First Edition - Brown Ledge Camp Magazine

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Things are changing around here and it’s not just the weather. A new venture is upon us. Just as Brown Ledge was “planned and built for you,” this magazine was planned and written for you. In fact, many of you contributed to this first edition, helping to reconnect us all with life and the camp we love on Malletts Bay. WELCOME! It has been my honor for the past five years to be on the Board of Directors of the Brown Ledge Foundation, which “oversees the operation, perpetuation and educational mission of Brown Ledge Camp.” The operation and educational mission of camp will not matter if we do not ensure that Brown Ledge perpetuates - lasts for an indefinitely long time – in its beautiful setting on Lake Champlain. That perpetuation is our focus as a board, with your help and support. BLC Magazine is a celebration of who we were yesterday, who we are today, and what we do best – laugh, love, support, and stay connected to lifelong friends. Enjoy!

Liz Smith Strimple President, Brown Ledge Board of Directors

Working on this magazine has reminded us of one thing above all others; both Brown Ledge and its alumnae are dynamic. Our camp is both remarkably the same as it was when it first opened its doors, and remarkably different. And Brown Ledgers? Though tradition connects us, we are on the move; learning, growing and changing. Brown Ledgers are joined by a common history and experience but each of us has a unique story to tell. This magazine is a home for our stories. Our goal is to provide our readers with an opportunity to connect to Brown Ledge; from a look at our bold and unique history to the latest alumnae milestones. Brown Ledge, the magazine, is not just about nostalgia, it is a 360 degree look at what was started by the Browns in 1927 and what we cherish to this day. Like all things Brown Ledge, this magazine comes to life through the efforts of many people. We are indebted to all who contributed articles to this first edition and to the uncredited photographers who give us a window into one of the most photogenic – and joyous – places on earth.

Bill and Kathy Neilsen Directors, Brown Ledge Camp

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If you waant to see eyes light up p, ask Brown Leedgerss of a cerrtain age abou ut Harryy E. Brown, the founderr of BLC. W hen asked d to describbe him, they use wordss like, “wise an nd refl flecttive,” “a quiet leader,” and “encouraging an nd caariing.” More than one alum m likened him to a “ffather figgure” and one even n wr yly useed th he word “ggod d,” refferriing both to the esteem in wh hich he was helld and the role he playeed on the Brown Ledge stage in n Green Pastures, a 1930 Pulitzer Prize winningg plaay. W hen assked about HEB B, Lynn (Banan na) Beenoliel Jacobbson n echoed the sentiments of felllow alumnae when shee siimply said, “I loved d thee guyy.”

operation. In an era when “camp” meant uniforms and military drills and endless competition, HEB developed a profoundly different approach based on free choice. In his Information for Campers, HEB outlined his philosophy: “Many people talk a lot about freedom, but not many of them think girls of your age are ready for it. We know from experience here that people like you can be trusted with the right to make the most of your day-to-day decisions for yourselves. We think the most important thing that can happen to anyone is to learn how to make choices that will work out right. You can’t learn this without practice, anymore than you can develop your biceps without using them. So we believe in giving you all the practice you can get.”

By K By Kathy aatthy hy N Neilsen eiils eils lsen en It was my privilege to research HEB this past winter by interviewing people who knew him and by reading the journals and papers he left behind. In addition to being a camp director, Harry Brown was a philosopher, an educator, an administrator, and a keen observer of the political and social world around him. His journals flow seamlessly from the mundane to the profound. In the same paragraph, HEB comments on a local luncheon menu and the document on universal human rights under consideration at the United Nations. He delights in correspondence from his daughter in post-war Germany in one sentence and outlines his “Simple Rules for Life” in the next. For most of us, HEB is BLC. In the goodnight songs we “give a toast” and “raise our hearts” to him for the “wonderful idea” that is Brown Ledge. But “wonderful”

would not have been the adjective chosen by the mainstream camping world of the day to describe the BLC philosophy. Alum Sally Bever Zwiebeck remembers HEB telling her that “he was roundly dismissed at camp owners' meetings for his insistence on individual initiative, rather than team rivalry.” It would be difficult to exaggerate just how unusual Harry Brown’s ideas were in 1927, BLC’s first year of

This radical philosophy had an equally radical effect on those who had the privilege of experiencing it. Terry Tindall Laurendine’s words reflect the alumnae of her generation and generations that followed. “It is impossible to overemphasize the importance that Brown Ledge had in our lives. HEB let us know that we could do what we wanted to do, we could be our own boss, make up our own minds, instead of living up to the expectations of others. Nobody, NOBODY, had ever told us that.” When I asked alumnae about memories of HEB at camp, all, without exception, pictured him most clearly behind the wheel of the Chris Craft, driving the boat, first for aquaplaning and then for the brand new sport of waterskiing. According to Joan Buckman Rugani, the ski boat was where he went to relax and enjoy himself. “How many times did he circle the island and turn on a dime to retrieve a fallen skier?”

asks Sally Bever Zwiebeck. “He never raised his voice in irritation, even at a skier’s 15th attempt to ‘get up’ in the water. Patience‌one of the many leadership skills he passed on to us. And the joy of recovery from failure.â€? HEB was not only found on the waterfront. Joan Butcher Weiterer remembers him sitting on the porch of his cabin, overlooking the grove, talking to campers as they went by. According to Lynn Benoliel Jacobson “he could be seen all around camp, making sure everything was as it should be. He seemed to know what everyone was doing, but he was a quiet leader and never a dictator. He was never rah-rah or gushy in his demeanor and yet he communicated a warmth and caring in a quiet way. There was something in the way he did things that made us all feel connected.â€? Terry Tindall Laurendine remembers his ability to communicate an interest and compassion for everyone. “He would take the time to sit and talk and ďŹ nd out what was going on for us. We wanted to please him but it wasn’t hard, he was the ďŹ rst to applaud when someone did something special. He was always behind the campers, always believing in them.â€? Sally Bever Zwiebeck pictures him in the grove, “kindly and earnestlyâ€? counseling a young girl who had been spending her days alone in her cabin. “This picture sums up for me his approach to running the camp, individual attention and positive encouragement.â€?

Many alumnae also remember HEB on Sunday mornings in the amphitheater “chapel� in Skunk Junction and on Sunday evenings at Ledger on the point. These were powerful times of community and connection. HEB was a gifted writer and orator and he used these venues to weave together day to day events with his own observations. “HEB knew how to incorporate spiritual values with the natural world, without making it doctrinaire,� says Sally Bever Zwiebeck. “He found the place where ALL religions coincide.� Alongside a deeply spiritual nature was an unfailing sense of humor and fun. Above all else, Lynn Benoliel Jacobson remembers a man who was always positive, always welcoming. A man who had a “happy lilt to his voice, a closed lip smile and a twinkle in his eye.� She will never forget the day in 1945 when Japan

surrendered and World War II was oďŹƒcially over. In celebration and with HEB’s blessing, the entire camp ran down the point and jumped in the lake with their clothes on. HEB brought his good natured and whimsical side to the theater, where he performed in multiple productions each summer. Terry Tindall Laurendine’s “I’ll never forget the time whenâ€? moment happened there. HEB was performing in dress rehearsal under the direction of his daughter, Barbara Brown Winslow. In the middle of a scene, HEB’s pants unexpectedly dropped to the oor. The cast froze momentarily, until Barbara and HEB roared with laughter, which allowed the rest of the relieved cast to join in.

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Those who knew HEB only as a camp director, may not have been aware that he was also a teacher in a private school, a college professor at Wellesley College and later, the President of Leicester Junior College in Massachusetts. Joan Buckman Rugani loved working with him. She knew him in multiple environments, ďŹ rst at Leicester where she was his secretary. She and husband Bucky followed him to Brown Ledge, planning to stay a year, or two at the most. They ďŹ nally left when Bucky had a year-round job he couldn’t leave, seven years and two children later. HEB was a deeply philosophical man who held passionate beliefs, not just about girls and camping, but also about the human condition. There is little doubt that he was inuenced by the progressive thinking that was taking hold in the ďŹ elds of psychology, philosophy

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and education in the early 1900s. Before this time, education favored the rote learning of a standard curriculum. Then progressive educators like John Dewey began to emphasize the importance of experience and community. They argued that a true democracy did not need its elite to learn to conform and memorize, but the whole of society to be able to think critically and work together to solve its problems. Sound familiar?

byy Barb bara Bro own Winslow “If there is one thing you can believe above all others, it must be his ability to get all kinds of people of all ages to do things they never knew they could – and to do them with a air of their own. His belief in you, whoever or whatever you were, was compelling, exciting and demanding, yet patient. He could wait a long time for you to do spontaneously what he knew you could.â€?

