Indian
We
Remember
ILC
Memories….Bob Jasner
ILC 1945-1954;
1956-1959
I remember…
…sweeping out our bunks with a little
green sawdust to catch only a little dirt, worst of the rotating jobs except
“bathroom.”
I liked “dust pan.” from broom to wastebasket. My favorite job was “day
off.”
…hitting a homerun off Gil Sopher!
…raiding “the Roost,” the oldest girls’
cabin, and raising sexy Marcia Doulglas’ bra up their
flagpole. Errol Flynn couldn’t have done
it better.
…Al Taplar,
who was there to be asked, Please pass the buttar, Mr. Taplar.” It was funny then.
…the cheering and hugging at the end of
the World War II.
…Al Leavitt tying to hit a softball to
the great water tower, but he was no JJ and the tower was farther than it
looked. (Note: JJ is Johnny
Jabo)
…my cousin Joyce losing her bathing
suit top in the lake. Why did it have to be her?
…the year Benny Edelson
died.
…Matt Jasner
catching us on the girls’ hill after the firefly night snake dance and saying
we’d “just put the last nail in our coffins.”
They found more nails.
…the fever excitement of treasure and
scavenger hints.
…Matt’s wife, Mae, barring us from “The
Moon is Blue” as “too salty.” None of us
ever forgot that.
…”extra,” a reward of extra dessert or
candy or the best of all – extra time in the barn at night.
…the night duty crew ribbing guys
coming up the hill in shoes sandy from making out at the beach.
…”smoking” “punk” at campfires “to keep
the mosquitos away.”
…the rifle range between the hills as a
midnight rondezvous spot for lovers, complete
with prone position mattresses and older campers tripping over counselors.
…parents day, eased by chocolate syrup,
salami, comics and model planes, later by tips and pretty moms.
…”We want the chef!” and French toast
with powdered sugar on top.
…the marathon man, the barber who did
100 haircuts in a day. Recognizing
friends after was the problem.
…broken bones, trick knees, charley
horses, crutches, casts, slings, splints, ace bandages, elbow and knee pads,
goggles, nose clips and ear plugs: the complete camper.
…and the spirited bugles calls that
kept us moving.
“Taps” was different, slow and quiet,
capping a campfire or ending the day after lights were out. It had a special dignity and serenity
that gave a sense of peace. On the last
night of the season, it was heard more clearly.
“Day is done; gone the
sun,
From the lakes, from the
hills, from the sky,
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh.”
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Pretty
Much All I Needed to Know, I Learned at Indian
Everyone says they learned what they
needed to know for life in Kindergarten, but for me, it was
I learned about courage – jumping off
the “tower” to pass the
The Nature Cabin with its animals and
skeletons and assorted natural wonders began a lifelong fascination with the
natural world. When I was a zoo docent and a teacher, I passed on those lessons
-and I hope the love- to my students. My husband and I built a cottage on a
lake in
Arts and Crafts; I can still feel the
delight of entering that screened in little haven under the Coop. We made leaf
ashtrays and wallets and shell pins and baskets. Each item was a gift for a
parent or grandparent to be presented upon our return to the real world. I took
the gift giving very seriously and I still love giving things to my friends and
family.I remember starting a Girls’ Hill fad by making
a bracelet out of a piece of basket
weaving material. We would make them as we strolled up the hill and returned to
the bunk abter breakfast for “Clean Up” Craft activities - china painting, pottery, beading,
jewelry making and bird carving have given me great pleasure and sometimes
solace in life.
Clean Up – For
a naturally messy person, trying to get my cubby straightened out and my bed
made, complete with hospital corners, was a really important life skill. Job
charts were good. They pointed out that everyone got to do it all. Remember
green sweeping compound?
