The First Seventy Five Years
excerpts from
Lake Erie Girl Scout Council.......the First 75 Years A Council History 1912 -1987
compiled by the history committee narrative by Geogianna Bonds
Resident camp was still done at Burton, but with the death of Mr. Horet, a rent of $250 per summer was charged to the Council. During these years when the price of property was low, a committee was appointed to look for another campsite, one more centrally located. They wanted a site that could be owned by the council as a permanent site for both day and resident camping. Members of the Camp Committee crawled under so many barbed wire fences ( there was never a campsite that was not surrounded with barbed wire) that one member said she was just too old to crawl any more. None of the properties had enough water for water sports. However, many a real estate agent said, pointing to a tiny trickle of a stream, " This river could easily be dammed for a swimming hole." ( page 24)
Purchase of Camp Julia Crowell
In 1937 the camp committee crawled under its last barbed wire fence. They found the Kirby Estate near West Richfield with, not one, but two lakes: 234 acres of land; a millhouse; a residence; a dance hall; and a caretaker's house. The property was available for $60,000. The council set out to raise the $60,000 in a Capitol Funds Campaign. Five thousand fifty persons pledged $61,157. Contributions ranged from ten cents to ten thousand dollars. All but $78 was collected, and the Kirby estate, to be known as Camp Julia Crowell belonged to the Cleveland Girl Scout Council by April 7, 1937.
The camp was dedicated on June 20, 1937; it was opened to girls on July 3, 1937. The dance hall, which had been built on springs so the floor would give when danced upon, became the dining hall and was dedicated on August 9, honoring Eleanor Garfield. The main residence was dedicated on August 17and named Kirby for Mr. and Mrs. Kirby who had sold the property to the Girl Scouts at a reduced price because the Kirbys wanted it used to benefit young people. The upper lake was named Linnea for Mrs. Friede. ( page 27)
Girl Scouts at Camp
Attendance at all camps reached 200,000 girls nationwide by 1941. In Cleveland, Girl Scouts of all races, creeds, and economic backgrounds camped together. A council camp folder from 1941 listed nine separate day camps available at locations throughout the Cleveland Metropolitan area. Day camping was done by troops. The registration fee was $1.00 and included all program activities except craft materials. Each troop was responsible for it’s own transportation ( often by public transportation with each girl paying her own carfare). Girls brought a box lunch and a drinking cup…..
Troop camping was done at Old Fort Hill, the Bedford Cabin, and some units at Camp Julia Crowell were set aside for troop camping. The fee was $1.00 per day per troop for use of the site, plus a fee of $ 0.50 per girls for a physical exam that was required of all participants. The average cost per girls was fifty nine and a half cents. The program included planning cook-outs, taking treasure hikes, or just exploring the woods, telling and dramatizing stories, and singing and dancing- anything a troop might plan. Troops could camp for a week at Camp Julia Crowell for a $20.00 site fee.
Resident Camping was done at Julia Crowell. The individual camp fee for two weeks was $18.00 for girls registered throughout the Cleveland Council and $20.00 for out-of-town girls and non-scouts. Girls were assigned to units with girls their own age in one of eight small groups of tents with wooden floors and cots. The program varied according to the interests of the girls. Some cooking was done in the out of doors, but most meals were served in Garfield Dining Hall. The camp staff included an experienced dietician, a registered nurse, Red Cross water safety instructors, and counselors experienced in camping and special program fields.
Under the guidance of these skilled councilors, girls learned swimming, boating, hiking, cooking in the out-of-doors, and taking part in programs around the campfire. Any Girl Scout who had been to camp had learned to walk cautiously in the woods and keep her eyes open for animal tracks, for wintergreen leaves, and for the tiny wildflowers she might have otherwise crushed with her feet. She had learned to identify constellations in the night sky and use them for finding directions. Every girl brought home from camp folk songs from many lands learned around the campfire. Perhaps the most important lesson for the girls was the magic of chores turning into fun when done by working together.
There were units with more simplified program for Brownies. Senior Scouts camped near Lake Linnea in ground tents and prepared their own meals. There was even a session for Mariner Scouts on Lake Linnea. Girls were given credit toward badges for their camp experiences. Reports were sent to troop leaders.