HEB believed wholeheartedly in these democratic ideals: “the group is strongest and most enduring that contains the largest proportion of free individuals experienced in assuming responsibility for their own behavior.� For HEB, freedom and responsibility were two sides of the same coin, with responsibility only possible when people are free to make their own decisions, even bad ones. Though democracy in the United States was not new, the notion that democratic ideals might apply to all people regardless of class, race, gender and (gasp!) age, was radical indeed. “The fact remains,� he wrote, “that if the principle is correct, then we cannot

start too soon or at too young an age to apply it.â€? HEB was a risk taker. He spent most of his life a step, sometimes a half-step, away from ďŹ nancial ruin. During the Depression he did what he needed to do - persuading, gambling, borrowing, cajoling – to ensure that he and his camp survived. His philosophy took hold on a point of land on Malletts Bay and didn’t die. A hundred and some odd girls waking up each morning and heading o to do and learn as they pleased? To his fellow camp directors, that scenario was their worst nightmare. But instead of bringing disaster, HEB's ideals worked. He created an environment of freedom and responsibility, where girls did so much more than had fun: they cooperated, strived, failed, learned and belonged. His legacy still thrives at Brown Ledge and deep inside generations of campers, who still raise their hearts to HEB and to his wonderful and enduring idea.

an interview with

8E88? 7B8H?=>J =?BB; Kathy, thank you for asking me to do this. I will never admit to the number of times I have shed happy tears writing it! I am so, so fortunate that my parents decided to send my sister and me to camp and my mother had the incredible common and good sense to select “The Different Camp for Girls.” Tell me about HEB and what you remember most vividly about him. Mr. Brown had the kindest and most sincere smile in the whole world! My most vivid memory of him is that great big smile when he was turned all the way around in the boat, driving, but proudly watching you as you got up on the

spanked me at every rehearsal. HEB deeply believed in the BLC philosophy of free choice and responsibility. How did he communicate his beliefs? Mr. Brown communicated his philosophy and beliefs by the way Brown Ledge was, and still is, run...a very exceptional wide open classroom. A learning space based on, and balanced by, individual trust and responsibility. He did speak about free choice and responsibility at chapel. But, most importantly, you felt it. It was in the air, the pine trees, and everything around you. My first year at camp I was still nine, but I

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What role did Mrs. Brown play at camp? In some way, you always knew that Mrs. Brown held the whole place together. I am sure it was true. She was “solid” and organized, and Mr. Brown was a bit “ethereal.” She was

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The truth is, the Browns were the center of our seemingly small, but very grand, universe we knew as Brown Ledge Camp

water skis or zipped in and out of the wake. It wasn’t until I was on the diving dock for two years as a JC - and the ski boat went between the diving dock and the island - that I realized it might have been better if he hadn’t always been so super proud of each and every one of us and had turned his face and eyes forward a bit more. But, we all loved him for it. His smile made each one of us special.

definitely understood that I was free to make my own decisions. It was great, and best of all, I wasn’t getting into trouble doing so! This was a time when little and big girls, and women, were assumed to be dependent and in need of being taken care of usually by men. Brown Ledge was a pivotal change for all of us and it did make us different, but in a wonderful, constructive, and challenging way.

I also vividly remember how fair he always was. This past summer, when asked, I explained that, to me, he was the person I envisioned God to be. This isn’t really so strange. My first summer at BLC, we did “Green Pastures” at camp. The musical is about heaven and Mr. Brown was “God.” He had to spank one naughty angel, and he chose me. I was so honored, although he pretend

What was HEB’s leadership style? How did other campers respond to him?

the more affected you were by Mr. Brown. After my first year, a number of my “home” friends went to Brown Ledge. Every one of them looked up to and respected Mr. Brown, but I sincerely think they never felt as deeply about him, or Mrs. Brown, as I did. But, to be absolutely clear, I never knew anyone at camp who didn’t have tremendous respect for him.

Mr. Brown’s leadership style was definitely leadership by example. Not a loud, pushy, or pompous leadership, but an even-handed and kind example of leadership. I think, quite frankly, that the younger you were when you first went to camp,

the realist, and he was the dreamer. They were the perfect match and, I imagine, he probably frustrated the heck out of her sometimes. But, he was always the one to speak at meals, chapel, Ledger, and on special occasions. He was the natural leader and extrovert. She provided quiet stability. She, too, had a lovely and loving smile, but you had a sixth sense not to cross her. To be honest, I was a bit of a “little trouble maker” with untold amounts of energy - particularly when I was nine and ten. With my bunkies, I was taken for making noise after taps to the Browns’ cabin a few times. Things always went smoother when Mr. and Mrs. Brown were both there to greet us.

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+ )*DXWKRU Lost & Found By Laura Parisi

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made my way through a sleepy suburb of Geneva, Switzerland, down a charming street lined with centuries-old stone walls and shuttered houses overlooking the lake. As I marveled at the foreign architecture and streets signs I couldn’t read, it occurred to me that for the ďŹ rst time since arriving in Europe, on my last day there, I was totally alone. This fact was somewhat disappointing. How could I have come so far from home without letting myself wander, even just a little bit, on my own?

I wasn’t really sure how to get where I was going, other than I needed to board a bus and at some point switch to another that would hopefully bring me to the train station in Geneva. Perhaps I should’ve planned this out a little better, I thought, watching the city pass by my bus window. I could’ve glanced at a map or, at the very least, learned how to say train station in French. But advance planning has never been a specialty of mine, a fact that’s become even more true in the smartphone era, because

I ďŹ gure I can “just Google itâ€? if I need to. Not so in Europe, with my data plan turned o. After a while, street names began to look familiar and I sensed I was getting closer to the heart of Geneva. I hopped o the bus and headed solidly in the wrong direction. My phone buzzed. “Are you lost?â€? the text read. Yes, I admitted, I was. Gloriously so. In a city where I neither spoke the language nor knew which way was north. And how wonderfully lucky I was to be able to wander, if only for an hour, in a place so dierent from my own. Because, generally speaking, wandering doesn’t really happen anymore. Even small adventures, like trying a new restaurant or buying a pair of jeans online (which is, truly, a risky adventure), involve reading pages and pages of reviews on the Internet. Nothing is ever unknown. I’m not sure when I became so dependent—not only on Google but also on my daily routine. That afternoon, navigating myself through the streets of Geneva, it was as if I were 12 years old again and driving down the gravel road in the family car, catching my ďŹ rst glimmer of the bay. Possibilities and freedom felt endless.

I wasn’t lost for very long, but it was a good reminder of my former me—the independent young woman who was not afraid to wander. So here’s to occasionally putting down the phone, shutting the laptop, turning o the GPS and remembering to take a few risks. All alone. When I ďŹ nally found the train station (which, of course, turned out to be the rather large train station-like building I’d passed by twice), I found my bunkie Joanne, waiting for me by the front entrance. As invigorating as my brief little adventure was, seeing her familiar face was even better.

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BY KATHY NEILSEN & MARIA MOORE Their years at camp range from the 1950s to 2013. The letters that follow their names, specifying their certifications and specialties, span the spectrum from the well known “MD” and “RN,” to the more obscure “L.Ac,” “MPH,” and “FACOG.” * While some are primarily teachers, researchers, or administrators, most are practitioners. No one will be surprised to hear that many Brown Ledgers in the field of medicine wear multiple hats. This winter, when we put out the call through our enews and Facebook pages to locate alums in the medical field, we quickly gained an appreciation for the roles that alumnae are playing in an astoundingly diverse field. And while some are on the cusp of retirement, three Brown Ledgers have just entered medical school, taking a crucial step in a very long journey.

the Brown Ledgers we interviewed: they love .+5# $'00'66 /145' what they do. Sue Mooney, president and CEO of the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, speaks of challenges to family life and she cautions about an increasingly complex system that is in the midst of dramatic change. Yet she, like all the others who responded, cannot imagine doing anything else. For Lisa Morse, who was a camper, JC, camp nurse, and board member, being a nurse was more than a career choice: “It fit me perfectly… once a nurse, always a nurse!” Lisa worked in pediatrics, cardiology, and anesthesia and was the Brown Ledge camp nurse for seven years. Even after her retirement, Lisa found herself “in the role” many times, taking care of elderly parents, translating medical jargon for friends and family, and )4'6# *;5,7.+'0 supporting others who must navigate their way through a foreign world during a stressful time.

As we read the stories sent to us, we were reminded that while medical training is an early career step, it is never the first step. We asked respondents, “what led you into the field of medicine?” While a few “always knew,” most Brown Ledgers in medicine point to someone or something - a book, an exhibit, a family Lisa Morse is not alone. We member, a sprained find in the words of the sixteen ankle - that started Brown Ledgers who responded them on their career to our call, both meaning path. For some it was and passion. Ellen Rome a decision of the head writes, “I have had a as well as the heart. rich and wonderful 68( 0221(< The knowledge that medical career, medicine holds so following in the many possibilities and footsteps of my that good practitioners stay in demand, father, my favorite pediatrician helped some choose medicine above in the world. I had the privilege other careers in the sciences. of working with him for several years before his early death to One thing is certain about cancer. It was such a joy watching

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him go to work every day, loving what he did; he made pediatrics look really fun, and it is!” After her father died, Ellen chose to focus full time on adolescents through the Cleveland Clinic, where she helped develop the Center for Adolescent Medicine. Her medical practice has expanded to include teaching, lecturing nationally and internationally, and presiding over medical societies. Ellen’s career has indeed been “rich and wonderful.” Ellen’s first role model, her father, was close at hand, but others followed and have been important in the development of her career. Ada Koransky Meltzer was also fortunate to find people who inspired her. Ada was in her fourth year of medical school when she came in contact with a doctor who was doing pioneering work in cardiac electrophysiology. Ada was drawn to cardiology because it combined intellectual challenge with procedures. (“I like doing things!”) Ada considers herself lucky to have

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been part of a 30-year “golden age” of cardiology and never stops being fascinated by the heart and circulatory system. Ada stresses the importance of mentors for anyone going into medicine. “Find people who care deeply about the people they care for and maintain high standards of care.” She cautions those who are entering medicine not to take short cuts. Medicine is, after all, more than a job.