Singing – I can still remember all the
words. Even though I can barely carry a tune, the pleasure of singing in a
group is one I still feel. When a terrifying stint as a substitute music teacher
was thrust upon me, I relied on
I was shocked to discover that some ILC
songs had other versions. There was even one song that by parents insisted was
called, “Give My Regards to Broadway”
instead of
Riflery-
I learned that guns did not necessarily mean violence,
and I enjoyed the skill involved. I also appreciated the elaborate safety
precautions that were an integral part of the experience. It showed that we
were trusted and capable of handling something dangerous. I think the riflery counselor’s name was Jake, and one night he showed
the whole camp his slides from the Korean War. It was an awesome and powerful
message about the terrors of war. I think it was interesting that the camp
permitted both of these activities. I doubt it would happen in a camp today,
but I am glad I experienced it.
Games- Jacks were an ongoing,
unsupervised, skill building activity. It was kid-to-kid with no involvement of
adults, though the camp store did sell the jacks. Sometimes you could get a splinter from the
wooden floor, but nobody thought that was a good reason not to play. When we
built that little house in
Romance: both the practical and the
ideal were part of an ILC education. I remember the whole bunk of 8 or 9 year
olds tickling a counselor half to death to make her tell us if her boyfriend
had ever kissed her!
In later years, we prepared for the
Dances with anxiety, fervor and Pixie Pink lipstick. Calming our panic and
excitement, our counselors advised us about boys and how to talk to them. The
thrill of a boy “liking” you - It was almost unimaginable! Boys like sports –
so talk about sports even if you could care less! This admittedly old fashioned
and perhaps sexist attitude gave us the clear idea that girls had some
responsibility in the budding relationship. It was the girl’s job to make the
boy feel comfortable. This was a useful piece of information that held up well
over 43 years of a very happy marriage. And the ultimate
ideal of romance? The song sung
by Dusky and Marcia (?) “I have dreamed
that your arms are lovely. . . ” That
always held up well, too.
Speaking of love,
Sports and sportsmanship; I was a
mediocre, albeit enthusiastic player. To my great astonishment, I could serve a volleyball very effectively. I still treasure the memory
of a girl on the opposing team whispering, ”Uh Oh,
watch out for this one!” as I moved to that corner serving spot. We were
endlessly advised about sportsmanship and the proper attitude toward teammates
and the opposing team. We chanted formulaic phrases “2,4,6,8 who do we appreciate?"
Do you remember the smell of Visiting Day? The air was suffused with the smell of
mothers’ perfume. Suddenly there were parents to comb your hair right and tuck
in your shirt and bring presents and take pictures. It was wonderful to see
them and be hugged and kissed and exclaimed over. The difference from the real
world was that this was our turf.
They moaned over the hike to the athletic field and perched oddly on small
benches. We campers were the guides, showing our parents the ropes and the
blackberries, and introducing them to Mr. and Mrs. Oswald as well as to our
bunkmates and counselors. What a great and maturing experience for a young
child - confidently leading a parent
around the “hills of ILC”.
Emotional Expression There was a clear
message in the music and the activities, that affection and sentimentality were
legitimate emotions to be enjoyed and savored.” Friends, friends, friends, we
will always be …… Oh,
Friday night services were simple and a
lovely part of the camp week. Dressed in “whites” and saying the blessing over
the candles on the barn lawn and sang and listen to a counselor speak. We experienced a touch of Judaism was both
comforting and alluring. It felt good and reverent, - perhaps more so than
religious training in the city. I have remembered those simple and essentially
“Jewish” evenings and tried to recreate their atmosphere for my children and my
students.
The Lonesome Pine, towering above its
neighbors seems like a metaphor for those lovely months at camp. It spoke not only of the majesty of nature
but of that splendid time of hikes and swimming, archery and softball, dancing
and plays and friends you could whisper to after lights out..
They were days in which we grew in size and knowledge and skill. Our hearts and
our confidence grew, too. We didn’t know it then, but we were getting ready for
life.
Susan Beth Goldstein Frost
Canoe Trips 
Dick
Denison
Besides chief life guard
my other job on the water front involved boating. I am shown in the picture
with
Bart
Davis in the stern of the canoe. We had the usual set of
boating tests based on Red Cross instruction.
