Camp Echo Monthly Alumni E-News December 23, 2004 Welcome to all our new subscribers, located through our post card mailing and our advertisements in the Pioneer Press newspapers! Contents -------- Alumni Reunion "Echo in the Round" - Double CD Set Alumni Notes - Tracy Alden - Jim Bayer - Ryan Behrends - Jim Bersbach - Laura McKibbin Cerimele - Dick Colberg - Leigh Gethman Foss - Vanessa Friedman - Katherine Head Ferguson - Harry Graham - Marsha Heckler - Anna Keller - Horton Kellogg - Craig Leva - Jerri Engeln McCabe - Zoli Nep - Jim Norland - Robin Roback Paddock - Laura Boyles Patton - Harry Rice - Bob Rosenberg - Ken Thiel - Dan Turek - Jane and Jack Weis - Hans Woudman Alumni Website 2005 Camp Echo Guide Family Camp and Adult Weekends Join the "Echo Spirit Team" International Camp Echo Day March 21, 2005 Wish List Song of the Month: NORWEGIAN WOOD Alumni Reunion -------------- Join us for the Third Annual All-Time Adult Alumni Reunion! Sunday, December 26, 8 pm, at the Prairie Moon Restaurant in Evanston. No cover charge; snacks provided; cash bar. NOT ONLY FOR YOUNG ALUMNI, we welcome the greyhaired as well. Barring a snowstorm that keeps him in Michigan, Rob Johnston, with at least 30 years of Echo memories, will be there. We've heard from many folks from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s who said that they might stop by. See you on Sunday! "Echo in the Round" - Double CD Set ------------------------------------ The "Echo in the Round" CD set is on sale now! The price is $25; proceeds go to the "Send a Kid to Camp" Fund. Scott Phillips, a Boys Camp camper in the 60's, recently wrote: "I don't know if words can express what I felt listening to the 'Echo in the Round' CD. To be transported back in time 35 to 40 years by the music was amazing. When I closed my eyes it felt like I was back at Camp Echo sitting around a campfire. Many of my fondest memories are from camp. Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to the performers and others involved in this project. It is truly appreciated and a cherished treasure by this former camper. The quality of the recording and the musicianship is incredible. These folks would bring the house down at any coffee house." Read all about the CD and the "Send a Kid to Camp" Fund, and see pictures from the rehearsal and the event, on the Camp Echo website at http://www.ymcacampecho.org/MusicCD Alumni Notes ------------ The response to our alumni e-mail, postcard and Pioneer Press advertising blitz has been absolutely fabulous. Many alums have responded by simply updating their info in the database and the following folks have been kind enough to share some memories of camp as well as a little of what has been happening in their lives since they last passed under the gate. Enjoy these notes, recently compiled by Alumni Contact Katie Tucker Trippi! -- Tracy Alden: Began at Echo as a Boys Camp camper in Cabin 6 in 1962. His counselor was Bill Stroven. In 1963 he was in Y's Men Lodge with counselor Chuck Majors. In 1964 and 1965 he was lucky enough to have Breaux Walsh as a counselor in Ben Snyder and Outpost respectively. In 1968 he joined the Boys Camp staff on the kitchen crew, 1969 he was an Assistant Counselor and served as a Senior Counselor on the Echo staff from 1970 thru 1974. In October 1983 he joined the staff of the McGaw YMCA as a youth director and worked there until December of 1984. Tracy lives in Evanston and says "I loved it all and I think about how great it ws to spend so much time there. The experience directed me to work in the parks and recreation field." [Thanks for all you remember about Echo, Tracy!] -- Jim Bayer: Phoned the Y on December 13th to say that he had received our post card. He was a Junior Counselor/Truck Driver in 1942. His daily duties were making the town run every day and sorting the mail. In 1943 he was an Assistant Counselor and he remembers spending his mornings working in the kitchen and the afternoons teaching sailing. He remembers these as two of the best summers of his life. He was so happy to get the postcard and to know that Echo still remembers him like he still remembers Echo. -- Ryan Behrends : Called with his medical update. Ryan broke his leg while working at camp this last summer and wanted everyone to know that he is on the mend. He is out of his cast and walking without crutches but is still going to physical therapy twice a week. He is bound and determined to spend another few weeks at Echo this summer. He is also planning to attend the Spring work weekend. [It will be great to have you back at camp, Ryan!] -- Jim Bersbach: Phoned after receiving the post card. He was a Boys Camp camper in 1937, 1938, and 1939. He and his brother Ed are living in College Park, MD just a few apartments away from each