“It is an identity that will define you for the rest of your life.” Ada Koransky Meltzer’s words about identity are reflected in the sentiments of many others, accompanied by threads of humility that weave through the narratives. Celena McLaurin says, “It is important to learn very early in your career that you will never know it all. The best of us have learned to remain humble and open to new ideas and thoughts.” Celena’s very first nursing job was at Brown Ledge. She is now an RN at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and she is continuing her education in a pediatric nurse practitioner program at Georgia State

that confronts her: “It’s like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant!”

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Whether new to the field like Katie, or a veteran practitioner, coming to grips with the flow of medical knowledge is one of the great challenges of a career in health care. A word Brown Ledgers use frequently when talking about the medical field is “diversity.” A look at the span of specialties and experiences tells us why. ,#0 -.+0' Is there any other field that offers such wide-ranging opportunities? Jenny University. Mary Barton agrees with Libien, now a neuropathologist and Un U n Celena about always learning. Her neuroscientist at the State University Ce medical career has taken her from of New York, always loved science for m in internal medicine, to its emphasis on discovery, and she ttraining r medical school faculty position, had a hard time deciding between am becoming a scientist or a physician. to the U.S. Department of Health She chose to do both. In college, she aand an n Human Services, and now to non-profit focused on improving “fell completely in love with the brain an the quality of health care. She and was fascinated by how cells and th advises those considering synapses come together to aad d profession in health make the core of who you ap m care that, in addition to are.” Now Jenny teaches, ca a having an affection for does research, and is in ha d people, it is important to charge of several different pe c be committed to life-long programs at SUNY’s p learning. Katie Reynolds Downstate Medical Center. D is on the steepest part of There Th is no doubt that that learning curve and she Sarah Walker shares the S knows about information same love of discovery. s overload all After earning her PhD in A too well. molecular biology, Sarah m /'.+55# (+5*'. /#7'4 She is in her became a postdoctoral b first year of fellow at Dana-Farber f medical school and uses a Cancer Institute. She C metaphor to describe the information is currently both an instructor

and a researcher, specializing in breast and ovarian cancer. For Sarah, teaching and research offer different but equally important rewards. To get a further sense of the diversity in medicine, contrast the work lives of Jenny and Sarah with Greta Hysjulien or Celena McLaurin, both of whom are directly involved in patient care. Greta is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese medical practitioner in Minnesota. She originally studied dance, which incorporated an understanding of the body - helping lead her to the field of medicine. After studying in Minneapolis and Tian Jin University in China, Greta began practicing, specializing in chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. Celena, on the other hand, discovered that her talent lay in working with children. Many have questioned how she can stand the heartbreak of working with children who are severely, sometimes terminally, ill. Celena writes, “those children I care for give me countless rewarding and memorable moments” and those brief encounters, she has discovered, hold the greatest gifts. “Life is an accumulation of those moments – something I did not learn until I began caring for these fragile children.” Diversity among Brown Ledgers in medicine takes many forms and some career paths were the result of a chance encounter or a twist of fate. Sally Ross Davis was thinking about being a head nurse when her mother challenged her to consider becoming a doctor. As a young girl, Sally hadn’t realized that women could do that. And then in college she switched to dentistry after hearing a lecture about how well dentistry combines with having a family. Melissa Fishel Mauer did not plan to go into oncology, but that was where there was an available position when she graduated from nursing school. She has now been in the field of oncology for over 30 years. “The patients really count on the nurse at very difficult times…I have patients sharing their innermost thoughts, their fears, their memories, and their hopes. The thanks, the gifts, the hugs, and the laughs are part of the reward.” Melissa’s other, very different medical specialty is camp nursing; every summer she is granted leave from her hospital

job in Florida to head the health center at Brown Ledge! Jan Kline has created diverse experiences for herself throughout her career. She started as a community organizer, specializing in services for the elderly. She got a master’s degree in social gerontology and health care administration and then, at age 36, decided that an RN degree would enhance her qualifications and skill set. Her work has taken her to Florida, Tennessee, Long Island, the Bronx, and now Vermont. She has twice served on the US Navy’s hospital ship, Mercy, in Southeast Asia, and she volunteered in the Philippines to assist the region hit hardest by typhoon Yolanda. Others have also used their medical training to help serve populations in need around the world. Carey White has her doctorate in physical therapy, and she specializes in orthopedics. Honduras is the site of one of her most memorable experiences. Carey was there as a member of a medical team that began their work following a devastating hurricane; they served 800 patients during their week in the country. We asked Brown Ledgers in medicine about the connection between their BLC experience and their profession. Katie Reynolds and Caroline Murphy have a unique perspective; after being longtime campers they were both counselors in 2013, and now they are finishing their first year of medical school. The influence of Brown Ledge is in clear focus. Caroline writes, “From the minute I first set foot at BLC, I felt surrounded by people who saw the best version of me, people who celebrated exactly who I was and encouraged me to be exactly who I wanted to be, even if I didn’t know what that was yet…The effect on my selfconfidence and self-perception cannot be overstated.” Katie Reynolds also felt permission to be herself at Brown Ledge and learned that it’s “OK to not blend in with the norm.” As a result, she felt free to take an unconventional path to medical school that included a major in Hispanic Studies and time abroad. She didn’t do all the things she was told to do to sell herself to med schools and says, “I was told I was not a ‘cookie cutter applicant’…but I still got in!”

What do our other respondents say about the influence that Brown Ledge had on their lives? Though the words they use vary, the sentiments they express are remarkably consistent across generations. In addition to strengthening self-confidence, Brown Ledge taught the value of setting goals and being persistent in reaching them. Mary Barton writes, “BLC certainly helped me understand from a young age two important things: 1. You can do (mostly) anything you put your mind to, and 2. You need to work hard and maintain focus in order to succeed.” She remembers that no one laughed at the camper who declared her interest in going for her Vanguard. “It might be improbable, but not impossible, and everyone understood that the journey would be rewarding and valuable even if the goal was not attained that summer.” Others spoke of learning creativity and being part of a team (Ellen Rome), self-reliance (Ada Koransky Meltzer), being resourceful and honoring commitments (Jenny Libien), and becoming more independent (Carey White). In her characteristic exuberance, Greta Hysjulien writes categorically, “Brown Ledge made me who I am today!” We send our gratitude to the 16 Brown Ledgers who responded to our call. We are fortunate to have such dedicated

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professionals - and alumnae - working in the field of medicine, and we wish them all the best in their continued careers. Finally, we wanted to learn from their combined wisdom gained over many years in medicine so we asked, “What advice would you offer to Brown Ledgers who are coming into your field?” Their answers are paraphrased in the "prescription" on the right.

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When I was little, I was afraid of my body, afraid that it might stop working suddenly. At a young age I noticed that if I thought about yawning, I suddenly had an inescapable desire to yawn. What if I “thoughtâ€? that I might stop breathing, that my body’s natural rhythm might fail me? Would these thoughts then inspire a cease of activity, the way they inspired a desire to yawn? (I have always been an‌uh‌â€?excessiveâ€? thinker.) It was at camp where I confessed these fears to a counselor, Sarah Walker. It was on a sailing overnight, and we were huddled up under a tarp while the rain pummeled overhead. She calmly told me that the body’s nervous system was divided into the somatic and autonomic systems. She explained

to me the autonomic system controlled bodily functions below the level of consciousness, that if I were to “stop� breathing the body has defenses to prevent any harm. By explaining this to me in the context of the body’s own machinery, my fears completely dissipated. The power that came with understanding something innate about myself left a lasting impression, and certainly inspired a lasting interest in the human body. Caroline Murphy, Class of 2017 Tulane University School of Medicine