( pages 34 & 35 )
Council activities in the late 1940’s
………..camping was still popular. By the end of the 1940’s the Cleveland Council alone had 1,010 girls attending day camp, 737 attending resident camp, and 1,665 attending troop camps in a single year.
…………..To expand the facilities at our council campsite, a winterized cabin to known as Hilltop House was built at Camp Julia Crowell. The cabin was to be used for year round troop camping, for adult conferences, and for a summer rainy day shelter for resident campers. To encourage troop trip camping, the Council equipped a trailer for troop use on longer trips.
( pages 38-39 )
Expansion of camp facilities in the Cleveland Council
In 1953 when GSUSA membership reached the 2,000,000 mark, membership in the Cleveland Council hit 19,751 girls and adults. In 1953 the council located and bought the 125 acre campsite in Macedonia. Funds were raised to make improvements at camp Julia Crowell and to develop the new camp.
……..just two years after Camp Margaret Bates was opened, 93 acres of land adjoining camp Julia Crowell came on the market. The land, which had at one time been one of the largest apple orchards in Ohio, bordered on the upper Lake of CJC . Two large brick houses had been built on the lake, and there was a garage and a coach house. Council President Mrs. John McNeill ( Martha Jane) and Helen Murray were convinced after inspecting the property that the council, looking toward its future needs, should purchase this tract of land. After careful consideration by the BoD, the land was purchased in 1957. A contest was held among the girls for naming the new camp, and the name selected was Hilaka.
At first the houses were known as North and South Houses. But later, South House became Amity. ( the theme of the World Song, meaning friendship) Two units, each with six platform tents were installed. The camp was dedicated in 1960 by Margaret Bates, then third VP of GSUSA. For a few years, the houses and tents were used for troop camping or day camping. The next few years were spent drafting development plans for future expansion of the camp. ( page 50)
Camping program in the Cleveland Council
………..the folder for all camps read ” Camping is………more than learning campcraftskills and how to live in the out-of-doors; it is truly a new way of life with new disciplines and new joys …….camping stretches a girl’s capacity, enlarges her adaptability to new situations, and challenges her to make Girl Scout Ideals a living principal in her life. “ ( page 51)
Tragedy at CJC
…….At about 4:45 on the morning of August 4, 1959, while the girls slept at CJC, a bolt of lightening from a summer thunderstorm struck a tree and forked out to strike two tents in a primitive camping section of the camp. Two thirteen year old girls, Sally Parker and June Gamble, were killed instantly. Merrilyn Featherstun and Lynn Weisenberger in the other tent were injured. Camp station wagons took the injured girls to a hospital in Medina. Merrilyn was treated and released. She considered returning to camp but decided to go home. “I’ll be back next year”, she told camp officials when she left. Lynn was hospitalized for a few days and did not return to camp; however , her sister Peggy stayed at camp. ” Why bring her home?" asked her father. “It is a well run camp. You can’t guard against lightning.“ A few parents withdrew their children from camp, but most of the 200 campers stayed. ( page 54)
The End of the Decade
……..[the presidential turn of Mrs. John Meyer] was marred by …. The untimely death of Council Program Director, Mabel Smith. Miss Smith had been one of those persons who was admired by adults and girls alike for her imaginative program ideas and her unceasing efforts to make Scouting attractive to all girls. A shelter was dedicated in her memory at CJC
The Cleveland Council’s 40th Anniversary
….in the summer of 1960 the Cleveland Council had it’s own Roundup for Senior Scouts at Camp Hilaka. Ninety-six girls used the wilderness area to pitch their tents, cook their meals, and learn Scouting skills. The parking area at North and Coach House became a square-dance floor; honeysuckle and grape vines that were choking the growth of trees were stripped and woven into baskets; new trails were blazed for hiking; and new friendships were made on a council-wide basis. That same year, in other parts of the council, 3814 younger girls attended day camps, and Camp Margaret Bates and CJC were open for resident camping. ( page 69)
Camp Improvements
As capital funds were raised, camp improvements began……..At Camp Hilaka the camp manager’s house with garage and workshop was built. The road from Rt 176 was built as far as Amity garage. Parking lots were built at the two camp entrances. The Chagrin Valley cabin was built and the Adirondacks shelters were added. A sanitation system at CJC-H to allow for increased usage of the camps and prepare for the later addition of a swimming pool at Hilaka. ( page 73)
Progress in the Lake Erie Council
…….By 1966 the Camp Development campaign was less than $100,000 short of its goal. The contracts were let for the pool at Hilaka to be known as the Beaumont Pool, honoring a large gift from the Beaumont Foundation and the dining Hall to be known as Gund Hall recognizing a large gift from the Gund Foundation. By the time the contract was let, Gund Hall had been scaled down considerably in size because funds were not available for building the larger hall. …. ( page 78)
New Challenges for Senior Scouts
………. Alarmed by a decline in the membership at the Senior Scout level, the National organization was seeking ways to keep it’s older girl membership………….Some adults in the Lake Erie Council had difficulty relating. A successful local Cadette encampment had been held at Camp Unalia in Ashtabula. Plans were being made for a second which would include guides from Canada. The annual senior conference which the girls themselves planned was scheduled for August…
CJC-H was alive in August [1968] with 122 Senior Scouts from Lake Erie Council and 137 Seniors from 40 states as well as 18 guides from Saskatchewan Province in Canada. The theme “After Tomorrow” reflected the forward thrust of the Girl Scout Movement. ( Page 81)
Lessons from Diverse Cultures
………….1972 ………….
