeared into the woods, came back fifteen minutes later with sticks and small rocks, and an old plastic milk jug. Within seconds he was cutting and re-shaping the container, piercing holes into it, and wrapping some old tubing around it. He then placed the contraption on top of the engine, connected the fuel line to the tubes and, using the rocks for support, dumped gasoline that he'd syphoned from the gas tank into the jug, thereby creating, on the spot, a gravity-feed fuel system! As the gas trickled down into the carb, he jumped into the bus, revved her up, and moments later we were back on the road. Several weeks later I'd heard from Halbe that Frost Valley was looking to add to its maintenance and building staff and I said, "Halbe, let me tell you about Chuck White". I will miss him terribly. He and Joy made you feel so important. They made you feel like it was THEIR honor and pleasure to have you in their home. What a legacy they left."

Jody Davies Ketcham: "I am so sorry to hear the news of Chuck's death. He's been on my mind recently. I'm learning to fly fish and he was the best fisherman I've ever known so I had planned on calling him. About 15 years ago when he was at our home in Kinnelon, he tied a fly from natural materials he found around the pond and threw it out on a line. You can guess the rest. Such precious memories I have of the man..."

Mike Marder: "Chuck certainly epitomized the independent Frost Valley thinker and was the rare person who was a master at many skills. My sincerest condolences to his family."

Dave King: "Shirl and I are absolutely stunned by Chuck's death. I firmly believe that he was truly the RIGHT PERSON for FV at the RIGHT TIME! He was a living example of the total being vastly greater than the sum of the parts!"

Rich & Phyllis Kaskel: "What a caring, a dedicated human being Chuck was, and as such, he and Joy were intimately committed to the mission of Frost Valley. I can remember many occasions where Chuck saved the day in terms of our dialysis unit, and yet never expected any recognition for his efforts. He had a profound influence on many of us during our first experience at Frost Valley and he and Joy will remain in our hearts and minds always."

Michele Palamidy: "I was a young and idealistic dialysis nurse when I met Joy and Chuck. Chuck to me was the strong silent type. I was a little intimidated by his quiet assuredness. Underneath it all was pure gold. Part of my job after becoming the Head Nurse in 1978 was to set the unit up. As I was going through supplies with one of the medical directors, she noticed we had an extra conductivity meter. I said great, up here it is good to have a back up. She said no, we'll send it back. Needless to say the day came when we needed it! We were getting ready to start up for the day, but had no way to test the conductivity of our dialysis solution. So, we called Chuck. He came into the unit just as I was giving someone hell on the phone over having sent the back up meter back. Chuck came with some kind of gadget and started talking in milimoles and other strange sounding words. He saved the day for that day and we were able to get the back up meter. He told me later he loved the way I gave it to the doctors about the whole situation! He got such a kick out of it, and we had such a laugh! He remained my hero and friend forever after that. He was smart, witty and amazing. I am so sad that he has left us."

Robin Helfand: "Chuck was such an 'institution'. I think he was one of the first people I met at FV in the 70's when Dawn, Russ and I first came to camp as campers....I remember him in the "garage" where FV (briefly) had ...was it "motor bikes"-- or some kind of scooters as an activity -- the area later became part of composting/recycling shed -- then , I think, maintenance."

