The application for the renewal of license for the camp in 1964 from the Dept. of Social Welfare for the state of Michigan listed Dorthe Balaskas as the director and she had previously experienced six years of camp leadership. Miriam Carr, who had been a YWCA camp director in California, was her assistant that summer. […]
Kathy Baker
Sixties Staffing and Issues #1
The sixties ushered in tenures of longevity for directors Alice Bishop (1960-62) and Dorthe Balaskas (1963-69). The director’s reports were fairly comprehensive, which were great sources for the staffing issues they had to contend with on a daily and seasonal basis. Alice had ten years of previous camp experience at Camp Cavell, three years with […]
Staffing During the Fifties
The directors during the fifties included Dorothy Jane Dickey (1950-52), Kathleen Geerlings (1953), Janet Adams (1954), Kathleen Dillinger (1955-58), and Shirley Rausch (1959). Unfortunately, no directors’ reports were found in the YWCA pertaining to their years on staff. Often it was difficult to find staff that could leave their families behind if they were married. […]
Staffing During the Depression and War Years
While camping before the Depression and World War II was seen as a way for young people to extend their skills and extend their education, it evolved from a middle class activity to a summer program for all economic levels. Camping grew during the years after 1945 and parents encouraged their children to return to […]
Staffing in the Thirties
Minutes from the camp committee began on April 1, 1932 and discussed hiring a lifeguard. The Camp Maqua (Loon Lake) property had been operating for less than ten years with waterfront activities. Four males were in contention for the lifeguard position, and Mr. Francis Barnett was hired from the pool of five applicants. “…after a […]
Directors #10
In 1977, Camp Maqua was still operating as the co-ed Camp Maquois,and Ken Dike assumed the position as camp director. He had been the program director at Camp Iroquois on Sand Lake under director David Bast, and was only twenty-two years old, but had a great resume. He had already accumulated seven years in camping and four […]