A Japanese student at one of the Cleveland colleges had served as a councilor at Camp Julia Crowell while she was at school in the area. She had gone back to Japan and obtained a position with the Kyoto Girl Scouts. Although she tried to describe what camping was like in the USA, the Japanese wanted to see for themselves. Forty women, ages 16 -60, came to visit the council. Twenty were housed at Hilltop House [ in Camp Julia Crowell], and twenty were in hostess homes. …..They taught Japanese ceremonies and dances. In return, they learned program and management for Girl Scout Camps. As a service project, they planted a Japanese garden at Camp Julia Crowell. It is identified with a bronze plaque. With the American money they had at the end of the tour, they bought three Japanese Maple trees that are also planted in the garden. ( page 89)
The Bicentennial Celebration …………1976………….
…The Doodle-le-Doo Wider Opportunity ….girls gathered from all over the USA. They were met at the airport by hostess families and lived for five days at with their hostess families until the event was to begin at CJC-H. Sue Rightnour (later Breen) was General Chairman for the event. Sue, a sophomore at Cleveland State University, was the youngest person to have the responsibility of planning a major event for the council. She had proven her organizational ability in 1973 when she and Sue Scripp, both Senior Scouts, had operated a day camp on the Wintergreen site.
Doodle-le-Doo featured the wide range of arts available in the Cleveland area. The girls visited the Cleveland Dance Center, a Cleveland Orchestra performance at Blossom Music Center, Cain Park, Chagrin Valley Little Theater, The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Fairmount Center for the performing arts, the Natural History Museum, and the Western Reserve Historical Society. Artists from Cleveland went to the campsite to hold workshops on creative dramatics, set design, make up, theatrical lighting, ballet, and filmmaking. The climax of the event was a talent night when each girl was given an opportunity to demonstrate her own talents for parents and hostess families. The entire event was a demonstration of the qualities of leadership and self-confidence Girl Scouting develops in its members. ( Page 93)
The Council’s “Hidden Heroine”
……the National Council also honored the “Hidden Heroines” from each council. The list of “Hidden Heroines” was to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the United States in 1976. Lake Erie Council found its “Hidden Heroine” in Miss Helen Peterjohn.
Love of the out-of-doors and love for people were the center of Helen’s life. A teacher at Orchard School, she began leading a troop there in 1926. Her bright eyes and alert manner quickly earned her the nickname” Cricket”. The shelter on the Lake at CJC “Cricket’s Corner” bears her name. Adults and girls alike came to love her for her concern for others, to respect her for her vast knowledge of nature, and to admire her for leading her girls to plan and carry out learning experiences. Her troop was the first to camp at Bedford Campsite (before there was a cabin) and the first to have a Yule Log ceremony at Old Fort Hill. It was her troop that inspired the outdoor days for all the troops in her community. All her life Cricket was walking sprightly in the lead of any group, pointing out interesting natural phenomena. When she took her girls to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the girls thought she was an older woman. They soon learned that she could keep up with any of them. At the age of 69 she accompanied a friend’s troop down the 21-mile Johnny Apleseed Trail. ( page 91-93)
Effects of Inflation on the Council
1979 Mrs. Gunta Douglas, Council Personnel Director, proposed to a group of volunteers a weekend at camp for adults. During this weekend, a variety of program workshops could be offered to give helpful information at both the troop and intertroop levels. A committee of fifty or more volunteers panned and carried out the event, known as Scouting Outing and held at CJC-H. …. In 1981 the program became part of the council recognition weekend.