Eric Blum: 'Chuck White was so many things to so many people, and while reading the various thoughts about Chuck I couldn't help but remember my introduction to him. In 1986, during staff training my first summer at Frost Valley, on tuesday as we were finnishing up lunch Terry Muray came to the front of the "Old Girls Dining Hall" and said that we were going to have the "Camp Security Talk", which was going to be given by Chuck White. Chuck appeared at the front of the dinning hall in his traditional blue jeans and button down shirt, with a pack of Carlitons in his front pocket, and he began to speak. Everyone in the room immediately quit what ever they were doing and turned to face Chuck. For the next 5 or so minutes he went over the various issues of camp security-mentionig that he was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff of Ulster County, after that first few minutes Chuck turned his talk to "Camp Keys"-for the next several minutes he went over the importance of key security and that people who were given keys were responibile for them and that if they lost them they would be charged a fee for not only the key but also the cost of re-keying the entire camp. He then described the key system "A, B, C" and the various combinations of each. In those few short minutes Chuck not only conveyed the importance of the key, he also managed to scare each one us who was new to the Valley, however the veteran staff knew the real story. After his talk, Chuck then cerimonously distributed to the VC's thier "BCB" keys on "P-cord" with a double overhand knot. I remember having 2 thoughts 1) this is really cool and I can't wait until I get a chance to get a key from Chuck and 2) this seems to alot to do about nothing. In 1989 my first full summer as a VC, at lunch on tuesday during staff training Peter Swain came to the front of the dinnig hall to announce that Chuck White will be giving us the "Camp Security Talk". The words were the same from the 3 other "key" talks I had sat through in my prevous summers, the new staff still sat there looking scared , while the veteran staff knew the real story. Then it was time for the distribution of the VC keys-I went up and Chuck handed me my BCB key on a p-cord lanyard with a double overhand knot, I signed for it, and proudly put it around my neck While the "Mystique of the Key" has lessened since Chuck left the Valley, I am happy to say that I still have the original "P-cord" lanyard that he gave me in 1989 and each summer when I return to volunteer I take the key that I am given, place it on that lanyard and tie a double overhand knot, this summer will be no different, it will just have a little more meaning to me, because I know the real story about Chuck.'

Lewis Reisman: "During the years that I worked as dialysis and camp doctor, my wife, Dalia and I became close friends with Joy and Chuck White. They were a wonderful couple, great people, and central to the running of the camp: Joy, as the head nurse, and Chuck, as the general handyman and the person to turn to in any technical emergency. We spent many of our evenings at their home. It was always noticeable that Joy did all the talking for the couple and that Chuck rarely spoke, and then only in single words and short phrases. One evening I found Chuck fly fishing in Biscuit Creek and asked him what he was doing. He responded with a lengthy and enthusiastic lecture about fly fishing, the most that I ever heard him say in all the time that I knew him."

Morris Schoeneman: "Sandy and I have missed Chuck (and Joy too) greatly ever since she left us and he left Frost Valley. I have one memory of Chuck which I use as a teaching tool when I'm making rounds with pediatric trainees. I was the dialysis doc and acting as camp doctor one summer in the late "70s or early '80s when Joy White called me into the Health Center to help her evaluate a young man who had gotten his scrotal skin caught in the zipper of his pants while finishing up in the bathroom. He wasn't wearing underpants that day and was really upset and in pain, having tried unsuccessfully to unzip himself before coming to the Health Center. Joy and I tried to get the zipper unfastened from his private parts, but just caused him more pain and fear. As a last resort, Joy called Chuck for help, and he arrived wielding a very large pair of pliers. Now the young man was really scared, imagining the worst, but Chuck calmly pried open the zipper and freed the captive. The camper left the Health Center greatly relieved, and I'm sure he wore underpants thereafter. Chuck was the kind of man who seemed to be able to handle anything that came his way. Sandy and I will always remember him."

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And here is an obituary written by Chuck's daughter Elizabeth:

