Luminaries glowed on either side of me as I walked the path to the lake one last time. Behind me our youngest campers whispered excitedly, unable to recognize the familiar path bathed in warm, flickering light. We had made it to summer’s end, awash in relief and gratitude. So many... read more
“Smile and nod, Steve, smile and nod.” That was the advice Sonie Larsen gave me if I had to talk with an unhappy vendor or camp parent when I joined as a Director at Camp Mishawka. I was 26, and though I had spent the 16 previous summers at Camp,... read more
Ask Not… A Continuing Ethos of Service Amongst our Staff I am often asked about who I think the “most famous” Camp Mishawaka alumnus is. More often than not I offer my impression on who was the most “infamous.” Ha! To be sure, there are former campers and staff that... read more
I can’t say I am a big fan of cutting down trees, but sometimes it opens up new possibilities. I was always dismayed when I would walk the campus with the “tree man” identifying maples, oaks and basswoods that were “danger trees,” those that threatened buildings or well-travelled paths. We... read more
What did you do in the Pandemic? My grandfather was too young to have fought in the First World War and my father too young to have joined the efforts of the Second one- though he did serve during the Korean Conflict. I remember, as a young boy, asking them... read more