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lyx landed an internship with a New York State Supreme Court judge the summer after sophomore year. Nick went to work for JP Morgan and Sharina got an oer at Goldman Sachs. Peregrine was headed to China (again) and Sadie would be in Ethiopia volunteering as an English teacher and track coach. Elizabeth and Nathan marched o to Capitol Hill to work alongside congressmen; others ocked to ďŹ rms to take up coveted positions as paralegals. Every summer, the list of things my friends got up to became increasingly impressive. Increasingly intimidating. We’d all heard how cutthroat the postgraduation job search would be. We all knew how terrible the job market was. My classmates were arming themselves for battle. “And what are you doing this summer, Clarion?â€? “Me?â€? I tried to deect. “This summer?â€? Their eyes bored into me. It was the summer after junior year. We were at an Ivy League institution. It was a loaded question. “I’m going back to camp.â€? Blank stares.“I’m going to be an archery counselor at my old summer camp.â€? Some ashed goofy grins like they’d caught me playing a joke on them. Others thought I had gone crazy. Jaws dropped. How would that look on my resumĂŠ? I tried not to think about it as I politely declined invitations to internship fairs and career planning sessions. I liked to put on an air of smug superiority and project utter conďŹ dence in my decision. I’d tell myself that there were more important things than a padded resumĂŠ. But mostly, I was terriďŹ ed. I had no idea what I wanted to do. No clue what type of job I might end up looking for. What the heck

was I supposed to intern as? I didn’t even have a clear college major yet. But spring rolled around, and I was plagued with doubt. As my friends ďŹ lled out another round of applications, prepped for interviews, and generally freaked out about their summer plans, I wondered—am I going to regret this? Am I screwing myself over for the future? But camp tugged. I couldn’t resist. By that point, I’d been at Brown Ledge for nearly 10 summers, and if camp had taught me anything at all, it had taught me to know where my heart lies: To recognize my passions and to pursue them with vim and vigor. Brown Ledge gave me the freedom to trust my gut and make my own choices; it challenged me to make those choices not mindlessly, not selďŹ shly, but deliberately. It taught me to open myself to lessons from the most unlikely of places—from skunkers’ stories, from debates in the dining halls or on the docks, from reection on the archery range, or from evening walks to creemees with my bunkies. From the unconditional love of and for those bunkies—the afternoons sitting in your cabin, huddled together as a thunderstorm passes directly overhead, clutching each other and suddenly it hits you that these people, these friends and sisters and lovers matter more than anything. Camp was the place I yearned for. It was a place of restoration, a place where I could recover from another hectic year and revel in the kind of carefree joy that becomes such an elusive luxury.It’s a hopeless endeavor, trying to explain. You know how it is. I’d come back home; and if anyone asked me whether it was worth it—to go to Vermont, to give up on internships—my immediate response was yes. But how to articulate any sort of justiďŹ cation? I never really could. So I’d tell stories. I’d tell them about

the time my archery JCs dressed up as victims of the bubonic plague when we were having a Middle Ages-themed afternoon on the range. Or I’d try to describe the spontaneous eruptions of dance parties; bewildered campers swept up in a frolicking romp around the ďŹ eld. The archery range was almost always the setting of these stories. No wonder. It was my biggest classroom. There, we juggled beginner shooters— skunkers who were barely taller than our smallest bow—along with advanced JCs who wanted to perfect their technique at 40 yards. We troubleshot tantrums, celebrated long-awaited successes, and dealt with Freddie, the frequent serpentine visitor in the shed. I learned how to teach and reach and push campers and JCs, get them ticking, get archery clicking in their minds. Some campers learned visually; some wanted everything explained in detail before they would go anywhere near the shooting line; others couldn’t absorb a thing until they had shot that ďŹ rst arrow. Some required one-on-one attention. Some stubbornly insisted on ďŹ guring it out for themselves. I watched a countless number of girls miss the target for entire mornings and skip o happily down the road as the bugle called them to lunch. They had cheerfully gathered their snaked arrows each time, never fazed by their seeming “failure.â€? Their goal was to have a good time, try something new, bond with a bunkie—and by those measures, the morning had been a roaring success. And I was lucky enough to work with phenomenal vanguard candidates (and tenacious shooters) who tested my abilities to the utmost and pushed me to improve my teaching again and again. The archery range prepared me for anything and everything. I told these stories and it dawned on me: This was my answer; this is why camp was worth more to me than any other summer opportunity. Others called it childish, or told me to stop

living in the past. But camp wasn’t leading me backwards nor preventing me from moving along my path in life. It was very much the next stepping stone forward. It was very much leading me toward the realization: Working with kids—coaching, mentoring, teaching—is where my heart really lies. Teaching is what I love doing. Now, I’m in the midst of my ďŹ rst year as a high school math teacher. And sure, sometimes I’m at a total loss as to what to do with the teenage boys (foreigners to any Brown Ledger). But I think back to the range, and remember it as my ďŹ rst classroom. I bring all that I learned as a counselor to my schoolclassroom every day. All the dierent learning styles, the necessity of having fun to make learning stick. How my ďŹ rst goal should be to get to know my students, to build relationships with them, to ďŹ gure out how to connect to them—to know them and allow them to know me—to earn their respect and win their trust, in order for my lessons to be relevant or meaningful at all. I think back to what

worked on the archery range or in Last Resort. And sometimes it leads to unconventional methods—hopscotch in Pre-Algebra class; throwing M&Ms; playing mini-golf in Geometry; gambling on cards with “Living on a Prayerâ€? blasting in the background. But I’m used to working with campers who will leave the range if it’s not fun or not accessible. And I’m hoping my students will approve. I’m hoping that they’ll ďŹ gure out their own passion, even if it’s not math, and follow their path forward, no matter how unexpected and unconventional it may be.

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e are sure that many of you remember Barbara Winslow reading her article, Happy Birthday Brown Ledge, at one of the first Ledgers each summer. In it, she celebrated our camp history by talking about the old days and the way camp has both changed and stayed the same. This annual reading grew to have a call and

lessons, typing, and a marching and horse-less drill team with lances. Some of the old ways were need driven. There was a horse-drawn farm wagon that took campers on trips because of the shortage of gasoline during World War II. But its replacement, the open cattle truck we piled into for mountain trips, is also long gone, disappearing when

TRADITION response quality. Barbara occasionally paused, and the audience finished her sentence in unison and with gusto. The most enthusiastic response was for “Joy Boys.” Those were the flat-ended, canvas-covered boats with little free board that almost sank during every outing and required upending on the nearest sandbar to drain them of water. We in the audience delighted in both our collective story-telling role and in the image of campers in bloomers and leaky boats from the olden days. The Joy Boys are gone. So are fencing, fly-tying, French

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would embrace its dancing duos and how long this new tradition would last. Dancing with the Campers is much anticipated and the whole camp comes to watch. Music, costumes, and makeup are carefully coordinated, and JCs vie for the master of ceremonies role. Meanwhile, the dance department is up and running with daily classes offered

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liability (and common sense) dictated its demise. And even its replacement, the repainted school bus we called the Green Ugly, went to its final resting place in the junk yard after slipping its clutch one too many times. Fencing may be a thing of the past but dance is here to stay. Five years ago, we collaborated with counselor Greta Hysjulien to upgrade dance from a sometime to a full-time activity. The build-up to a dance department began years ago when swim counselor Mills Knight introduced Dancing with the Campers, a competition involving campers who must create and perform a dance routine with a male counselor. Even Mills, a master organizer and over-the-top special events coordinator, did not anticipate how thoroughly the camp

in a variety of dance styles. New this year: campers will arrive to find fulllength mirrors covering the end of the clubhouse where the dance studio resides. A tradition that was nearly lost was revived with the help of alumnae. CTE, the riding department’s combined training event, was a long-standing and celebrated day at Brown Ledge for many years. With successive changes of personnel, we lost both the drive and knowledge required to make it happen. Along came Di Glossman and Wendy Wergeles with an entourage of alums from many eras to help bring it back.

We now have successive years of CTE under our belts, and the alums are invited every other year to plan, build, teach, and reminisce. They are proud, we hope, of the experience they offer to a new generation of campers and of the tradition they have restored to the camp they love. Though some activities have waxed and waned over the last thirty years at Brown Ledge, some have simply evolved over time. Up through the 1960s and 70s, Sunday Ledger was a gentle affair that focused on the written word. Campers and counselors came to the stage to read what they had written over the week. Did popular culture influence the change to a more performance-based event? Whatever the reason, our Sunday evenings are filled with laughter and silliness, and lots and lots of music. Every Ledger ends with the Brown Ledge choir, and the stage is packed with counselors, JCs, and campers of all ages and abilities. No matter what music is chosen that week, the choir has a sweetness that warms and inspires us and ends our week perfectly. Brown Ledge has physically changed very little over the years though the changes that have occurred are important ones. The biggest change came in 2001 with the building of the dining room, a change we never take for granted, especially on blistering hot days when the dining

room remains cool(ish). 2004 saw the building of the camper bathroom, and in 2012 the barn was rebuilt – to the great relief of both its four - and twolegged customers. And last year two major changes took place, one planned and one accidental. We had scheduled a major building project: a new JC cabin took the place of the old Annex that the JCs decided to name “Neverland.” Then in December of 2012, a fire in the grove decimated 10 cabins and all had to be (and were) rebuilt in time for opening day in June. What all of these buildings have in common is the essential financial support provided by generous alumnae that helped these projects go from planning to reality.

own thoughts at the end of her Happy Birthday Brown Ledge article. After telling about the dozens of changes that had occurred in her lifetime, she concluded, “A truly remarkable thing to me is that way back, years ago, the Brown Ledge idea began and has not had to be changed in its basic beliefs. From the very first day camp opened (there was) the belief that you can and would learn to choose wisely for yourselves…. No two summers are ever alike and you wouldn’t want them to be, but there’s comfort in knowing that some things stay the same – that you can count on them to do so.”

