Camp Thoughts

Camp Thoughts

As I’ve begun this collection of essays memories have rushed in but none so profound as the thoughts about one man, Colbert Davis. The key person at camp for me was Colbert Davis III. Colbert, Cole, was a camp icon even early on—he greeted my family and I my very first session at camp. From hikes to leadership, to camp vision, he was at the center of many stories and experiences.

One of the things I must mention early on was the fact that he was the first African American adult I spent any significant time with as a young person. I can say that this was a profound understanding that not only was he a “black” but smart, articulate, and an individual. Much of my later life, interest and focus modeled elements I got from him.

I greatly regret I’ve not been able to keep up these connections. And as a youth and young adult there have been many trying times in my life and I’m always a little embarrassed by the people who shared my youth. I wish I could share where this has all lead as well.

Images of Colbert—coffee cups supersaturated with sugar, campouts with the cabin group wide awake and trying our best to get him to wake up, smearing FelsNapha on the outside of the cooking pots, a navy watch cap and shorts, the year he lost the cap to his growing Afro, Trebloc Savid (courtesy of Zack), riding on the engine of the green Dodge van on the way to Yosemite, Fang (1-3?) with their aircraft landing lights, watching him build a radio controlled airplane in the Crafts Shack, too many cigarettes, Italian Joke Tree, him dressed for Catholic services, listening to him roll film in the darkroom and learning the print film, watching him riding on a washing machines in the new laundry room after the power was switched on, covered with redwood sawdust building shelving for the cabin from the 1 x 12 lumber from the storm, helping schedule free choice slips, the programming office and Dymo labels, and many others.

What I learned from him, and through him, also forms a long life’s list. I became a science teacher, I help run a camp as camp director, I love tools and building and like this from “First Principles”, I love hiking (and have a green Kelty pack) and the out of doors, I wear shorts at any and all opportunities (tough to do as an administrator at a university), I can fix almost anything on a VW, I still shot pictures (an 60’s era Nikon F) and wish I could have a darkroom. I have a large shop and love building things, working on systems, thinking about how things work and why. Colbert is not solely responsible for these things but he put me on a path—I think he has a sense about people and my guess is that he does this for many of his students as well.

I have this “Board of Directors” in my mind and memory. People I admire but also who have offered me love, hope, ideas and a sense of caring (presence) that still buoys me in life. Many of the camp staff are part of this group, Edna and Colbert are centerpieces—and this is from almost forty years ago—scary really. I wasn’t just about “potential” or anything that indirect. I was about being okay. There are stories I may or may not share but at a very central part of my adolescence, I made a seriously stupid choice. The consequence of that was I was invited to leave camp my last summer. The meeting in the programming office was stunning to me then and still is now. I was in trouble, I could not be trusted to stay but there was still a chance, a cure. Irv said, "If you care to try, and I can be assured that I can trust you, you can return.” Five years later did meet with Irv, he was convinced and I did return.

This was a profound idea for me—it took me many years to fully grasp this lesson. Maybe I’m still working on it, as I have become this messenger of hope after failure as well. I’m still struggling with this and for Colbert, Cheryl, Carol, Irv and Edna this was both a considered choice and second nature.

And maybe this is the underlying lesson as well because Colbert path was not direct either—I’m guessing the his Dad wasn’t pleased with his career choice—at least at first. Camp changed people and then people changed more people. A ripple across wide waters.