Once I set up an
elaborate canoe race to the end of the lake and back. The real feature of
boating was
canoe
trips on the
lots
of rapids on the way. A truck would take the canoes to the starting point and
meet us at the end of the
trip.
Once or twice I took girls on a trip. Mostly they were day trips but sometimes
they were overnight.
Finding a place to camp
without being shot by an angry land owner was a challenge. I really did not
know
much
about cooking. The kids would complain that they were used to having their meat
and potatoes at
the
same time. It tasted especially good though. At night several kids thought they
saw or heard a bear.
In my last year I got
tired of the same old canoe trips so on our day off a few of us explored other
options
up
near the
River. We asked if anyone went down the creek
in canoes. We were told that some Boy Scouts did last
year. Before every canoe trip I lectured
the boys that if anything happens hang on to the canoe. The retort
was, “You just want us to protect Mrs.
Lehman’s canoes.” It was a lesson that fortunately they did remember
on the trip down the Lackawaxen.
No one heard of life jackets back then. It started out badly. The water leve
l was very low at first. With all our
supplies in the canoes they scraped the bottom. We had to push them like
a scooter with one leg outside. Finally
we came to a place where the water was deep but there were cliffs
on both sides and we could not see around
the bend. As we proceeded downstream there were waves
about
20
feet high at the exhaust of the hydroelectric turbines from
tipped but we all made it to shore. We asked some people on the shore which side
was better. They
assured us that the left was better. We
decided to go single file on the left around the bend. Our advisors
did not know that a huge tree had fallen
near the left bank with huge roots facing us. One by one we were
capsized and tangled in the roots. Everyone
held on to the canoes. Some of us ended up marooned on a
boulder in the middle of the stream. At
stream. Mrs. Lehman’s canoes did not fare too
well. All the canvas ones had holes a large as one foot in
diameter. The aluminum canoes had some dents
but they could float
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Joanne Spitz
Riding
in the back of the pick up truck to the away games (
volleyball)
Going
down the street for horse back riding
Finding
out that Liebestrum was not a song about
Copper
enamiling jewelry for
my mother ( still have a pin)
Gymp - I just moved and found a hanger my brother " gymped" around
He was
also at ILC - started before me and was a waiter when I was there)
Remembering
the older boys had to sleep in tents but we were in the "Roost"
Being
forced to dance in " THE RED BALLON"
The
George M Cohan tribute on the 4th of July
Being
in the chorus of South Pacific
Fighting
with my counselors and getting "docked"
Most
fun - Riflery ( I am very
anti gun now) , the over night canoe trips and water skiing
Visiting
camp friends in NJ and thinking it was very far away! ( I'm
from Philly)
I
think we were NOT on Daylight savings time -
does anyone remember ?
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Sally Kagen
Remember the Roost.
Kissing goodnight at
the Bridge bunk.
The “In Couple”, Roy Yaffe and Leslie Pearl.
Smoking on the dining hall porch
after meals.
Top girl crushes; Hank Donner and Kurt Pontz.
Writing letters to yourself to be
opened the following year.
Betsy Kagen
winning the Canoe Paddle in 1961 (she still has it).
Ironing each other’s hair and
borrowing clothes before Canteen Night.
Going on bunk raids and putting
someone’s underwear up the flagpole
which Marv had to take down.
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Lynne Cohen
Audrey Lehrman blowing on her bugle on her way to the Shower House
to warm it up.
Flag raising and
lowering.
The Lonesome Pine
tree.
Lois getting covered
with poison ivy and having to go home after she and another
counselor blazed a trail to the LP.
Nature walks in our
boots up the little stream that fed the lake.
Stealing chocolate
milk under the mess hall at night.
The Milk Line and Bug
Juice lines.
Arts and Crafts under
the Coop.
Paper Bag dramatics.
Sunday camp fires
& s’mores.
Color War.
Winning Volley Ball
games with Bib.
Scavenger Hunts.