It is not lost on us that we are now the old timers, the keepers of the stories from days gone by. Campers look askance when we speak of a canoeing department without kayaks, sailing without windsurfing, and waterskiing without wakeboarding (but with aquaplaning). They marvel at horseback overnight trips (“that sounds sooo cool”) and a BLC drill team that performed in local horse shows. In his Patterns of Brown Ledge, Harry Brown reminded us about the stabilizing and comforting role of tradition, but also reminded us that “Change and the unexpected are good. They provide the salt, the savor, the spice of life.” His daughter, Barbara Brown Winslow, added her

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’ve been thinking a lot lately about the relationships developed at BLC. I’ve begun a new term of a course I teach about the history of social media, called “From Stone Tablets to Twitter,” where we analyze the different ways people have connected with others over the centuries. I teach the course to mostly adult students, so there’s a tendency for the new communications landscape to provoke a fair amount of grumbling about “kids today,” along with the decline of western civilization as we know it. I try to discourage this sort of dismissal of everything new by putting it in historical perspective: after all, Socrates was so appalled at the notion of “writing” that he refused to participate in it, fearing that human memory would disintegrate and we would lose oral traditions; and throngs of doomsayers in the 19th century were sure the telegraph would destroy language and no one would speak in complete sentences anymore. So my task is to open some minds to both the promising as well as the scary in the world of instant communication.

Sherry Turkle, who has been studying human-technology interaction at MIT for more than 30 years, has found many things to celebrate among all our new devices, and her first books on the subject were full of optimism. Now she, too, worries that our always-on connections are making us less able to be intimate with each other even as we think we’re communicating all the time, with more “friends” than ever. Turkle has spoken to

+ )*DXWKRU hundreds of young people who admit they prefer texting to “real time� conversation – and many adults who feel the same way.

ďŹ rst summer in 1963, and she brought newborn Craig to help say good night to us; at the time Mrs. Brown still ruled the

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She wonders if our gadgets aren’t just changing what we do, but who we are. What does this have to do with Brown Ledge? Just as I started the term with discussions about the eects of new media on social interaction, I received the new camp DVD in the mail. As I watched it for the ďŹ rst time, I was struck by the contrast with the hyper-mediated world around us. The video does a wonderful job of conveying the sense of belonging and connection that is so much a part of the BLC experience. The narration begins with “Everyone’s just so excited and happy to be here, and so excited to be here and to be with each other.â€? And it occurs to me that - for all the advantages of the new media landscape - there’s no question that the nature of being with each other is changing in ways that we might not be aware of and might not welcome. The wonderful scenes of campers hanging out and being silly are familiar and reassuring. In the half-hour plus of interactions on screen among counselors and campers, there isn’t a cell phone in sight. And while I’m sure it’s a challenging transition for campers when they ďŹ rst arrive in the summer these days – something my generation can hardly imagine - you don’t get the feeling that they’re missed. Twylla was my cabin counselor my

roost, plays were in the clubhouse, and Ledger was on the Point. Friends of mine who can do arithmetic tell me that’s a long time – a little over 50 years. I went on to be a JC, then sta, then board member, then just dedicated hanger-on, and I haven’t been out of touch for long. Whenever I visit, I’m reminded how few places we usually have that are constants in life – where the physical landmarks and contours remain essentially unchanged. There are a few wonderful “newâ€? buildings like the dining room and the barn, and others have changed function a few times. But it feels like home in a way that other places seldom do. More important, though, is while the faces aren’t familiar (and they do get younger-looking every darn year, for some reason) you can tell that their conversations and connections are still deep, real, and long-lasting. If you’ve been to Alumnae Camp, you know how easily those relationships can pick up where they left o decades ago almost without missing a beat. You make new ones, too, because you have so much in common – with people you only sort-of knew, or missed by a decade. You all still know the words to the same ridiculous songs. You’ll remember how much you used to laugh, and you laugh that much again. You share silly memories and reect on your younger selves and on

friends who are sadly no longer with us. In the video, Kathy talks about how alums return to say that BLC was where they found their “voiceâ€? – something that becomes so much more possible when people care enough to listen to each other. It’s not something you develop by exchanging bursts of words on a tiny screen. So at the risk of sounding like one of those old fuddy-duddies I like to think I’ll never be, I believe the Brown Ledge experience is more important than ever. In a world where people boast about being able to make eye contact with one person while texting another, it’s essential to remember the beauty of undivided attention. When you have that solid foundation, then the “UnoďŹƒcialâ€? Alum Facebook page isn’t a substitute but a complement to real and lasting friendships. In this case it does what Sherry Turkle is urging – adds to, rather than interferes with, actual human connection. So join the Facebook page to see the slew of wonderful never-before seen photos – thanks, Margy! – but please do come to the next alumnae camp to experience the authentic “F2F thingâ€? again. Or stop in during a camp session to see today’s Brown Ledgers in action. It’s the best way I know of to remember what matters. If I haven’t managed to convince you yet, let’s talk. Just text me.

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“We pride ourselves at BLC on welcoming diversity, Britain, Poland, Hungary, France and even Tennessee, But this year you will concede, That what we have the most is: Swede.”

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PAT R I C K

Hans’s Introduction to BLC You can thank Terry Tow, and the musical Grease, for Hans’s first summer at Brown Ledge Camp in 1979. A year earlier, Hans came to Vermont to help a gymnastics program operated by a Swedish woman. In order to stay in the U.S., Hans needed to enroll at UVM, where he met Terry Tow, a riding counselor at BLC. Terry invited Hans to visit BLC during final events. Hans remembers enjoying Grease so much that after the performance he bought the album (must have been Franny Shuker’s singing!).

Over winter break, while Hans was staying at Terry’s Sitting on the Theatre’s upper bleachers on Awards place, Terry brought Hans to a New Year’s Eve party. Night, the senior staff collectively perks up as Kathy At Jeff Buckman’s NYE 1978 house party, Hans met Neilsen begins her Annual Awards Night Speech – often Barbara Brown Winslow. Never one to overlook a in rhyming couplet, sometimes scathing, always funny. potential hire, Barbara Kathy’s speech is a made sure that Hans highlight of was on staff for the the summer. summer of 1979. As an And honestly, we are sincere “That what we accomplished gymnast, have the most is: When we say, we’re glad they’re here” Hans was assigned to Swede”…Where ---excerpt from Kathy Neilsen’s Awards Night Poem 2013 the diving department. was she going Thank you Terry Tow, Jeff with this one? Buckman, and Grease! On staff for the summer of 2013 we had no less than And Along Came Eva eight Swedish Senior Counselors, ten percent of the senior staff: Hans Nilsson, Eva Nilsson, Emmie Nilsson, By 1984, Hans had five summers under his bathing suit. Ted Nilsson, Andreas Landin, Oscar Klingberg, Tove He was the Head of Diving, had taught hundreds of girls Wireby, and Kasper Konyves. What fun Kathy was their back dives, and had only received one Fred Talk going to have with this section of her speech – the topic being whether Hans minded doing the lion’s so much good material! (See side bar for Swedish share of work while others sat around (Hans replied excerpt of Kathy’s 2013 speech.) But how did it come that he did not mind, that’s why he was here). to pass that, year after year, we have a contingent Hans’s girlfriend, Eva Landin, had listened to story of counselors from Sweden at Brown Ledge Camp? upon story about Brown Ledge. She had wanted to join While the Swedish culture values activity and spending Hans years earlier but her training schedule with the time outdoors, it does not have a summer sleep-away Swedish National Volleyball team did not allow Eva to camp culture like the United States. Summer camps have two months on Mallets Bay. By 1984, Eva had had in Sweden are government- sponsored “fresh-air” like enough. She wanted to see this place for herself, and programs that last about a week or two, programs that find out what was so great about it. expose children, who would otherwise not have the opportunity, to the great outdoors. Hans called Bill Neilsen, who was starting his second summer as co-director with Kathy Neilsen, and asked Sending your child to a four- to eight-week sleepaway if he could bring Eva. After discussing Eva’s skills camp is close to unheard of amongst Swedes. So how and possible department openings, there was not an does camp attract eager Swedes who fully embrace the immediate match. Bill asked to think about it and he BLC world? It will come as no surprise to BLCers from knew two things; one, he did not want to lose Hans, and the late 70s to today that the Swedish- BLC connection two, Hans had said that Eva was a gifted athlete and started with, and emanates from, Hans and Eva Nilsson. could “figure out” whatever department she was placed in. Looking at the staff and the departments, Bill zeroed

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Kathy Neilsen’s Awards Night Poem 2013 JOHAN

We pride ourselves at BLC on welcoming diversity Britain, Poland, Hungary France and even Tennessee

ALLE

But this year you will concede That what we have the most is: Swede It’s fascinating to compare And think about the traits they share They’re fit, they’re blond and always active I guess you’d have to say, “attractive”

VICTOR

We can’t deny them their aesthetic But must they be so darn athletic? Swedish babies, we assume Have six packs when they leave the womb Another thing that makes us peevish They know how to speak in Swedish!