1979 was also the year that the Mill was recognized as a Historic Landmark. The Mill has stood in the council as a symbol of Girl Scouting. The energy created by its movement has given light to the buildings around it. Its rustic beauty has made a landscape come alive with new interest. And its endurance has proved the value of sound foundations and constant purpose. Girl Scouting shares its honor as a landmark of positive influence in the lives of girls. ( page 97)
The Master Plan for Camps
…. After interviewing numerous camp planning firms, the Camp Development Committee recommended to the board the firm of Knight and Stolar, which had done an earlier Master Plan for Camp Lejnar…four meetings were held in four locations throughout the council. From these hearings it became obvious that different people want different things. However, most agreed that they wanted the natural beauty preserved, facilities for summer and winter sports, and continued maintenance of the cabins and houses already on the property. Heise Cabin had already been built at Camp Lejnar, Hemlock House had recently been renovated. Priority was therefore, given to renovation of buildings at CJC-H and adding a floored tent unit to Camp Lejnar.
The necessary capitol improvements were made to North House, Coach House , Amity House, and Kirby House. The swinging bridge, dam wall, and mill foundation were also repaired.……………..
Resident camp was re-established by the board in 1983 The cost of camping reflected the inflation of the times: Day Camp fees were as high as $13 for 5 days or $15 for 8 days, Resident camp fees were raised to $85 for one week, or $185 for two weeks ( including a weekend). By 1987, troops were paying $5 per tent used for a weekend in a tent unit. Kirby and Amity cost $60 for a weekend , one room cabins cost $45 per weekend. Even with the increase in fees, the council was subsidizing the camping program. Camping was supported because Girl Scouts believe it builds healthy bodies, teaches respect for the world around us, encourages initiative and self-development, and fosters lasting friendships.
from The First 75 Years- A Council History 1912-1987, Lake Erie Girl Scout Council by Georginanna Bonds.
Printed and distributed 1987
Lake Erie Girl Scout Council.......the First 75 Years A Council History 1912 -1987
compiled by the history committee narrative by Geogianna Bonds
Resident camp was still done at Burton, but with the death of Mr. Horet, a rent of $250 per summer was charged to the Council. During these years when the price of property was low, a committee was appointed to look for another campsite, one more centrally located. They wanted a site that could be owned by the council as a permanent site for both day and resident camping. Members of the Camp Committee crawled under so many barbed wire fences ( there was never a campsite that was not surrounded with barbed wire) that one member said she was just too old to crawl any more. None of the properties had enough water for water sports. However, many a real estate agent said, pointing to a tiny trickle of a stream, " This river could easily be dammed for a swimming hole." ( page 24)
Purchase of Camp Julia Crowell
In 1937 the camp committee crawled under its last barbed wire fence. They found the Kirby Estate near West Richfield with, not one, but two lakes: 234 acres of land; a millhouse; a residence; a dance hall; and a caretaker's house. The property was available for $60,000. The council set out to raise the $60,000 in a Capitol Funds Campaign. Five thousand fifty persons pledged $61,157. Contributions ranged from ten cents to ten thousand dollars. All but $78 was collected, and the Kirby estate, to be known as Camp Julia Crowell belonged to the Cleveland Girl Scout Council by April 7, 1937.
The camp was dedicated on June 20, 1937; it was opened to girls on July 3, 1937. The dance hall, which had been built on springs so the floor would give when danced upon, became the dining hall and was dedicated on August 9, honoring Eleanor Garfield. The main residence was dedicated on August 17and named Kirby for Mr. and Mrs. Kirby who had sold the property to the Girl Scouts at a reduced price because the Kirbys wanted it used to benefit young people. The upper lake was named Linnea for Mrs. Friede. ( page 27)
Girl Scouts at Camp
Attendance at all camps reached 200,000 girls nationwide by 1941. In Cleveland, Girl Scouts of all races, creeds, and economic backgrounds camped together. A council camp folder from 1941 listed nine separate day camps available at locations throughout the Cleveland Metropolitan area. Day camping was done by troops. The registration fee was $1.00 and included all program activities except craft materials. Each troop was responsible for it’s own transportation ( often by public transportation with each girl paying her own carfare). Girls brought a box lunch and a drinking cup…..
