So many Camp DeWolfe memories…..where to begin?
I remember my first night as a camper in 1974. It was raining and it sounded strange to me. I live in the city and was used to hearing rain on the concrete and asphalt instead of the grass. My parents sent me to Camp DeWolfe for 2 weeks that year. I was in Girls’ 5 and Nancy was my counselor. I liked it so much that after the first week, I wrote home and asked if I could return for the whole summer next year. And I did! I remember 2 of my counselors–Denise and Lynn. I remember Kent Rahm with a ponytail and an inverted sailor’s hat. My favorite part of camp was the arts and crafts. I always went there during free time. I also liked the singing. I remember Kent and Aileen playing guitars. I remember that the chapel had no pews and we sat on the floor on pillows and pieces of carpet. I remember having an overnight in tents across the road… We also didn’t have a pool then so we always had to go down to the beach for swimming., which brings to mind another Camp DeWolfe memory—-THE BUDDY BOARD!!!!!
I made sooooo many friends at camp—the great thing was that we were all family. It didn’t matter if you were black or white, from “the city” or from “the island.” We all loved each other.
I had my first paying job at Camp DeWolfe. It was the summer of ’77 and I was almost 17 years old and part of the kitchen crew. I think I made $250 for the summer. Doug Pro was the kitchen head… For the talent show, the entire kitchen crew wore new mop heads on our heads as we mopped the floor to “Get Down Tonight” by KC and the Sunshine Band. I remember Elvis Presley died that summer. And boy, was that kitchen HOT! I remember making juice in this huge, deep pot that we couldn’t even lift; we just dragged it to the dining area and used a pitcher to scoop out the juice. I also remember buttering slice after slice of toast for breakfast. And then of course, there were the contests to see which kitchen crew member could carry the tallest stack of cups.
Another fun memory: Kent doing “Lost and Flounder” every day at lunch.
I remember Friday night chapel was always special. I loved linking arms and singing “Beautiful City”. And who didn’t want to win Honor Cabin?
Other memories: stories about “Calhoun”, scrubbing those wooden shower slats, staff hunts, “capture the flag”, “dizzy bat relay”.
I remember doing a production of “Godspell” where we moved about from place to place and we used the softball backstop fence for the crucifixion.
I always say I had the best summers of my life at Camp DeWolfe!!!
-Alison (Coleman )Saydee
Camper 1974-75; Staff 1977-81.