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Our philosophy over the years has remained in harmony with Gil Roehrig’s
original ideas, although stated somewhat differently. We believe that
every boy has a positive worth and is to be respected, and that here at
camp we will have a balanced life consisting of enjoyment of privileges
and acceptance of certain responsibilities.
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In recent years, our CIT program has developed into the main source of
staff people for our camp. We are now seeing more and more former campers
becoming staff people. The high cost of college is making it more
difficult each year to keep staff in camping. The quality of our staff
over the years has been outstanding, not that we haven’t had our share
of counselor “incidents” but they are kept at a minimum. The spirit
and loyalty of the staff I remember over the years include Fred and Sue
Morhart, Steve Gordon, Larry and Judy Fudge, Steve Mabee, Jay and Peter
Barry, John and Charlie Putnam, Roger and Merrill Jones, Mike Cannon, Hank
Devlin, Ronnie and Judy Axelrod, Jerry and Lyn Newberry, Riley Hodder,
Jim, Jeff and John Rutherford, and many many others.
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I have always felt that no institution can stand still. It either moves
forward or regresses. As the camp grew, changes became necessary. We
instituted Majors and Minors in activities, elective programming, the
Evening Program, rotation of waterfront instruction, activity
specialization for Seniors, Wednesday trips, horseback riding, and,
beginning in 1969, association with Pleasant Valley Camp.
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During the winter meeting of 1970, at a
meeting of camp staff and camping committee led by Shirley Goodwin, plans
were formulated for a Minority Scholarship Program. Many boys have had an
enriching camping experience through this program, which is still in
operation.
In conclusion, I want to thank the Greater Boston YMCA, John Danielson,
Larry Smith and the camp committee, and the administrators I have worked
with; Ed Johnson, 1960-70, Bruce Taylor, 1971-75, and Peter Post,
1975-present. With all of us working together, North Woods can remain as
one of the truly outstanding camps in New England. I would also like to
thank all the campers and parents who have made contributions to this, our
fiftieth year. As Shirley has said so often, everyone who comes to North
Woods leaves something of himself behind, and also takes something away
with him. Our happy memories of North Woods will last a lifetime.
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