Campers at Columbus?

S

Sean Barry

Scout
Jul 16, 2006
37
1
Davis, California
TeeGate said:
All,

If you look closely at the photo's it appears to me there are at least two females in it. One apparently is one of the wives of a counselor, and the other appears to be a young girl.


Thanks for passing these along Bob. And Sean I hope they bring back some more memories to share with us.

Guy
Click to expand...

My goodness, that's Mrs. Callahan, wife of the camp director (Mr. Callahan, of course), who is sitting next to her (or at least those two sure look a lot like the Callahans--Mrs. Callahan's had short dark hair and the gentleman with the child definitely reminds me of Mr. C.). She was indeed the only female in the camp (she was a RN and ran the infirmary), and I'm sure they were much younger than I perceived at the time. I see that they had at least one child, but that was after my time.

Other points about the photo--

The chapel is pretty obvious and it's right where I remember it. The cabin between the chapel and the assembly was the "headquarters" cabin for the senior village, in that the head counselor lived there. While I was there the head senior village counselor was Joe Semanchek (sp?), the camp naturalist who was so influential in my own development as a scientist and naturalist. I spent a lot of time in that cabin, to the ongoing consternation of my own counselors ("stay in the cub village!!!). Another point is that there were many more boys than I thought when I started this thread. It must have been a challenge to keep track of everyone.

In answer to another posted query, Mr. Callahan definitely was not a priest (there was a resident priest though). However, quite a number of the counselors were seminarians on summer hiatus, including one that I had who was named Robert Oberholtzer. I remember him in particular because he was actually from Haddonfield and I had seen him before. Some relatively short time after that camp summer he left the seminary and settled back in Haddonfield, where he remained active with the local Catholic church (Christ the King). I was involved with him again later because I became an altar boy at the church and he managed that organization for the parish. He later married and I believe they moved away, a year or two before we did in 1965.

Some of this is obviously almost painful to remember, but it's exhilarating to reconstruct those influential times. Thanks again to all, and especially to Bob and to Guy.

Sean
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sean Barry said:
Thanks again to all, and especially to Bob and to Guy.

Sean
Click to expand...

And especially for Ben who without we would not be bonding as we are :)

Glad you enjoyed Bob's photo. Thanks for posting.

Guy
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
You got it right Guy. And the boy standing next to me is my brother Roy. I call him Roy-boy. Roy lives in the far Northeast; Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut. He is constantly moving.
 
S

Sean Barry

Scout
Jul 16, 2006
37
1
Davis, California
Sean Barry said:
My goodness, that's Mrs. Callahan, wife of the camp director (Mr. Callahan, of course), who is sitting next to her (or at least those two sure look a lot like the Callahans--Mrs. Callahan's had short dark hair and the gentleman with the child definitely reminds me of Mr. C.). She was indeed the only female in the camp (she was a RN and ran the infirmary), and I'm sure they were much younger than I perceived at the time. I see that they had at least one child, but that was after my time.

Sean
Click to expand...


OK, I've had a few hours to examine the photo every way I can, doctor it a bit with Photoshop, etc, but the simple magnifying glass seems to work best. I am now quite convinced that the woman turned to her right near the middle of the photo is indeed Mrs. Callahan, and the gentleman to her left (holding the toddler) is Mr. Callahan. Both of their hair styles grabbed my memory the first time I saw the photograph (even though hair styles surely changed between 1960 and 1965). Mr. Callahan was crew-cut (like the person in the photo), and Mrs. Callahan either had short hair or always kept it tied or wrapped up--either way she had very dark hair, shaped much like that of the woman in the photo. To Mr. Callahan's left I'm reasonably sure is the same priest that was at the camp when I was, and the probable explanation for the little girl on his lap is that she belonged to the Callahans as well (I'm trying to work through to remember whether they had an infant in 1960 and I can't find that answer either way in the personal RAM). I do believe that the priest never wore his collar except at Mass, so that absence in the photograph isn't unexpected. If any of these folks are still alive they'd have to be in their late 70's or possibly even well into their 80's.

Wow, I post a quick query about a long-ago summer camp and a week later it reaches this level. Again, thanks to all, especially Guy, Bob, and Ben.

Sean
 
Teegate

Teegate

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bobpbx said:
Here is a photo, Guy, of the Bamber bridge prior to it being a covered bridge. But the reason I am showing it to you is that there is something very unusual going on in it. Can you guess what it is? I am thinking, I could be wrong.
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I am not sure. It appears someone is bringing up old remains from the Ferrago Forge.

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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You have to appreciate the person(s) who gave Bob these photo's. Very nice of them for doing that.

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sean Barry said:
To Mr. Callahan's left I'm reasonably sure is the same priest that was at the camp when I was, and the probable explanation for the little girl on his lap is that she belonged to the Callahans as well

Sean
Click to expand...

That is the one I also felt was a girl.

If you look very closely you can actually see Mrs. Callahan's ring on her finger :) At least it looks like it but it would be the wrong hand.

And how about the far top right where someone is getting rabbit ears? :cool:


Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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bobpbx said:
Right? Isn't that a pig (iron bar) in the middle?
Click to expand...


It sure seems to be. Did you find out who took the photo?


Guy
 
S

Sean Barry

Scout
Jul 16, 2006
37
1
Davis, California
Well, several days have gone by since this thread was last active, and I thought I'd add a coda. In my further internet exploration I have finally found the Callahans, the family who owned and operated the camp, and from them I learned that the camp ceased to be in 1968, that it is now a sports park (Bamber is a membership site?), that the buildings are gone and I'm back to memories of pitcher plants, prunes with every meal, sundews in the pilings at the beach, the enormous rattler with the vivid yellow eyes in the washroom. Sadly Mr. and Mrs. Callahan are both gone but they lived long, productive, and highly influential lives and they left some worthy descendents. And it was indeed the Callahans in the camp photo (I had forgotten but they did a camp photo every week because campers came and went at that interval, so the posted photo is but one of seven that were taken in 1965). I also discovered that there has been at least one Camp Columbus reunion at Bamber, and it's possible there will be another. If so and if there is any way I can be there I will.

Thanks again for everyone's interest in my experiences at Camp Columbus. I'm in the process of writing up some more material and will combine that with previously posted information to send to Ben for posting on the front page. It might take awhile but that's my plan.

Sean Barry
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sorry to hear of their passing, and thanks for the info. When you write about it please tell us about your search for them.

Guy
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,661
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Pines; Bamber area
I thought that it was 1968 when I was handling the photo, but now I am unsure. If its 1965 like you guys say, is the hair on the guys a little long for then?
 
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