Troop camping was done at Old Fort Hill, the Bedford Cabin, and some units at Camp Julia Crowell were set aside for troop camping. The fee was $1.00 per day per troop for use of the site, plus a fee of $ 0.50 per girls for a physical exam that was required of all participants. The average cost per girls was fifty nine and a half cents. The program included planning cook-outs, taking treasure hikes, or just exploring the woods, telling and dramatizing stories, and singing and dancing- anything a troop might plan. Troops could camp for a week at Camp Julia Crowell for a $20.00 site fee.
Resident Camping was done at Julia Crowell. The individual camp fee for two weeks was $18.00 for girls registered throughout the Cleveland Council and $20.00 for out-of-town girls and non-scouts. Girls were assigned to units with girls their own age in one of eight small groups of tents with wooden floors and cots. The program varied according to the interests of the girls. Some cooking was done in the out of doors, but most meals were served in Garfield Dining Hall. The camp staff included an experienced dietician, a registered nurse, Red Cross water safety instructors, and counselors experienced in camping and special program fields.
Under the guidance of these skilled councilors, girls learned swimming, boating, hiking, cooking in the out-of-doors, and taking part in programs around the campfire. Any Girl Scout who had been to camp had learned to walk cautiously in the woods and keep her eyes open for animal tracks, for wintergreen leaves, and for the tiny wildflowers she might have otherwise crushed with her feet. She had learned to identify constellations in the night sky and use them for finding directions. Every girl brought home from camp folk songs from many lands learned around the campfire. Perhaps the most important lesson for the girls was the magic of chores turning into fun when done by working together.
There were units with more simplified program for Brownies. Senior Scouts camped near Lake Linnea in ground tents and prepared their own meals. There was even a session for Mariner Scouts on Lake Linnea. Girls were given credit toward badges for their camp experiences. Reports were sent to troop leaders.
( pages 34 & 35 )
Council activities in the late 1940’s
………..camping was still popular. By the end of the 1940’s the Cleveland Council alone had 1,010 girls attending day camp, 737 attending resident camp, and 1,665 attending troop camps in a single year.
…………..To expand the facilities at our council campsite, a winterized cabin to known as Hilltop House was built at Camp Julia Crowell. The cabin was to be used for year round troop camping, for adult conferences, and for a summer rainy day shelter for resident campers. To encourage troop trip camping, the Council equipped a trailer for troop use on longer trips.
( pages 38-39 )
Expansion of camp facilities in the Cleveland Council
In 1953 when GSUSA membership reached the 2,000,000 mark, membership in the Cleveland Council hit 19,751 girls and adults. In 1953 the council located and bought the 125 acre campsite in Macedonia. Funds were raised to make improvements at camp Julia Crowell and to develop the new camp.
……..just two years after Camp Margaret Bates was opened, 93 acres of land adjoining camp Julia Crowell came on the market. The land, which had at one time been one of the largest apple orchards in Ohio, bordered on the upper Lake of CJC . Two large brick houses had been built on the lake, and there was a garage and a coach house. Council President Mrs. John McNeill ( Martha Jane) and Helen Murray were convinced after inspecting the property that the council, looking toward its future needs, should purchase this tract of land. After careful consideration by the BoD, the land was purchased in 1957. A contest was held among the girls for naming the new camp, and the name selected was Hilaka.
