former director comes back

We were all very happy to see Steve Purkis back at Frost Valley. He spent the weekend here and is staying through tomorrow afternoon. Of course he was given a staff shirt, and a van, and told to search for lost luggage. It's just what happens when old directors show up. Steve is very active at the school where he works, and in the school's community - especially in programs and activities related to his work as the school's soccer coach. He's incredibly busy. We're glad he'll be back, along with hundreds of others, for the Labor Day reunion. Above is a shot of Steve with Jeff Daly at dinner tonight.

directors, 1979

Here are the three directors in 1979, having one of our on-the-field meetings. Mike Ketcham, at left, was the Director of Camping; I (Al Filreis) in the middle, the Wawayanda Director; Peggy Rub, at right, the Hird Director. (Carolyn Shelburne, not pictured, was the Program Director.)

Mike had recently been hired as the full-time, full-year Director of Camping. This was the first time FV had such a position. Before that, we directors were all summer-only; Halbe Brown, Executive Director, consulted with us by letter and phone as he did the first rounds of winter/spring hiring, and then we got up there as soon as we could in May to do the rest and make do otherwise with what we'd been given. Once Mike started in the full-time position, staffing got a lot better and a lot easier. And of course Halbe, in the spring, could spend more time on long-range vision, acquisition of property, developing new programs, and fund-raising.

trust the brains

A July CIT (Chloe Slovinsky) snapped this shot of my apparently satisfyingly non-urgent conversation with two of our directors: Kam Kobeissi (director of Hird) and Andy Szymczak (assistant director of Wawayanda). You've seen them both in this blog before. Just terrific people, both of them hilariously funny and 200% dedicated to what we do here.

once and always

Conversation in the dining hall late last week. At the table there's Vi, Dave Mager's 4-year-old daughter, Dave Mager himself, me, and Melissa Pauls. Vi had been attending day camp and can't wait until she's old enough for resident camp.

Vi to Al: "Is it true that you were my dad's camp director."

Al, looking at Dave: "Yes, it's true. Your dad was a camper here when I was the camp director."

pause

Vi: "Are you still his camp director."

Smile comes over Dave.

Al: "Yes, if your dad wants me to be his camp director I will always be his camp director. Whenever he wants."

Pause. Four-year-old ponders.

Vi: "When I come to camp, will I have a camp director?"

Dave: "Yes, Vi, you will."

Vi: "And will he always be my camp director?"

Yes, we say in unison. Yes, yes, yes.

- - - - -

And from Andy Wiener in response to the above: "What a great exchange. I've had similar conversations with my kids. You will always be our director, Al. Always."

singing in the rain in the snow

Go to YouTube and watch camp director Bob Eddings lead his version of "Singing in the Rain" at the recent session of winter camp. While you're there, check out the "related videos" on the menu to your right.

ol' Wawayanda in good hands

Bob ("Bobby") Eddings is one of the most passionate, energetic and inspiring people ever to grace the roster of Frost Valley's staff. By now he's been here many, many years, having begun in summer camp. Later he founded our community center programs, including school-year day- and after-school care and our summertime day camp which is used primarily by local families (Grahamsville, Liberty, Phoenicia, Woodstock, etc.). The day camp has been one of our most successful programs. This session some 180 kids come to our day camp each day! This past year Bob was promoted to the co-directorship (with his old FV friend Jeff Daly) of all camping services, with Bob's area including Camp Wawayanda, day camp and other programs (in other words, "youth" as distinct from "teen"). The photo here shows Bob on a rainy check-in day, greeting parents and new campers under the Halbe & Jane Brown pavilion, along with Camp Wawayanda director Dan Weir and Assistant Wawayanda Director, Heather Bowman. I'll tell you about Dan and Heather in another post. Meantime, many alumni will know Dan because his aunt Helen Cornman was a camper, counselor, VC, camp director over a period of 16 summers and has been active at recent alumni reunions as organizer and host of our beautiful in memoriam services. In the photo, Bob and Heather are seated while Dan is standing.

directors 2006

Frost Valley's 2006 summer camp directors (plus Ben), a photo taken in June just before staff training began: from right to left, Joanna Levin, Assistant Program Director; Kristen Judd, Program Director; Dale Whittaker, Wawayanda Director; Jeff Daly, Hird Director; Kelly Zingone, Assistant Hird Director; Steve Parsley, Assistant Program Director; Ben Filreis, 8-week PAC camper. Click on the picture at upper left for a larger view.