CR IST

The rumor that we can’t ignore Is Hans is home recruiting more

IAN

The problem that we can’t avoid Is we’re becoming paranoid

PERNILLA

We frankly worry they’ll conspire And create a new empire In effort to create an Eden Malletts Bay is bought by Sweden There’s trouble when our motto reads: “This camp was planned, and built, for Swedes”

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And honestly, we are sincere When we say, we’re glad they’re here

N CON

This we know, they needn’t tell us We are simply being jealous

E VA

in on waterskiing – the department had a strong Head, Bobbi Collins, and two returning experienced counselors, Mark Cazer and Kathy Roberts. And so, Eva Nilsson started her waterskiing career at BLC in 1984 with NO waterskiing experience – zip, zero, zilch time on waterskis prior to her arrival. Suffice to say, she figured it out. Our Summer Home Except for the summer of 1990 and 1991 (the years Emmie and Ted were born, respectively), Hans and/or Eva have been at camp since 1979. During the 2000s, Hans missed a summer here and there, or was only able to come for a few weeks, due to work conflicts. But, by and large, Hans and Eva, and then their children Emmie and Ted, became as much a camp constant as Fred and Twylla, and Bill and Kathy. Throughout the 80s, as Hans and Eva worked on the BLC waterfront, they were both becoming educators at home. As teachers, for the most part, their work schedules allowed them to return to BLC each summer. However, as any educator knows, the summer months are a precious time to recharge and most teachers do not choose to spend those weeks with children (let alone with 180 kids), 80 staff members, and sitting in a noisy dining room three meals a day. To Hans and Eva the noise and controlled chaos of camp is “energizing,” so while friends and family might shake their collective heads and wonder why Hans and Eva spend their vacation working at camp, the answers are very simple for this couple. While they agreed on many of the same reasons for returning, it seemed that each is pulled back every summer by a particular one. For Hans, it is the teaching. As his career at home moved from teaching to administration, he missed the interaction with students. In the summer months, he gets to teach A LOT, and not only teach but teach “appreciative girls” who “want to be there (the diving dock) because they want to learn.” For Eva, it is the unique connection to camp, and the connections between people created because of camp. That

a physical place (apart from where one grew up) spurs reunions and friendships solely based on the commonality of place, is in Eva’s eyes “very American and very special.” The friendships developed over the years are so different from her friendships at home. She can arrive at camp, having been separated from friends for ten months, and pick up as if she had seen everyone yesterday. (Sound familiar?) If there had ever been a time when Hans and Eva may have parted ways with BLC because life had gotten in the way (as it does for so many), it would have been 1992. Hans and Eva had not returned to camp in 1990 nor 1991 because two future BLCers had been born – the wonderful Emmie and Ted. After missing two summers, and having two children under the age of two, many would have understood if the Nilssons had stayed in Sweden. But when asked why Hans and Eva returned in 1992 to live in a tiny cabin with a toddler and an infant, they simply stated that by 1992 Brown Ledge was their “summer home, why wouldn’t we return?” For Hans and Eva, summers at BLC are not an obligation. It is “the best place to be,” the place that makes them feel the most relaxed, and healthiest. It is where they spend the day in constant motion rather than behind a desk. It is where someone is readily offering a smile or a hug. It is their home in the summer. Relatives, Friends, and Students How many Swedes have come to camp because of Hans and Eva? The count becomes tricky, memories and records have a few holes, similar names mess up the numbers (Big Henrik, Henrik, the other Henrik, Johan Tennis and Johan Canoeing, seriously?), but Hans and Eva think the number is about twenty-five. Bill Neilsen thinks that the number is closer to thirty. During the 80s, there was a steady stream of friends and relatives brought to BLC. Young couples, friends of Hans and Eva, looking for an adventure would work for a summer or two. Hans and Eva recruited a brother (Par) and a sister (Anja), and later a nephew (Andreas), to the staff roster as

a means to help explain why they loved being at BLC. Throughout the 90s to today, Hans and Eva have recruited, and continue to recruit, fantastic counselors. From their positions within education they have reached out to former students, a friend’s child, so and so’s cousin, then so and so’s cousin’s brother. Hans would often conduct the interview for camp on Bill’s behalf, and vouch to the international agency for the new counselor. If a space was available, and Hans and Eva made the recommendation, a young counselor was almost guaranteed a position.

Hans and Eva understood camp, and understood what made a great counselor. They were not going to bring just anybody to their summer home – you had to be right for it. Emmie and Ted are adding to the numbers as well. Their recommendations, so far, have been as good as their parents. Our Swedish counselors have brought their athleticism and, yes, good looks to camp, and we are thankful for both. But more importantly, our Swedish friends have fueled our summers with

their tireless work ethic, their excellent instruction in their department, and a desire to cram into eight short weeks as much fun as possible. We can only hope that each counselor has benefitted as much as we have from the relationship. The Swedish connection continues for the summer of 2014. Hans is back on the diving dock, Eva is directing the

waterfront and jumping in the skiboat with Andreas, Emmie is the Head of Sailing, and Ted is Head of Tennis. Kasper, Tove, and Oscar are on to other adventures, but we have no doubt that a few Swedes are on the horizon, and heading toward Mallets Bay. “And honestly, we are sincere, when we say, we’re glad they’re here.”

E N G A G E D

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W A T E R - S K I S

:X[K UX ,GRYK% If you spend enough time down on the waterfront, at some point, you will hear a funny story about Hans and Eva getting engaged at BLC, on the waterfront, on the water, on waterskis, actually, on one ski apiece. Yea, okay – the Swedes have proven their athletic prowess but this tall tale is a bit much even by BLC standards. The storyteller should have stopped at engaged on the waterfront. Seriously, who gets engaged while slalom skiing?

Fishel and Mark about the engagement plan; to gain permission from Fred, and to employ Mark as the boat driver. Hans explained that in Sweden both the man and the woman exchange rings at the engagement. Hans and Eva tied the other’s ring to their respective wrists and then popped in the water for an early morning ski. With Mark, Goren, and Alle in the boat as witnesses, Hans and Eva exchanged rings while skiing slalom around the bay.

But, in fact, the legend is TRUE! According to Hans and Eva, and verified by Mark Cazer, Hans spoke with Fred

8 , ) % 2 2 9 % 0 ' % 1 4% - + 2 Ä * 3 6 8 , ) Ä &63;2 0)(+) *392(%8-32 -2' Thank you to everyone – alumnae, parents and grandparents, past and current sta members, and friends – who helped Brown Ledge to have a successful 17th annual campaign! We’re honored to have the support of so many from all around the globe. Early 2013 was focused on the clearing and rebuilding of the Grove following the ďŹ re in December, 2012, as well as the building of a new JC cabin, now coined ‘Neverland’. Thanks to the eorts of many volunteers, dozens of trees were planted during Work Weekend and in the fall to help replenish the loss of nearly 70 trees from the ďŹ re. In August we enjoyed a full and festive Alumnae Camp weekend which brought back alumnae, family, and friends from many Brown Ledge eras. Thank you to everyone who was able to be there! The $255,624 that was raised during 2013: – helped to bridge the gap between expenses and tuition (Mr. Mac Operations Fund); – allows for necessary improvements and repairs throughout camp (Facilities Improvement Fund); – provides scholarships to campers who otherwise would be unable to attend (Marjorie P. Brown Scholarship Fund). We also received dozens of gifts-inkind which help reduce our expenses, and helped us to have a wonderful Silent Auction during Alumnae Camp, raising $6,087 for the Marjorie P. Brown Scholarship Fund! Sincere appreciation and thanks to everyone who connected with us during 2013. Whether we saw you at Work Weekend or a reunion, heard from you via email, phone call, or Facebook, saw you during the summer, or received your support with a ďŹ nancial donation, we are grateful to the wonderful Brown Ledge community for helping BLC to continue to be a life changing experience for young women!