Anna Maria Island resident Chuck White succumbed to complications from recent surgery on 15 April. Family and friends recall Chuck as a kind and generous person whose encyclopedic knowledge and practical common sense could solve any problem, fix anything and never fail to “design a better mousetrap”. Born in Brownsville, Texas he held various jobs over the years; tugboat mate, served as an Air Force radio instructor, and Bell and Howell electronics salesman, before moving with his wife Joy, and his children, Elizabeth, Rebecca, David and Sylvia, to Frost Valley YMCA in the Catskill Mountains of New York where he became resident staff in the early 1970’s. It was here that he also met the rest of his “family” Leslie Black and her son, West Point graduate 2Lt Jake Kerr, who Chuck considered as his Grandson. Chuck’s other Grandsons, Bryce Warren and John Petrutiu, spent time with him at Frost Valley and in Florida – they will always cherish the warm support and love Chuck gave them. Frost Valley, the largest “Y” camp in the country, saw significant and lasting development due to Chuck’s hard work and creative vision over 20 years. Chuck loved to fly-fish; if you are ever in the Catskills, stop by the pond at Frost Valley that Chuck built, it’s named after him. Service above self was how Chuck lived his life. His good humor, steady approach to all types of situations, and genuine care for and about people live on through those he mentored and befriended. He lived his principles, volunteering for numerous community works regarding children and civil rights in the various places he lived, to include foster parenting numerous children, Boy Scout leader, helping to build “Resurrection City” on the Mall in Washington D.C. during Dr. Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign, acid rain/water monitor for state of NY, volunteer fireman and arson investigator, Constable for the town of Denning, New York and more recently City of Anna Maria code enforcement officer. In Anna Maria, Chuck lived with SueLynn after the death of Joy from cancer; he loved and was extremely grateful to both women. He enjoyed being a Florida Master Gardener; he had so many “hours served” plates attached to his name badge that it became quite thick! If you had a soil sample done by the County Extension office, Chuck was probably the person who saw to it. It’s hard to pay tribute to a person like Chuck in a few words- just know that he was one heck of a good man and life-long learner whose word was his bond; you truly missed out if you didn’t get a chance to know him. Chuck’s family is grateful for the assistance these last few months of his neighbors, Heimo, Suse, Ernie and especially his dear friend Charlie Daniel. In his memory please be helpful to your neighbor, polite to a stranger, give to a charity, plant something beautiful and release your fish.

our Long Islanders

In the 1960s there emerged a core group of Wawayanda folks coming to camp from Long Island - Woodmere, Great Neck, etc. I'd guess that the L.I. contingent peaked in the early to mid 1970s. This group brought us a number of families whose devotion to Frost Valley continues to this day, four decades later. Among the core families were the Chandlers, the Nathansons and the Tilleses and a bit later the Diamonds. Ken Nathanson, who with his gang recently spent the weekend at camp, sent this recent photo and also this caption:

Most in this photo have been coming to camp during the winter for many years. Actually, the Chandler's and the Nathanson's were coming up to Frost Valley in the winter since the early 60's with the Ricciardis [Tom, Ellie, and Pat Ricciardi).

Front: Sam Nathanson, current camper; Ken Nathanson, '69-'77. Second Row: Aaron Chandler-worth; Bradley Nathanson; Alex Arrick, current camper; Graham Arrick, current camper; Cindy Chandler-Guy Back Row: Kathy Nathanson; Casey Chandler-Alexander,'94-'04; (behind Casey) Steve Guy; Micah; Maho; Cathy Chandler,'63-'72; Linda Arrick; Remy Bernstein, camper & CIT '07; Martin Arrick; Dan Arrick, camper - CIT '07; Lindsay Chandler-Alexander,'92-'02; Chris Lane,'78-'04.

I guess one can say this is a mini Allen Lane reunion. Missing from Allen Lane crew that went to Frost Valley are: David Chandler, Mark Nathanson, Peter Tilles & his daughters Amanda and Olivia, Adam Diamond, Cindy Diamond, and Kim Diamond.

At left you see just the summer camp crew: top row: Casey Chandler- Alexander,'94-'04; Cathy Chandler,'63-'72; Chris Lane,'78-'04; Lindsay Chandler- Alexander,'92-'02; Remy Bernstein, camper -CIT '07; Dan Arrick, camper - CIT '07. Bottom row: Sam Nathanson, current camper; Alex Arrick, current camper; Graham Arrick, current camper; Ken Nathanson, '69-'77.