What years were you at camp?
I spent summers at camp from 1954–1956, 1959-1962 and then from 1966-1996. 

What tents were you in?
I was never a camper but from 1954 to 1956 I was a counselor in Cherokee.  The first sessions were always the most difficult.  The kids were just out of school and were all wound up. 

What job did you have as a staff member?
I had quite a few jobs at camp.  For the first two years I was a counselor. I took a couple of years off to serve in the military.  And when I returned from the service I attended college. Between 1959 and 1962 I was the Craft Shop Director, the Business Manager, and Program Director.  In the off-season I was working at the YMCA in Waukesha until I was able to spend full time at camp. They were considering purchasing the camp and asked it I would run it for a year so they could understand what they were buying. I was then Camp Director until the camp became an independent YMCA in 1985, when I became the CEO.

What are you doing now?
We live in Random Lake Wisconsin and I’m doing a lot of volunteering.  I’m giving tours of the Sugarbush at Maywood Environmental Center for 3rd and 4th graders, to show how maple syrup is made.  I also work at Pioneer Village, a restored mid-1800 community, and I’m the headmaster at Stony Hill School were kids get to experience school as it was taught in 1865. I’m also a part of the Random Lake Historical Society where we just rebuilt the first house in Random Lake.  Finally, I keep in touch with camping, as registrar for the annual Mid-America Camp Conference.

What about your Camp experience has influenced you the most?
There were a couple of things that really stick in my mind.  The first was the discovery that when I was on stage people were laughing with me – not at me.  As a young person this increased my confidence tremendously and allowed me to grow.  The second thing is that at camp we see kids real time but don’t really know what kind of an impact the experience will have on their lives.  I remember a little girl from the Girls’ School at Sparta.  She was a tough nut – didn’t believe in God and rebelled against authority. She avoided me because I was “authority.” Her counselor finally convinced her to participate in Raggers but she wasn’t totally sold.  On the way to Raggers Point she said. “If there really is a god let the wind blow” – and it did!  When she was leaving camp she waited outside my office for two hours to say goodbye.  I heard later that she ran away from home wearing her Rag. She got as far as the bus station and reached up and touched her scarf and decided to go back home.

    
Is there anyone from camp to which you'd like to say hello?
HELLO KENTUCKY!
There are many, but there is one person in particular – but I don’t remember his name.  He was from Madisonville, Kentucky.  He spent a few years at camp and I remember him coming over the hill from the parking lot at the start of the session.  He would yell “Hello Sir G!” and I’d holler back “Hello Kentucky.”  That was a lot of fun and a ritual we both looked forward to.

Would you like to share your email address?
jcarman2008@hotmail.com

What years were you at camp?
1958–1974  (3 as a camper, 3 in the SDP program, 10 as a counselor/staff member)

What tents were you in?
As a camper I was in Rio Grande my first year.  I then got to stay the 30 days that comprised the 3 girls’ sessions for my 2nd and 3rd years.  I remember being in Cactus Gulch, Wildcats, Buccaneers, and Wolverines during those years.  As a counselor I had numbered tents the first couple of years, then I had Buccaneers for about 8 years.

What job as a staff member?
I did just about everything for the 10 years I was on staff.  I taught archery, riflery, swimming, boating, crafts, horseback riding.  For several years I was the Swimming Director during boys’ camp and a counselor during girls’ camp.  I was the SDP Director for a couple of years.  The last few years I worked in the kitchen during boys’ camp and took my campers (Buccaneers) on a 5-day canoe trip during each session of girls’ camp.

What are you doing now?
I retired in 2004, after teaching and coaching for 35 years.  I live in Hayward, Wisconsin, the home of the American Birkebeiner cross country ski race.  I have been and continue to compete in ski races in the U.S. and Europe.  In the summers I compete in inline skating races, and every couple of years I go on a European bike tour.  I spend most of my time outside playing with my dogs or recreating.  I volunteer for various events in the area and am helping with a Habitat for Humanity house this fall.  I had a great time helping with the Alford Lodge flower gardens over Memorial Day weekend.  I hope to be able to continue helping on Phantom projects.

What about your Camp experience has influenced you the most?
My first year as a camper was an awakening to the power of friendship.  There were so many people from Phantom who influenced my life through their personalities, talents, and caring.  I truly cherish my Phantom friendships.  My counselors were wonderful role models.  Many of their taps talks became mine as I began my years as a counselor.   The Phantom Square ceremony had a great impact on me and still does.  It continues to be an influence on my growth as a person.  During a change of camp directors in the 60’s, there were a couple of years when the Square Ceremony wasn’t held.  Some of us were so outraged that we held our own secret ceremony.  Thankfully, Sir Gerald arrived and brought it back.

You were a staff member when the dining hall burned down, can you tell us the story of what happened to all your stuff?
At the beginning of June in 1971, I moved from Maryland to Wisconsin to start a new teaching job in Milwaukee that fall.  As I was working at camp and had not rented an apartment for the summer, I stored all my personal belongings and furniture in the attic of the dining hall.  Three days later on June 6th, the dining hall was destroyed by fire.  While watching the dining hall and my belongings go up in flames, I was distraught over the loss of my photo albums more than anything else.  One corner of the attic did remain standing, but was not safe to enter.  However, there was a window in that section, and Glen Leidel moved the camp truck under the window and placed a ladder from the truck bed to the window.  With a flashlight we could see some boxes of my belongings.
We started throwing a grappling hook into the attic and managed to pull out a few boxes.  In those partially waterlogged boxes were books and my picture albums.  I salvaged what I could and now have new Phantom albums with wavy edged pictures.

Is there anyone from camp to which you'd like to say hello? Hello to all my Buccos and campers from tents 2 and 9, Jill and Judy Johnson, “twin brother” Ron, and all the people who touched my life in those 16 years.  And hello to Charlie Tuna and Thump Drag!

Would you like to share your email address?
cmeek1@centurytel.net