At first the houses were known as North and South Houses. But later, South House became Amity. ( the theme of the World Song, meaning friendship) Two units, each with six platform tents were installed. The camp was dedicated in 1960 by Margaret Bates, then third VP of GSUSA. For a few years, the houses and tents were used for troop camping or day camping. The next few years were spent drafting development plans for future expansion of the camp. ( page 50)
Camping program in the Cleveland Council
………..the folder for all camps read ” Camping is………more than learning campcraftskills and how to live in the out-of-doors; it is truly a new way of life with new disciplines and new joys …….camping stretches a girl’s capacity, enlarges her adaptability to new situations, and challenges her to make Girl Scout Ideals a living principal in her life. “ ( page 51)
Tragedy at CJC
…….At about 4:45 on the morning of August 4, 1959, while the girls slept at CJC, a bolt of lightening from a summer thunderstorm struck a tree and forked out to strike two tents in a primitive camping section of the camp. Two thirteen year old girls, Sally Parker and June Gamble, were killed instantly. Merrilyn Featherstun and Lynn Weisenberger in the other tent were injured. Camp station wagons took the injured girls to a hospital in Medina. Merrilyn was treated and released. She considered returning to camp but decided to go home. “I’ll be back next year”, she told camp officials when she left. Lynn was hospitalized for a few days and did not return to camp; however , her sister Peggy stayed at camp. ” Why bring her home?" asked her father. “It is a well run camp. You can’t guard against lightning.“ A few parents withdrew their children from camp, but most of the 200 campers stayed. ( page 54)
The End of the Decade
……..[the presidential turn of Mrs. John Meyer] was marred by …. The untimely death of Council Program Director, Mabel Smith. Miss Smith had been one of those persons who was admired by adults and girls alike for her imaginative program ideas and her unceasing efforts to make Scouting attractive to all girls. A shelter was dedicated in her memory at CJC
The Cleveland Council’s 40th Anniversary
….in the summer of 1960 the Cleveland Council had it’s own Roundup for Senior Scouts at Camp Hilaka. Ninety-six girls used the wilderness area to pitch their tents, cook their meals, and learn Scouting skills. The parking area at North and Coach House became a square-dance floor; honeysuckle and grape vines that were choking the growth of trees were stripped and woven into baskets; new trails were blazed for hiking; and new friendships were made on a council-wide basis. That same year, in other parts of the council, 3814 younger girls attended day camps, and Camp Margaret Bates and CJC were open for resident camping. ( page 69)
Camp Improvements
As capital funds were raised, camp improvements began……..At Camp Hilaka the camp manager’s house with garage and workshop was built. The road from Rt 176 was built as far as Amity garage. Parking lots were built at the two camp entrances. The Chagrin Valley cabin was built and the Adirondacks shelters were added. A sanitation system at CJC-H to allow for increased usage of the camps and prepare for the later addition of a swimming pool at Hilaka. ( page 73)
Progress in the Lake Erie Council
…….By 1966 the Camp Development campaign was less than $100,000 short of its goal. The contracts were let for the pool at Hilaka to be known as the Beaumont Pool, honoring a large gift from the Beaumont Foundation and the dining Hall to be known as Gund Hall recognizing a large gift from the Gund Foundation. By the time the contract was let, Gund Hall had been scaled down considerably in size because funds were not available for building the larger hall. …. ( page 78)
New Challenges for Senior Scouts
………. Alarmed by a decline in the membership at the Senior Scout level, the National organization was seeking ways to keep it’s older girl membership………….Some adults in the Lake Erie Council had difficulty relating. A successful local Cadette encampment had been held at Camp Unalia in Ashtabula. Plans were being made for a second which would include guides from Canada. The annual senior conference which the girls themselves planned was scheduled for August…
CJC-H was alive in August [1968] with 122 Senior Scouts from Lake Erie Council and 137 Seniors from 40 states as well as 18 guides from Saskatchewan Province in Canada. The theme “After Tomorrow” reflected the forward thrust of the Girl Scout Movement. ( Page 81)
Lessons from Diverse Cultures
………….1972 ………….
A Japanese student at one of the Cleveland colleges had served as a councilor at Camp Julia Crowell while she was at school in the area. She had gone back to Japan and obtained a position with the Kyoto Girl Scouts. Although she tried to describe what camping was like in the USA, the Japanese wanted to see for themselves. Forty women, ages 16 -60, came to visit the council. Twenty were housed at Hilltop House [ in Camp Julia Crowell], and twenty were in hostess homes. …..They taught Japanese ceremonies and dances. In return, they learned program and management for Girl Scout Camps. As a service project, they planted a Japanese garden at Camp Julia Crowell. It is identified with a bronze plaque. With the American money they had at the end of the tour, they bought three Japanese Maple trees that are also planted in the garden. ( page 89)
The Bicentennial Celebration …………1976………….
…The Doodle-le-Doo Wider Opportunity ….girls gathered from all over the USA. They were met at the airport by hostess families and lived for five days at with their hostess families until the event was to begin at CJC-H. Sue Rightnour (later Breen) was General Chairman for the event. Sue, a sophomore at Cleveland State University, was the youngest person to have the responsibility of planning a major event for the council. She had proven her organizational ability in 1973 when she and Sue Scripp, both Senior Scouts, had operated a day camp on the Wintergreen site.
