Stories from the 40's
-By Tom Lewy
Memories of Camp??? Tom Colwell breaking all our shoulders as he ran
the ball
field during the tapping ceremony. Jim Leven buried in the old Pineneedle
office since Lou wouldn't let him out until the weekly was finished. Getting
stuck under the old Rec Hall trying to listen for news on the trophy selection
before Banquet Night. The counselor play where we did a takeoff on Lou and
Evelyn and wrote "Down with the Big E...get him out of Bideawee" . Lou was
pissed but it got me and Billy Gardner (now deceased) the Dramatics' Cup.
Getting our ear to the trestle going to Minocqua to see if the train was
coming. One night it did and three of us scurried to the side....what a
fright??
I remember when you could park in the parking lot.
Remembering Bob Schrayer and Gil Schiff and all of us rebuilding the
basketball court near Chip 3 in the 40's. Jim Byler hitting Chip Lodge
every time he got up to bat in a counselor-camper ball game in 1946 and 1947.
Carl Engstrom, a world class wrestler taking on about six or seven kids at a
clip and throwing them around.
Intercamp competition was always great, especially when we would travel to
Ojibwa and see lights in their cabins and sidewalks. Then we would come back
to camp and say "now...this is roughin' it." And, of course, we would win our
share of tennis, baseball and swimming competitions.
Lester Sack, now a tennis pro
in New Orleans, always having to have his "bowlful" of oatmeal or hot cereal
before he could play...and boy did he play. Wally Grace yelling at me when I
hit into a double play against Interlaken with the bases loaded. We loved him
anyway. I redeemed myself later by hitting a home run to the tennis court to
beat the counselors in the seventh inning later that summer.
And of course there were all those hikes to the riding rink at Agawak and the
night that their camp director caught us in a boat on Baker Lake and put a
shot across our bow. That was not so much fun.
|