other. The both have very fond memories of their summers at Echo and were surprised to know that Echo was still keeping track of them. -- Laura McKibbin Cerimele: Responded to our email with her address in Phoenix, Arizona where she is living with her husband and stepson. She loves getting our monthly alumni updates and is looking forward to hearing from some of her old Echo pals. [To email any of our alums you can go through the Echo website to the Alumni page and click on any highlighted name to send your message.] -- Dick Colberg: Responded by email that he was on the Echo staff from 1959 to 1964. He wrote, "I was glad to receive this issue of the Alumni News. I hadn't seen one in several months and was afraid I'd gotten your address into my spam file for deletion. Always fun to read about what's going on with the Camp. My tenure there was VERY important to me, and still is. The Featherstones were like parents to me. I'll never forget them. I'm now 1/4 retired and still working as a forensic engineer. My wife Nancy and I have a house in Normandy, France and spend 3 months per year there (three times a year for one month each time). Life is good! Best regards and Happy Holidays." -- Leigh Gethman Foss: Updated her Echo alumni file. She was a camper at Echo from 1978 - 1981 and then worked as a counselor and Water Ski Area Head for several summers. She was on the Family Camp Staff from 1987 through 1992. She is currently a Fire Captain in the North West Fire Rescue District of Tucson, Arizona. "Great Website! Thanks for having a place for me to get a small dose of Echo and see some old, familiar faces. I look forward to keeping track of what's going on." -- Vanessa Friedman: Was a camper in 1983, 1984, 1985. She updated her information and gave us an update on her sister Michelle Friedman who was also a camper during those years. [Thanks for keeping in touch, Vanessa!] -- Alexander Head: Responded to an email with updates for three of his siblings, Catherine, Hank and Heather Head. All of them attended as campers or staff during the 70s and 80s. [Thanks for forwarding the info, Alex!] -- Catherine Head Ferguson: responded after being prompted by her bother Al. She is back in Evanston with her husband, Joe and two small children. She is looking forward to bringing her family to Family Camp in the near future. She is wondering whether single sex sessions will ever come back to camp. She remembers her Girls Camp days with such fondness and wonders if this generation doesn't miss out on a certain dynamic by attending coed camp. [Come on up and visit and see for yourself, Catherine!] -- Harry Graham: Attended Boys Camp in 1965. He too was surprised and delighted to hear from us. He is currently the Assistant Manager of the Rams Horn Village Resort in Estes Park, Colorado. -- Marcia Heckler: Mother of Tom, Dave and Sue Heckler, called in after seeing our ad in the Pioneer Press. She remembers attending Family camp in the early 60s and wanted us to know what an important place camp had been for her family through the years. [Thanks for calling, Marcia!] -- Anna Keller: Sent a nice email to the Alumni Coordinator. "It looks like camp is doing so well these days. I have a little boy of my own, Henry was born last February." [Great to hear from you, Anna!] -- Horton Kellogg: Was a CIT for 2 weeks and then a Senior Counselor for 6 weeks in 1943. He wrote, "I became a counselor when the scheduled guy was called to the service. Imagine the surprise when the campers' parents met their boy's 15 year old Senior Counselor. Horton and his wife Marge are living in Evanston and enjoying their involvement in many Evanston organizations. [Great story, Horton, thanks for the memory!] -- Craig Leva: Updated his alumni record on the website. He was a Boys Camp camper in the late 70s and served in many capacities on the Echo Staff until 1985. He wrote, "I loved Camp Echo and feel that it is still very much a part of me!!" -- Jerri Engeln McCabe: Responded to our email in early December. "Wow! Does this bring me back or what? I was never a camper at Echo, but I was a Junior Counselor in 1963 and 1964 and really loved it! Thanks for finding me and keep me posted." -- Zoli Nep: Responded to an email from the Camp Director. "It is so good to hear from you. I've been out of touch for too long and my apologies for that. My father has gone through surgery and post-op therapy and is feeling good. He is home and spending his time training his German Shephard which is twice the size of him. Right now I am in the UK working for Hewlett Packard HQ as a pricing specialist in Bracknell an hour west of London. It's a nice job and I like doing it, there is lots of opportunity for advancement. I am talking about transferring to the states sometime in the future. I have