Doodle-le-Doo featured the wide range of arts available in the Cleveland area. The girls visited the Cleveland Dance Center, a Cleveland Orchestra performance at Blossom Music Center, Cain Park, Chagrin Valley Little Theater, The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Fairmount Center for the performing arts, the Natural History Museum, and the Western Reserve Historical Society. Artists from Cleveland went to the campsite to hold workshops on creative dramatics, set design, make up, theatrical lighting, ballet, and filmmaking. The climax of the event was a talent night when each girl was given an opportunity to demonstrate her own talents for parents and hostess families. The entire event was a demonstration of the qualities of leadership and self-confidence Girl Scouting develops in its members. ( Page 93)
The Council’s “Hidden Heroine”
……the National Council also honored the “Hidden Heroines” from each council. The list of “Hidden Heroines” was to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the United States in 1976. Lake Erie Council found its “Hidden Heroine” in Miss Helen Peterjohn.
Love of the out-of-doors and love for people were the center of Helen’s life. A teacher at Orchard School, she began leading a troop there in 1926. Her bright eyes and alert manner quickly earned her the nickname” Cricket”. The shelter on the Lake at CJC “Cricket’s Corner” bears her name. Adults and girls alike came to love her for her concern for others, to respect her for her vast knowledge of nature, and to admire her for leading her girls to plan and carry out learning experiences. Her troop was the first to camp at Bedford Campsite (before there was a cabin) and the first to have a Yule Log ceremony at Old Fort Hill. It was her troop that inspired the outdoor days for all the troops in her community. All her life Cricket was walking sprightly in the lead of any group, pointing out interesting natural phenomena. When she took her girls to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, the girls thought she was an older woman. They soon learned that she could keep up with any of them. At the age of 69 she accompanied a friend’s troop down the 21-mile Johnny Apleseed Trail. ( page 91-93)
Effects of Inflation on the Council
1979 Mrs. Gunta Douglas, Council Personnel Director, proposed to a group of volunteers a weekend at camp for adults. During this weekend, a variety of program workshops could be offered to give helpful information at both the troop and intertroop levels. A committee of fifty or more volunteers panned and carried out the event, known as Scouting Outing and held at CJC-H. …. In 1981 the program became part of the council recognition weekend.
1979 was also the year that the Mill was recognized as a Historic Landmark. The Mill has stood in the council as a symbol of Girl Scouting. The energy created by its movement has given light to the buildings around it. Its rustic beauty has made a landscape come alive with new interest. And its endurance has proved the value of sound foundations and constant purpose. Girl Scouting shares its honor as a landmark of positive influence in the lives of girls. ( page 97)
The Master Plan for Camps
…. After interviewing numerous camp planning firms, the Camp Development Committee recommended to the board the firm of Knight and Stolar, which had done an earlier Master Plan for Camp Lejnar…four meetings were held in four locations throughout the council. From these hearings it became obvious that different people want different things. However, most agreed that they wanted the natural beauty preserved, facilities for summer and winter sports, and continued maintenance of the cabins and houses already on the property. Heise Cabin had already been built at Camp Lejnar, Hemlock House had recently been renovated. Priority was therefore, given to renovation of buildings at CJC-H and adding a floored tent unit to Camp Lejnar.
The necessary capitol improvements were made to North House, Coach House , Amity House, and Kirby House. The swinging bridge, dam wall, and mill foundation were also repaired.……………..
Resident camp was re-established by the board in 1983 The cost of camping reflected the inflation of the times: Day Camp fees were as high as $13 for 5 days or $15 for 8 days, Resident camp fees were raised to $85 for one week, or $185 for two weeks ( including a weekend). By 1987, troops were paying $5 per tent used for a weekend in a tent unit. Kirby and Amity cost $60 for a weekend , one room cabins cost $45 per weekend. Even with the increase in fees, the council was subsidizing the camping program. Camping was supported because Girl Scouts believe it builds healthy bodies, teaches respect for the world around us, encourages initiative and self-development, and fosters lasting friendships.
from The First 75 Years- A Council History 1912-1987, Lake Erie Girl Scout Council by Georginanna Bonds.
Printed and distributed 1987