Camp Echo Monthly Alumni E-News April 4, 2004 Back issues are archived at If you want to be removed from this list, reply and let me know. ***** This is the March issue. (!) Next issue: late April ***** Contents -------- High School Work Weekend Family Camp and Adult Weekends Alumni Website What's Happening at Camp? 2004 Camper Enrollment 2004 Staffing Join the "Echo Spirit Team" Wish List Alumni Notes - Nick Churchill - Jim (Jamey) Coffman - Per-Ola Rydgren - Mulsoff Family News - Flo Allan Announcements - For Sale by Owner - Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, Child Care jobs - Claire Zulkey's Book Published - Los Osos Scandalosos Song of the Month: GING GANG GULLY High School Work Weekend ------------------------ April 23-24-25 is our annual high school work weekend. We need many adult "crew chiefs" to make it all happen. JC Mike Mortell is coordinating the weekend as an Eagle Scout service project. Please join us! Contact Mike at . WE ARE FULL WITH 50 PARTICIPANTS AND HAVE A WAIT LIST OF 15! Family Camp and Adult Weekends ------------------------------ Week 1 Family Camp, August 15-21, is FILLED with a waiting list. There are still openings for Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, and Week 2 (August 22-18). We anticipate that all these programs will fill, so don't delay if you want to join the fun. Are you looking for an adults-only getaway? Join us for our Handicraft Weekend (May 15-16), Women's Wellness Weekend (September 9-12), or Scrapbooking Weekend (September 11-12). Download a Camp Guide , stop by the Y, or call Program Support (847-475-7400 x287). Alumni Website -------------- We've uploaded the data for nearly 5,000 alumni and friends of Camp Echo to our new alumni website. Katie Tucker Trippi has been working nearly full time for the past month to update the database using the information we have in the Camp Echo Office. We are not quite done entering the information we have on hand, but we invite everyone to "preview" the site. Go to the Camp Echo website and click on "Alumni". READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU PREVIEW THE WEBSITE: Anyone whose name shows up as an underlined hotlink can be contacted via a web form that does not reveal their email address. Enter YOUR email in the webform (and double-check what you type) so the person you contact knows how to reply. To verify that we have your correct email address, try sending a test email message to yourself! Applicants for 2004 do not have all their personal information from previous years entered yet. Please wait until next month to send us your correct information. We'll enter it soon. You can look yourself up, but your records will be incomplete. Alumni OTHER THAN applicants for 2004 should look themselves up (choose "Index by Name") and then click "Submit My Info" to send us corrections and addtions. Since most of our information came off staff lists, many alumni do not have complete camper affililations entered into the database yet. Due to the way information was collected in the past, staff got "grouped" into the years ending in 2, 5, and 8. For example, many of the staff that show up when you choose 1992 actually worked in 1990, 1991, or 1993. We need photocopies of staff lists from the 70s, 80s, and early 90s so we can move staff to their correct years. Please dig them out and send them to us! (Email and ask if we have the one you have before you send it.) What's Happening at Camp? ------------------------ Rob Johnston is gearing up for another season, and anticipating the arrival of Assistant Property Manager Brian McGinn for his first full day of work on April 19th. Among the projects on the docket for this spring are additional shelves in the Trip Center; two new "Peak" cabins for staff and families; and a new beverage counter for the Dining Hall. We'll have an update next month. 