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The Wall, Plourde & Pahl Families Bumpy Potter Bacorn Jill Predmore Beach Kathy Ruby Petroni & Tom Petroni Bob & Katy Schneider Liz Smith Strimple Andrew & Ellen Sonis David & Laurie Title Nancy Weaver Jones & David Jones Malia and Maile Jones Liz Wedemann Beckwith Jenny Wilkinson & Joel English

Anonymous Mary Barton Carolyn Barton Lynn (Banana) Benoliel Jacobson Laurie Cameron* Bobbi Degnan Atz & Marc Atz Hawk Rock Foundation Nancy Jacobs Toni Ladenburg Delacorte Becky Kidder Smith Nils Ladenburg Toni Ladenburg Delacorte The Pepin Family Jill Schropp & DJ Wilson Freckles Stedman Palm

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MT. MANSFIELD DONOR $250$499 Liz Bell Elizabeth Borden Sarah Lynn Brown Ricki Buckman Bowser The Brown Ledge Theatre Joan Buckman Rugani David Burger Dorothy Butler Adams Susan Craig Kate Dee Howie & Andree Dorne Fred & Twylla Fishel Bob Fardelmann Adeline Fleming Tara Francis Cara Jacobstein Zimmerman & Family Katharine Jones Cheryl Luria Debbie and Rob Maggs, Jr. Sarah, Emily, Grace, and Gillian The Meltzer Family Fred Fishel Donna Miller Anne Miskell Forand Sue Mooney David and Lisa Murphy Bill & Kathy Neilsen Bill & Kathy Neilsen Lisi Paltrow Robinson Otis & Nancy Pearsall Sarah Lynn Brown Patty Polsky Fred & Twylla Fishel Pamela Proctor Bibsy Ra Nace Fred, Twylla Toddy, & Toni Ellen Rome and Katherine Asbeck Liz Bell Dart Schmalz Carol Shapiro and Templeton Peck Sarah Lynn Brown Carter & Ginny Sharp Williams Brenda V Smith Sarah Smith Rossmassler Squirrels Nest 2012 JCs Julie Yates & Timothy Breen Louise Totten Knabe

&)),-:) 73'-)8= Anonymous Barbara Albright Gille Mary Lou Albright Johnston Lori Angstadt Sarah Ashworth Mrs. Clay H. Barr Elena & Jaden Baum Elena Barr Baum Roberta Bryan Bocock Bertie Couch Woeltz & Anthony Woeltz Benjamin Crane Sarah Lynn Brown Gregory and Emily Donoghue The Fishel Family Fred Fishel Kedron Gierman Fix & Derek Fix Emma & Anna Fix / Sarah Lynn Brown Louise Hearn Candace King Weir Michael Kidder Susie McKallor Holic Fred & Twylla Fishel Loretta McManus Finn Shapiro Tracy Meerwarth Pester Catherine Melling Turner Jane Parke Batten Laura Scheuer Christopher & Debra Seiter Annie Solberg Sarnblad Marcy Tompkins Stanton Fred & Twylla Fishel Amelia Weir Beth Willis Swaintek Bruce Yannett VISTA CLUB $500  $999 Anonymous Lisa Bennett Morse & Dick Morse Twylla Fishel Lyda Blank Toni Ladenburg Delacorte Nancy & Luke Boland Andy Broido Fred & Twylla Fishel Je & Meera Buckman Karen Byerly Nicholson Lucille G. Byerly Jack & Page Carter Michael Cohen & Erin Bell Kevin Counihan & Maryanne Hertel Fadi Dagher Ashley Deeks Abbey Dodd Sarah Lynn Brown Rachel Greene-Lowell & James R. Lowell III Amy Hengerer Przybylko Laura & Kim Hysjulien Greta & Jessica Hysjulien Dorothy Irrgang Beall Nancy Josephs Albert Farrah, Jr. & Karen Van Beers Jenny Libien Emily Maggs Orben Marcia McCabe & Yvonne Goutman Yvonne Goutman Mark Miller Moody’s Matching Gift Foundation Olivia Moskowitz & Andrew Montalenti Marty Olsen Barbara Nagel Muench Elizabeth Nalen Bunce Austin Nalen Dawn Nichols Hazelett Barbara O’Reilly Curt Brown Tom & Debbie Pastore

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Riki Von Stroud Marjorie Dannis Robin Weaver Nancy Weaver Jones Tracy Welch Klippel Macy Wesson Janie Willis Stevens Annie McDermott Emily Wilson Burns GROVE CONTRIBUTOR $100ďšş$249 Adnan Akant Sarah Lynn Brown Rich & Frankie Albright Sarah Lynn Brown Merry Alderman Ritsch James & Sarah Algie Kemper & Catherine Alston Erica, Hillary, Judy & Bob Amster Erica & Hillary Amster Mr. & Mrs. Robert Badger Gene & Marilyn Humphrey Lisa Bedell Clive Sally Bever Zwiebach Barbara Winslow Cindy Billington Bauch Connie Birgel Haile Terry Templeton Carol Blanton Karen Blaser Gilchrist & Kristin Blaser Elizabeth Bluhm Sarah Lynn Brown Laura Bredemeier Mrs. Brown, Barbara, & Twylla Dorothy Brooke Sarah Lynn Brown Douglas Brown Kate Buker Megan Burke Kidder Larry & Doris Buxbaum Fred & Twylla Fishel Pat Callahan Sally DeOliva Mandeville The Cash Family Devin Cash Marilyn Cassidy Wendy Cobb Sue Daniels Schwaiger Fred Fishel Jillian Dannemann Smith Caryn Daus Flanagan Dr. & Mrs. Peter DeOreo Fred & Twylla Fishel Laurel Devaney Lisl Donaldson Delta the BLC pony Susan Dorer Schroeder Diane Dreves Foster Cecelia & Murray Dry Covie Edwards-Pitt Peter Eikenberry Sarah Lynn Brown Everything Summer Camp Selma Fink Sarah Lynn Brown Mary Fisher Bernet Bruce Fleming Adeline Fleming Chori & Jessie Folkman Beehive 93-94 Emma Forbes-Jones Cynthia Forzley Galletto Mary Foster Nancy Frederick Shuker Ellie & Andy Glass Sarah Lynn Brown Jennifer Glickman Stapper Alison Greene-Barton Linda Greenwald Blaustein & Robert Blaustein Michael Greenwald Rob Gross Laura Grumpelt Cann Ashley Deeks Karen Haley Daniela Mottle Timothy & Lisa Harkness Katie Harkness Helen Harper Tom & Patti Harris Thomas Hart Marilen Hartnett Fred Fishel Elizabeth Healey Kilbride My horse ‘Upfront’ Peregrine Heard Mary Hodgson Sarah Lynn Brown Susan Holt Ann Hunt Liz Bell Joanne Jacobs Fred & Twylla Fishel Candy Kelly Smith Clarice & Herb Kelly Susanne King Meyer Karen Koppenhoefer Castelloes Jeanne Kramer-Smyth Fred & Twylla Fishel

To n i Lad enb urg Dela cour t Matc h i ng Gift Cha llenge Toni Ladenburg Delacourt was a camper, JC, and sta member from 1958-64, and then a Brown Ledge Foundation Board Member from 2000-06. She once shared as a favorite camp memory the joy of the summer that she both played Maria in the Sound of Music and led the drill team. After Toni passed away in

2012, her bunkies, Bobbi Degnan Atz, Susie McKallor Holic, Jill Schropp, and Claudia Daub Crawford, decided to set up a $10,000 fundraising challenge as a way to keep her spirit alive and, “to honor the memory of our energetic, happy, fearless, golden retriever-loving bunkie.â€? They all agreed that Toni would have loved the ‘sport’ of the challenge because there is nothing like a good competition! And they were right - Brown Ledge alums, parents, sta members, and friends responded and surpassed the goal in the spring of 2013 with donations to the Brown Ledge Foundation totaling $11,270. Toni made a lasting impression on her bunkies: “Her eyes always danced with life. She was one who took life on, who moved toward a challenge, never away. Her energy drew me in as together we embraced living, whatever that entailed!â€? “Toni was forever brave and made me laugh!â€? “Outside her home, Toni had a bunch of bird feeders. One of them was for squirrels and required them to jump up repeatedly to grab a bite of corn cob that bounced like a bungee cord when they made contact. That was our Toni, always replenishing and always eager to jump to catch the next bite of life, however big or small the bounce that followed.â€?

Mark & Judy Kubeja Richard Currie Bill Levins Fred Fishel Sally Lex Brennan Judy Little Dannemann From the 60s: Ian, Lee,Mike,Julie,Hilly,Jackie, Toni The Lovshin-Smith Family The Grove Karen & Beth Marken Adrienne McCaerty Curtis Mary McCulloch Baker Fred & Twylla Fishel Ginny McCulloch Lau Colleen McEnroe Sally Evans Marcia McHam Sarah Lynn Brown Kim McManus Natalie Merdinger Rachel Merdinger-Kalafer Fred Fishel Jen Mijangos Mireille Millette Maria and RJ Moore Laurel Moran Claire Morris Vaubel Jane Boldizar Janet Morrison Emily Silman George and Irina Mylnikov Sarah Lynn Brown Rebecca Nyles Carson Kira & Jenny Parks Jim & Paule Pembroke Josh & Erin Podvin Julia Porcino Wycky Proctor Sally Resnick Lex Edie Plimpton Fleeman Mr. & Mrs. Ken Roberts Bobbie Rowland Jean Seeler-Giord Woody Sempliner Barb Bercu Sempliner Jerey & Robin Shapiro Don & Mako Sharp Fred & Twylla Fishel Jenny Schermerhorn Missy Short deCordova & Noel deCordova Franny & Timothy Shuker-Haines Lauren Shweder Biel Ariel Slomka Jo Ann & Butch Smith Fred & Twylla Fishel Greg & Kathy Snedeker Robyn Sonis Kathryn Spining Sinclair Stephanie Stifel Coughlan Wendy Stifel Hansen Amy Stifel Quinn Betsy Stookey Chase The Switchback Beerworks Lily Tandon Blythe Taplin Fred Fishel Beth Taylor Terry Tindall Laurendine Freckels Stedman Palm Katie Tracey Martha Tuttle Shannon Janice Valmassoi Laurie & Bob Walker Fred Fishel Janet Warner Montgomery Toni Ladenburg Delacorte Susan Watson Todd Wilson Laura Blalock Polly Witker

+%>)&3 7944368)6 Maureen Adams Carpenter Lauren Aldoroty Erica Amster Fred Fishel Nell Andersson Carolyn Andrews Patterson Val Andrews Williams Fred Fishel Laura Bailey Brown Chris Nee Julie Ballou Sarah Bell Shawn Benoliel Lawrence Eliza Berkley Hilary Bertsch

Ds a camper, I thought every Brown

Ledger was in the same boat as me, having parents with both the means and desire to send us to Brown Ledge. It wasn’t until later – as a counselor – that I truly learned about the MPB Scholarship and the gift that it was to so many girls.