been thinking about camp a lot and have not given up my dreams of a YMCA career. I love working at Echo and it feels the worst when I have to leave after spending four great months up there each time. Hopefully camp is going to keep growing and will become a year round facility in the future. Any chance the Evanston Y is in need of a pricing specialist? I'd be there in a heartbeat! So at the moment I am gonna stick around here in the UK for a while and wait for the opportunity to move to the states. Though I'd like to spend 2-3 weeks volunteering at camp during my annual leave from HP. I'm sure RJ could keep me occupied for a couple of weeks. I am missing camp badly but I have to manage without it for a while. It is funny how often I dream about it nowadays. I am sending my best regards to everybody at the reunion. P.S. Mwansa Mulenga is in London doing his MBA course. I have talked to him on the phone but have not had the chance to see him yet." -- Jim Norland: Sent in his alumni update and says "Great way to spend the summer." [Couldn't have said it better myself!] -- Robin Roback Paddock: Updated her info and sent the following: "I wanted to update you on what's going on in my life ... My husband, Stephen Paddock, (50) passed away unexpectedly from a severe undetected ulcer on April 4th, 2004. We were together for 10 years, and married for 5 years. Since his passing, I have gone back to college, and I am pursuing a degree in Graphics Communications. I am still at the same address but living in a modest home in back of my mother's land, while I recover from his loss. I have drawn on a lot of the things I learned at camp about the mind, body and spirit to get me through his loss. Camp was such a wonderful time in my memories, and I escape there often, wandering over the hillsides too. Isn't it amazing how a place can affect so many in such a positive way? There's something really special about that, and I am so glad to have beeen a part of it. " -- Laura Boyles Patten: Was a camper at Echo from 1981 thru 1984. She wrote, "I was so excited to get the post card in the mail from camp. The four summers I had at Echo were incredible. I would love to send my kids (as soon as I have them and they are of age.) [We'll put him/her on the waiting list, Laura!] -- Harry Rice: Was the Senior Counselor in Optimist Lodge in 1966, 1967, and 1968. He wrote, "What a nice surprise to hear from the Y. I still sing the song once in a while. There are still times when I want to wake up in the morning at dear old Camp Echo." -- Bob Rosenberg: Was a camper in 1969 and 1971. He broke his ankle in 1970 and was unable to attend camp. But his memories are fantastic. He writes, "One of my years, my counselor was Bob Tarkington. I can't believe I was able to pick him out from the pictures (on the website). One of my best memories of camp was Bob teaching us the words to "Light my Fire" and "Norwegian Wood". To this day they remain two of my favorite tunes. I saw all the info on the website about the CD and the performance. I can't believe they made a CD of my old camp songs!! My children have gone to a YMCA camp in Michigan too, but not Echo. My two nephews and neice were counselors at Camp Eberhart in Three Rivers, so that is where my kids wanted to go. We had a great time at Eberhart's Family Camp over Labor Day. P.S. It was my mother, bless her, who saw the Ad in the Glenview Announcements looking for Camp Echo Alumni." -- Ken Thiel: Stopped by the McGaw YMCA on December 2, 2004. He was the Boy's Work Secretary at the Y starting in the late 1940s and continued to work there in just about every position except Executive Director. He and his wife, Alta, were the first Family Camp Program Directors at Echo in 1950. He left Evanston to become the first Executive Director of the North Suburban YMCA in Northbrook. It was great to meet him and to hear all about his career with the Y. -- Dan Turek: Began his life at Echo as a Boys Camp camper in 1977. He ended his first career at Echo as a Senior Counselor in 1985. Dan, was that you who took two days to hitchhike back from Muskegan on your night off? Dan began his second career at Echo when he served on the Family Camp Staff in 2003. It was great to have him back and the stories he can tell will curl your hair. He writes, "I used to want to wake up in the morning at dear old Camp Echo. Now I'm thankful to just wake up anywhere." -- Jack and Jane Weis: Were family campers in the mid to late 70s. Jane writes, "You have both Jack and Jane Weis listed separately on the distribution list. You can save space and list us together. After 47 years together, we still share everything. Isn't that great? But I am the computer person in the family. We love living in Door county where we are very busy and active. Thanks for