Sixties Staffing and Issues #6

Published on March 29, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

Shy, quiet Linda Doering was even more so at Camp Maqua as a first time counselor in 1967. Her friend and fellow Physical Education major from Western Michigan University, Barbara Haggart, recruited her as the Boating Director that summer. “Beanie” also nicknamed her “Yakky” and the name stuck for her next few years on staff.

Linda had been to a “Y” camp in Grand Rapids as a kid, had experienced the fright of leaving home and a tinge of homesickness, but having a friend along helped her adjust. The feelings she had as a camper allowed her to draw on those experiences as she took over her first cabin of fifth graders.

“I always loved swimming and at the time I had my water safety certification, so I was qualified for the waterfront,” said Linda. “ Some of the girls in my cabin were homesick, but I remembered what it was like and I tried to make each girl feel special. When they got involved in the activities and made friends with the girls in their cabin, they adjusted. I reassured them and kept them busy.”

Sixties Staffing and “Flash”

Published on March 27, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

The older girls were always more difficult to please and no one knew that more than Sue Wiegand, (bottom row on right) who was in charge of cabin C that summer of 1967. Sue was a sophomore at Western Michigan University studying Physical Education, Speech and Drama in 1966, “stewing about a summer job”. Her friend in the same curriculum, Barbara Haggart, asked her to come to Maqua as a counselor. Despite the fact that Sue had never been a camper there, she decided to try it.

“I had the older girls for my first summer and always enjoyed them. I loved to tell them stories. I was known as the “Winnie the Pooh’ counselor since I would stay up reading Pooh stories to the thirteen to fifteen year olds. What impressed me with the older girls was how much they responded to people who enjoyed them. Even reading those stories, they were not worrying about hair, boys or make-up, they were responding like young people who were interested,” said Sue. The second year, she had many of the same girls who had returned, either in her classes or her cabin. (The girls in her cabin were: Cheryl Best, Cathy Cosmenco, Sarah Dennett, Candace Hill, Jeanne Kiltie, Susan Michelson, Ann Pennington, and Sue Thompson.)

Sixties and Staffing and Issues #4

Published on March 22, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

Finding experienced and mature staff was not an easy task in 1966 for Dorthe Balaskas and sometimes areas were understaffed or staffed with girls who just did not make the grade. She did not tolerate behavior problems and expected her staff to not only do the job efficiently, but with a good attitude.

Dorthe felt it was not fair to the campers to have a counselor with a blank, unsmiling expression and for one girl, her duties as a cabin counselor were removed and she was described as “lacking enthusiasm”. Whatever her problems, it reduced her effectiveness.

One counselor had difficulty handling the older girls, leaving them un-attended, which set a bad example, so she asked that she not be re-hired as she “seldom showed awareness of camp as a whole”.

Another came inexperienced in the camping and childcare areas and did not work well with her associates, with comments such as poor attitude and “everything was a joke”, Dorthe felt she could not retain her position and continually had to be supervised in the area she finally landed.

Sixties Staffing with “Superdoo” #3

Published on March 20, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camp Influences, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

Sue Purdue was one of the young girls who transitioned from camper to counselor and learned some life lessons through her experiences under director Dorthe Balaskas.

“I think I was thirteen years old in 1964 when I first went to Camp Maqua. My cousin Laurie Cone was from Toledo and she was a year younger, but had been the impetus for attending,” said Sue. “I’m sure those lodge walls do talk. It housed so many girls. It was a time in your life that you didn’t realize was so important until you were older. The skits, the singing, the experiences—all that reflection looking back——-what a flood of memories!”

“I was an extrovert to the hilt and loved the social network. I was a camper first and was wildly social and gregarious. I camped under Dorthe and was in Senior Village and loved all the counselors who were my peers when I became a full counselor at the age of seventeen. I had written to Dorthe to consider me for the positions as kitchen aide, “ she laughed. “Big self esteem thing being a kitchen aide. She hired me and several other girls who were never campers before and the three of us worked together.”

Sixties Staffing and Issues #2

Published on March 15, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

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. Rosalind Prophet, who had been a counselor at Maqua for three years, was listed as the waterfront director in 1963-64.R Lillian Richards also returned as the camp nurse, so Dorthe had some experienced staff to begin a new season.

There were twenty over the age of eighteen listed, with two maintenance, two cooks, two kitchen aides, and three others. It was the summer the Bradley Basin sink was installed in the “Brownie”, which was listed under improvements. Hoppers were still being used in the dining room, and there were notes in the camp committee minutes concerning the creation of a position for director for the evening programs.

Dorthe’s reports were always comprehensive in depth and scope. She outlined everything in detail, never leaving any items to chance, in case she was replaced or did not return the following season. The tasks she performed and the vendors she used, even in the shoulder season, were always listed for future reference.

In 1966, Dorthe mentioned how important it was to communicate with returning staff. The Michigan Employment Agency was noted as a good source for applications, as well as colleges, who not only had lists, but places to interview. She made sure all letters requesting applications were answered, and required three references.

“Recruitment of staff was a problem this year and four staff members were hired the week before camp, “ she wrote in 1966. Unable to interview them in person on such short notice, she had to use her best judgement based on phone interviews and recommendations. Even though she loved the interview process, it was a time consuming task which took up her weekends and admitted to losing sleep over the timing of her last hires.

Sixties Staffing and Issues #1

Published on March 13, 2017May 7, 2018 by Kathy Baker Category: 1960's, Blog, Camping Life, Directors, Counselors, Staff, Friendships and Relationships

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 the UAW-CIO, and a year at Camp Yakewi. Her leadership included program director and waterfront director when she applied for the position. Notes from the camp committee listed twelve girls, mainly college age, and activities specialists yet to be hired, but Alice carefully selected them.

Sue Hier was her assistant that summer and Barbara Pearson was the business manager. Janet Gehres hired on as the camp nurse, with Karen Landee, Edith Gerhard, Phyllis Finn, Edie Olsen, MaryLou Goggin, June Mitchener, Christine Hubert, Sandra Lappan, Laurie Linder, Suzi White, Bonnie Baker, Joan Hopkins, Janice Zawalski, Kay Rahn, Lynn Whipple, Kay Cornor, Jane Byrne, Judy Talford and Karen Kaiser rounding out the team.

In general, Alice wrote that she was pleased with her staff and “they had not gone sour midway during the summer, as so often happens”. She had personally talked to each one of them. She was especially complimentary of Sue Hier, her assistant, and MaryLou Goggin, who taught horseback riding. She had been less pleased with the boating instructor, who she felt lacked proficiency and ignored safety rules. One waterfront counselor worried her so much that she suspended canoeing, boating, and cross lake swimming, with exceptions made when the waterfront director was assuming authority. Safety was important, especially with waterfront activities.

Girls of Camp Maqua

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