Seeing the kitchen
help peeling scads of potatoes while taking the lower path
to the athletic field.
Bees on the tennis
courts.
Huge dragonflies that
bombarded us.
All those camp songs
we knew inside and out and backwards…don’t know them now!
Sharon Wexler as Annie
in “Annie Get Your Gun”.
Daddylongleg spiders in your bed.
Bats in the bunk---Bib
captured one in Bunk 8, with a tennis racquet & tennis ball can!
Dead mice in Bunk 7’s
shower drain…we couldn’t figure out what that smell was! Walt Hazzard did!
Matt Jasner’s black nose clips.
Diving to the bottom
of the lake for an “Advanced Swim Test” to bring up a handful of gunk
to prove you got to the bottom.
The wonderful food
(except liver nights)..the chocolate pudding that has
yet to be replicated
along with the French toast.
Burying letters to one
self under “The Lonesome Pine”.
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Janie Jasner
Picnic lunch on the
Barn lawn on Fri—toss the orange.
Candles and Queen
Anne’s lace flowers on the boats the last night of camp.
The fair
My Uncle Matt’s
flashlight length wise between couples at the dances.
Passing The Little
Grahams and milk under
the mess hall in the rain and all the raincoats hung up.
Meeting the boys in
the middle of the night at the rifle range and chewing gum
on the way so our breath would smell nice.
Meeting a counselor
(WHO??) returning from the rifle range!!
Dance recitals on
parents’ day.
Saltwater Taffies and
Paddles sent by parents from
The “WISHPLATES”.
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Karen Goldstein Bell
Camp Songs: Big Chief
Love Little Indian Lake Camper, Love her him much do
Big Chief Die for you
Big Chief Go on
Warpath if you no love him too.
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Hope Boonshaft
Do you remember:
The Canteen; Our camp
uniform called “reggies” that we wore on Friday
nights
And on parents
visitor’s day; The last night of Color War… The Sing;
Sneaking
out to Fernwood (not only hiking); Waterskiing outside of
camp.
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Suzie Laskin
I remember sneaking
out to Fernwood in the afternoons-they had a soda fountain and
gift shop over there.
Going to “Joneses”,
every wonder why that name when the sign said “Hiram’s Rest”.
I was the winner of
“The Paddle” in 1966, and I still display it proudly in my home.
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Karen Goldstein;
Big Chief Love Little
Big Chief Die for you.
Big Chief Go on
Warpath if you no love him too.
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From Sally Kagen;
TO ALL WHO SURVIVED
the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's:
First, we survived
mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. And
continued to do so when we were kids. (A friend born 1939 relates that
her mother was regularly reminded whenever changing her, "Don't drop ashes
in the diaper." SS)
Our pregnant mothers
took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can,
and didn't get tested for diabetes.
We were put to sleep
on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored
lead-based paints and bars wide enough to put our heads through.
We had no childproof
lids on medicine bottles, or latches on cabinets. When
we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.
We were driven around
in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or
air bags... not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.
Riding in the back of
a pickup on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from
the garden hose, NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft
drink among four friends and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate Twinkies, white
bread, real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar,
but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE
PLAYING!
We would leave home in
the morning and play all day, as long as we were back
when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to
reach us all day, and that was okay.
We would spend hours
building go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to
solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels
on cable, no videos or DVD's, no CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers,
no Internet or chat rooms or Facebook....... WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went
outside and found them!
We fell out of trees,
got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We were given BB guns
for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes
We rode bikes or
walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door, or just walked in. If it
was lunchtime, somebody's mother always fed us. And didn't worry we were
allergic to peanut butter.
Little League had
tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't
had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!
The idea of a parent
bailing us out if we misbehaved in school or broke the law was unheard of. They
actually sided with the principal and the police! And then we had to face THEM
when we got home.
Somehow, we survived.
The past 50 years have
seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success
and responsibility and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
Our generations have
produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
If YOU are one of
them, CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to
share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before lawyers,
corporations and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own
good.
Kind of makes you want
to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?