2004 Camper Enrollment ---------------------- With 1,175 spots already filled for summer 2004, we're at 90% of capacity. Although some programs and sessions are closed out, there are 134 spots still open. Please encourage your friends, neighbors, nieces, and nephews to register for camp. Here's a partial list of specific programs with openings: Main Camp & Pathfinders, 3rd-8th grade, one week, June 13-19 Main Camp & Pathfinders, 4th-8th grade, two weeks, July 4-16 Main Camp & Pathfinders, 4th-8th grade, two weeks, August 1-13 Outpost (Nature Theme) 8th & 9th graders, July 4-16 Minnesota Canoe, 9th & 10th graders, July 4-16 Birches, 9th & 10th graders, June 20-July 3, July 4-16 Ropes & Rocks Adventure, 10th & 11th graders, June 13-19 Isle Royale Trek, 10th & 11th graders, June 20-July 3 Taste of the Southwest, 11th & 12th graders, June 20-July 16 Pacific Northwest Trip, 11th & 12th graders, July 18-August 13 The 2004 Camp Guide is available on the Camp Echo website. If you would like one mailed out, reply and let me know. 2004 Staffing ------------- Summer staffing for 2004 is nearly complete. Paperwork has gone out to most college-age staff. Adult staff (Health Officers, etc) and high-school-age staff paperwork will be mailed very soon. If you are confused about your status, please email me and ask. Join the "Echo Spirit Team" -------------------------- We're looking for volunteers to help at the Echo bus departures and arrivals in Evanston this summer. Give us an hour or two on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, or a Sunday morning. Mingle with the parents and campers and talk about your experience at camp. Help with the distribution of bus passes and loading/unloading luggage. To join the "Echo Spirit Team" hit reply and let me know you can help. Wish List --------- storage in or near Evanston, year-round, for a boat trailer book - "The Lorax" bugle kitchen refrigerator (we can pick it up in April) working window air conditioner (8,000-12,000 BTU) washer-dryer (mostly a dryer!) for the Director's House computers: 500 MHz or better PCs; iMacs or better puzzles Alumni Notes ------------ Nick Churchill writes, "I have just returned from my latest adventure, a two month "study" in New Zealand. UCLA basically gave me a full quarter's credit for hiking and learning about the landscapes of New Zealand. For six weeks, I was with the Wildlands Studies program, through UCSB. There were 9 students, mostly from California, and two leaders from NZ. One leader, Donna, was the first ever woman whitewater rafting guide in all of NZ. The trip started with a week long canoeing trip on the Wanganui River, full of cliffjumping and some whitewater, caving. After hiking in Tongariro National Park, and climbing Mt. Ngarahoue, Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings, we took a ferry down to the larger, and sparsely populated south island. A month was spent hiking on coastal plateaus of Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson Lakes, Marlboro sounds. The forests there are mostly Old Growth, and overwhelmingly green, some of the best hiking in the world. Wildlands is a great program, all you do is discuss your surroundings, keep a journal, and write a handful of essays. After my 6 wk trip was up, I hadn't had enough, so two of my buddies and I roadtripped around the south island, hiking glaciers, fiords, and climbing mt remarkable near Queenstown. Native birds and sheep abound, and rare dolphins (only 500 in the world) were spotted off the coast. NZ is full of tourists, and the movies are only increasing the numbers. If anyone is interested in going, I suggest you do it in the next few years, because the country's popularity is increasing enormously. You can look up Wildlands Studies online or contact me about the program. Cheers for years (NZ phrase)." -- Jim (Jamey) Coffman writes, "I am quite pleased to now be in the Camp Echo alumni loop. Congrats on the Brian McGinn hiring -- that is awesome in a variety of ways. I almost certainly won't be able to attend the spring work weekend, I'm afraid. My wife Julie and I did not time the birth of our son Noah very well and there are often going to be conflicts between his birthday (May 2, when he will turn five this year) and the work weekend. I also have my 20th high school reunion on Friday May 1. I also now have a daughter alana, who is two and a half. I'm heading into my ninth year of covering mostly high school sports for Pioneer Press out of Glenview. It is oftentimes a very fun job. I too want to share a Mary (Fischl) Wise story. I have a vivid memory of a Boys Camp Casino Night, back in 1978 or 1979, when, at the end of the evening an auction was held where cabins used their total proceeds to bid on prizes. Our cabin, Lions i believe, put in the winning bid on being tucked in by Miss Fischl at a later date. I remember we were pretty