keeping us on the mailing list. We love reading the E-news. Thanks for keeping us posted. Our very best wishes for happy holidays." -- Hans Woudman: Was an ICCP counselor at Echo in 1977. He is great about keeping all of us up to speed with his life. Hans wrote, "Today I walked across the magnificent Christmas market close from Basels Thine-boards. You could smell the toast of the 'Gluehwein' which is typical hot red wine part of the local tradition. All over the place, people were running around looking for Christmas presents...People become quite 'electrical' some two and a half weeks before Christmas. I am still continuing organizing Badminton lessons for the Free University of Delemont beside my daily job at the UBS Bank at Basel. Coming May, during four days I take my group of 14 participants by speed train from Basel to the Dutch province of 'Noord-Holland' the area of my roots, passing places like Frankfurt and Cologn in Germany and Arnhem, Utrecht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands... Near Alkmaar, my hometown and still the world cheese capital. I rented 3 small bungalows at the village of Heiloo, from where I'll be organizing some bike trips through boulders and dunes to the sea, a Mill visit and last but not least at Whitsunday Island, an interesting visit to Amsterdam including the Van Gogh Museum and a canal ride... As a kind of desert for my participants I organized a badminton tournament between my Swiss group and a local Dutch club from the Alkmaar area. That is going to be big fun!!! For today I say Hi and I hope that you'll pass a wonderful December taking some time to relax. Take Care. From the Swiss Jura hills, Hans" -- That's all the alumni news for this month. Please drop us a line and let us know what you are up to and what you remember about your time at camp. Show and Share your Echo Spirit! -- Katie Tucker Trippi Alumni Website -------------- Our Alumni website is up and running! Look yourself up with "Index by Name" and look for your peers with "Lists by Year." Click here for the site: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/alumni.html Use "Submit My Info" to send us updates and changes. You can email any other member of the list whose name appears as an underlined hyperlink. Their email address is not revealed unless they choose to reply to your message. 2005 Camp Echo Guide --------------------- The 2005 Echo Guide is available on the Camp Echo website. Download from: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/register.html Adult Alumni Weekend at Echo! ----------------------------- Adult (21 years old or older) Alumni are invited to our Adult Alumni Weekend, May 13-15, 2005. Details are on the flyer located at: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/AAWRegForm2005.pdf Family Camp and Adult Weekends ------------------------------ Family Camp is a terrific time for alumni to return to Echo. You can return as a staff member or as a participating family. To apply for staff: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/apply.html To sign up for camp: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/register.html To bring back those memories, check out our gallery of family camp photos, thanks to Mike Kelly, Photographer. To see the gallery: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/familyweek.html Alumni are also welcome at our Adult Weekends in September: Women's Wellness, Needlecraft, and Scrapbooking. Click here for info: http://www.ymcacampecho.org/adults.html 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. International Camp Echo Day March 21, 2005 ------------------------------------------- Alumni all over the world are encouraged to wear their Echo clothing to celebrate International Camp Echo Day on Monday March 21, 2005. The date was chosen by a cabin of 2004 campers. Send us any interesting stories or pictures in late March. Wish List --------- working window air conditioner (8,000-12,000 BTU) washer-dryer (electric, not gas) for the Director's House 25th hour in each day all year long Sunfish or Laser sailboats are always welcome Song of the Month: NORWEGIAN WOOD ----------------- (Lennon/McCartney 1965) I once had a girl, Or should I say She once had me. She showed me her room, Isn't it good? Norwegian wood. She asked my to stay and told me sit anywhere, So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair. I sat on a rug Biding my time, Drinking her wine. We talked until two, And then she said, "It's time for bed". She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh, I told her I didn't, and crawled off to sleep in the bath. And when I awoke I was alone, This bird has flown, So I lit a fire, Isn't it good? Norwegian wood. Show The Spirit! -- Rob Grierson Camp Echo Director rg@mcgawymca.org