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PDUMRULH S EURZQ VFKRODUVKLS by Robyn Sonis

Many of my closest and dearest friends at Brown Ledge would never have been at camp if it had not been for the MPB Scholarship. Those friends were such an integral part of molding and shaping me into the woman I am today, and they have forever impacted my life. The MPB Scholarship Committee is composed of five alumnae: Melissa Fishel Mauer (Chair), Lori Angstadt, Elaine Tack Hanlon, Lisa Bennett Morse, and myself. The committee has the very difficult task of assessing each and every application to determine which girls will receive financial assistance via the scholarship. That decision is not simply based upon financial need, although that is certainly a large factor. Personal qualities are important, including the role that each girl will play at Brown Ledge. The committee stresses these criteria by asking each girl how she will contribute to the Brown Ledge community. While Brown Ledge fosters within campers traits such as independence, self-worth, and strength, at its core is the ideal of giving of the self. Campers help one another through the trials of homesickness, lift each other up after the disappointment of not making the lead role in a play, and cry out of sheer joy at final awards when they see the words “Vanguard” associated with their bunkie’s name. And, years later, as alumnae, they come together to support the very place where it all began, giving in whatever way they can.

Being on the MPB Scholarship Committee has helped me gain

an appreciation for the sacrifices that many girls make to be at Brown Ledge. Every scholarship recipient contributes as much as she can financially towards camp tuition. Many of the applicants tell us they plan to save every penny they make through babysitting and mucking stalls at their barns. In place of presents, they ask friends and family to put money towards their “Brown Ledge Fund.” These girls know and understand the importance of Brown Ledge and are willing to put aside other wants and needs to find their way back to their home on Malletts Bay. It is in this way that the MPB Scholarship plays a vital role in the life-cycle of Brown Ledge. It is these girls – the ones who sacrificed for Brown Ledge – who made my camp experience so meaningful. My bunkie, Katie Frank, was one of those campers. When I asked Katie what it meant to receive the MPB Scholarship, she had this to say: “The impact of that gift on my life is immeasurable. As an adult, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to give back, to Brown Ledge and beyond. I walk for a cause, I give a small amount to the annual giving fund, I volunteer at Hospice . . . I am more philanthropic than I would have been without that early gift.” Katie is one of many scholarship recipients who taught me strength, the power of positivity, and to savor every moment of life, whether at Brown Ledge or elsewhere. We so often say that the scholarship

allows girls to experience and benefit from Brown Ledge, and that is true. But more importantly, I think it is Brown Ledge itself that really benefits. When you give to the MPB Scholarship Fund, you aren’t just giving the gift of camp: you are giving a gift to camp. You are helping to ensure that camp’s purpose and core values continue for years to come. (It is camp policy to hold the identity of all scholarship applicants and recipients in strict confidence. Identifying information provided in this article was done with permission from the scholarship recipients.)

' % 1 4 % - + 2 Barbara Brandt Ward Barbara Brewster Howard Elisabeth Brink Leslie Buxbaum Danzig James and Patricia Carforo Laurie Chase Kevin Christopher Melissa Crandall & Connor Schell Jamie Dalgleish Doug Davis Mickey & Norton Davis Barry Davis Ginger Dellenbaugh Kara Demsey Baker Kay Diaz Annie McDermott Mathilda Donahue O’Connor Robert Emerson Emily Epstein Landau Glenda & Maury Flanagan Sarah Flanagan Jennifer Foltz Richmond Debbie Fox Roderer & Amy Roderer Sue Fromhart Prue Gay Stuhr Joanne BeDenk Warren Jim Gears Aliyana & Jim Gewirtzman & Anne Bryant Nada Glavan Sarah Lynn Brown Michael Grace Bob Graham Arlen Grossman Rachel Gunn Carr Sarah Haeckel Family Tiffany Haick The Hamilton Family Catherine Harrison Kendall Henzelman Molly Hislop & Jacob Robinson Erin Hon Susan Hopper Sarah Lynn Brown Nancy P. Hubbard Jessica Hysjulien Carter Steve & Robin Fleck Alex Galletto Krista Irmischer Mary Lou Irvine Grant Andrea Johnson Perham Amanda Katz Noel Keck Daniela Mottle Paula Kelley Robert Plimpton Diana Kelly Cynthia Kistler Curtis Deb Piotrowski Alison Kleger-Ramsey Leyla Kokmen Sarah Lynn Brown Janet Koppelman & Kevin Harlow Fred & Twylla Fishel Tildy LaFarge Peggy Lamb Merrens Bobye List Sarah Lynn Brown Hannah Livant Rini Lovshin-Smith Adel Marcus Charlotte McCorkel Hannah McCouch Taylor McCruden Lissa McDonnell Chapin Kathleen McKinley Harris John & Lynne Morrow Jayne Methot-Walker Annie McDermott Catherine Michaud Sarah Middleton Shelley Midkiff-Borunda Amanda Miller Sioban Morris Lauren J. Mottle Daniela Mottle Susan Mountrey Eliza Murawski Christina Nacos Grant & LeeAnne Neale Neverland Bunkies - Alumnae Camp Marge Orton Hanselman Ryan & Jenny Pahl Laura Parisi Fred Fishel Maggie Parker Selbert Carolyn Larkin

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Lisa Greenwald Clarion Heard Katie Heller Amy Hengerer Przybylko Greta Hysjulien Lynn (Banana) Benoliel Jacobson Nancy Weaver Jones Ann and Mike Kaufher Taylor Strimple Keenan Stephanie Lane-Kerman

Liz Kiggen David Leener Rose Lovshin Janet Blakeman Martin Mandy Miller & Quinn Silva Lisa Bennett Morse Chris Nee Bill and Kathy Neilsen Emily Neilsen Laura Parisi Tom and Deb Pastore Josh Podvin Pamela Proctor Carrie Ringler Annie Solberg Sarnblad Jenny Schermerhorn Tammy Shaw Emily Silman Amanda Miller and Quinn Silva Jeanne Kramer-Smyth Kathy Roberts Snedeker Annabel Lukins Stelling Kris Stone Dick and Liz Smith Strimple Hilary Strimple Randall Thropp Steve Watson Jim and Polly Witker Leigh Ann Yandle

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Camper $TQYP .GFIGTU KP /GFKEKPG Ada Koransky Meltzer 63 Sue Mooney 77-78 Lisa Bennett Morse 66-67 Ellen Rome 75-77 Celena McLaurin Mary Barton 73-78 Jenny Libien 82-84 Sarah Walker Greta Hysjulien 00-02 Sally Ross Davis 72-76 Melissa Fishel Mauer 67-73 Jan Kline 67-71 Carey White Katie Reynolds 98-04 Caroline Murphy 98-03 )WGUV %QPVTKDWVQTU Laura Parisi Clarion Heard Heather McCollum Robyn Sonis

93-97 02-05 63-67 91-97

6JG 'PFWTKPI .GICE[ *'$ Lynn Benoliel Jacobson 43-48 Sally Bever Zwiebeck 52-53 Terry Tindall Laurendine 53-56 Joan Buckman Rugani Bobbi Albright Gille 48-57 Joan Weiterer Butcher 42-44

JC 64-65 79-80 68 78-79 79-80

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69-70 81-85? 92-99

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08-10

74-75 72 89 or 90 05

77-78, 99-14

98-99 06-07 69-70 98-99

49-50 54 57 58-59? 45-46

08-10, 12-14 13-14

01-02, 04 09-14 71-87 01-05, 10, 12

60-61 50-56 47-50

5YGFKUJ %QPPGEVKQP Alle Adolfsson Goren Adolfsson Je Buckman (sta kid 1950s) Mark Cazer Bobbi Collins Degnan Atz 58-61 Fred Fishel Twylla Fishel Oscar Klingberg Kasper Konyves Par Landin Anja Landin Andreas Landin Emmie Nilsson Sta kid since 92 Ted Nilsson Sta kid since 92 Hans Nilsson Eva Nilsson Kathy Roberts Snedeker 76-80 Franny Shuker-Haines 72-76 Terry Tow Tove Wireby

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03-04

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62-63

05-06

81-82 77-78

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Mission Statement Brown Ledge is a non-profit camp that exists to develop community, self-discipline, responsibility and achievement in girls and young women, through self-directed participation in varied activities in a high quality summer program.

Celebrating our th Season

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BROWN LEDGE CAMP

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