happy about that." -- Per-Ola Rydgren writes, "Life is good. The Internet is a wonderful invention. I managed to locate a Scottish Boy Scout (who now is a 40 year old father of a two-year-old daughter) that I went home with for a week of home hospitality in 1976 when I attended a Scout Jamboree in Scotland. My studies are going well. I passed a New Testament exegetic exam two weeks ago; it's a course I need to have to be able to apply for Greek Studies later this fall." -- Sandy Mulsoff writes, "Joanie and I were visiting my brother Ron and his wife over the weekend and he mentioned that Camp Echo had a website. I couldn't wait to get back to work and browse the site. You have done an excellent job with it. It was nice to read the monthly newsletter and actually recognize names -- it brought a smile to my face. "All in the family are well. Mom and Dad live in Janesville Wisconsin. Both are retired. I think Mom misses camp most of all. We talk about maybe one day going back. Not sure when that will happen. Dad, well being the boss, he was too busy worrying about everyone to actualy enjoy himself. His favorite times were before the season started and after everyone went home. You know, it's a lovely peaceful place during the off season. Joanie is married (Ray Perez) and lives in Hanover Park. No kids, just one dog and one cat. She works downtown Chicago for a computer consulting firm. Sue is married (Chris Kilgas), she has two kids (Lisa 16, Matt 14). They live in Kaukauna Wisconsin, near Green Bay. Ron, as i mentioned is married (Jessica) and they have one child, Greg. Ron works for General Motors in Detroit. I am married (Bruce) and have a 16-year- old stepson (Eric). We live in Darien. I have worked for a small Real Estate Company near O'Hare for the past 18 years. "Many years ago, while vacationing with a friend, I stopped at camp. Sally Donohue was the camp director then. She remembered me and allowed me to walk around camp. Even though some things had changed, the memories came flooding back. All good memories of great times with great people. It's nice to know that Katie (Tucker) Trippi is still very active with camp. She was great for the place when we were there together and now she has a daughter and two sons following in her footsteps. Camp Echo is very lucky." -- Florence Allan's father passed away on Monday, March 29, after a long illness. Services were April 2. Announcements ------------- For Sale By Owner: 1616 Washington Ave, 3 Units, $549,000 Garden Apartment and Second Floor have tenants through September who would like to stay on after that. First Floor has 5+ rooms with newly renovated kitchen, new appliances. For more information call 1-800-644-5903 x2051. -- The McGaw YMCA is looking for part-time Lifeguards, Swim Instructors, and Child Care staff. Stop by the YMCA and pick up a staff application from Nancy Holmberg. -- Claire Zulkey has published her first book, "Girls! Girls! Girls!," a collection of humorous stories, published by So New Media. It's available on Amazon.Com. -- Evanston's own Los Osos Scandalosos is excited to announce their 2004 Spring Tour of the northeast. The band, featuring Echo 2003 staff members David Plotkin and Jeff Neuberger, will be playing three concerts over April 8-10 at colleges in the northeast. The dates are: Thursday April 8: Palace Theater, Colgate U, Hamilton NY. This is a free show; doors open at 10 pm for the 10:30 show. Check out for directions. Friday April 9: Gamut Room, Middlebury College, Middlebury VT. Free show, 9 pm. Route 125 (College Street). Saturday April 10: Sherman Student Union, Boston U, Boston MA. 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA $7 at the door, 7 pm doors, 8 pm show Special Guests Sam Morris and Thunderwear will open. Check the website for show details. We'd love to see some Echo faces in the crowd during our first trip to the East Coast. See you at Echopalooza 04 this summer! Song of the Month ----------------- GING GANG GULLY Ging gang gully gully gully gully watch-ah Ging gang goo, ging gang goo Ging gang gully gully gully gully, watch-ah Ging gang goo, ging gang goo Haila, haila-shaila, haila-shaila haila hoo; Haila, haila-shaila, haila-shaila ging gang goo! Shally wally shally wally shally wally shally wally Oompah Oompah Oompah Oompah ... Build The Spirit! -- Rob Grierson Camp Echo Director rg@mcgawymca.org