1952 - The Year of Proof
Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 6:33AM John Vandervelde - Program Director
I enjoy flipping through the pages of "A Place Apart" when I get a chance. If you haven't seen it or read it the book was written by Coach Harv Chrouser and his wife Dorothy, the founders of HoneyRock. It chronicles the early days of the ministry, from before we camp started in 1951 - to the early 1980's. When I read "A Place Apart" I find some great, classic HoneyRock stories that make me smile. Its amazing how similar things were here now in 2010 as they were in the 1950's. I also get inspired and encouraged when I read our history. Not only to press on with our mission, and carry the HoneyRock legacy to the next generation, but also to live a life dedicated to the Lord. The early leaders of HoneyRock were men a women whose lives were deeply committed to the Lord and to sharing his love with young people. It is mighty humbling following in their footsteps.
I thought I'd share one of the entries from "A Place Apart" today, its entitled "1952 - The Year of Proof" found on page 27:
"For all those involved with the HoneyRock program in 1952 it was the "year of proof." It was imperative to successfully demonstrate that the camp should survive and become an integral part of Wheaton College. The Trustees had leased the property for two-years with the option to purchase if the project proved to be both financially self-sufficient and educationally worthy.
Just as the '51 staff felt the were part of the destiny in the first summer so also did the '52 staff feel a part of that continuing destiny - we must not fail the God-given vision for the camp. Continually we sought the Lord's wisdom in setting the summer goals for staffing and recruiting students and campers. Safety became a daily concern in our prayers. The transportation to and from camp, the Engineer program, the tripping and the in-camp activities - all had elements of risk. I remember many times asking God to surround us with guardian angels, and He did!
Budget-wise, we targeted for a 20% increase of campers, and a total of 20 students, with guest cabin and Beehive income remaining the same, and $500 in gifts. With this income we could reach our modest budget of $17,000, barring any costly emergencies, and always with frugal spending.
With the photographs taken the previous summer Bill Geidt made a splashy new fold which told the HoneyRock Camp adventure story in an impressive way. We enlarged the mailing list considerably and set up a full schedule of Camp Round-up meetings. The was at Milwaukee 12th Street Methodist Church, thanks to Tom Loberg, a parent and Advisory Board member.
We "went for broke" on all fronts of our preparation and at the end of May were very encouraged by camper and student registrations. The guest cabins were booked solid by families who wanted to see the camp their children were, or would be, attending.
Local carpenters were hired to build a small addition to the kitchen, including second-floor living quarters for Jack Estep and his new bride, Dottie, the assistant cook-to-be. For the second year on Memorial Day weekend we made a camp-opening expedition with a crew of students. This became a tradition which endured for 20 years until the quarter calendar was adopted by the college, bringing the close of school in late May.
We were discovering all the college attics and assembled a load of "select" furniture of every vintage. It was far better than what was already at camp since most of the white birch furniture in the guest cabins had already suffered through 30 years of heavy use. Behind the Buis truck we towed, "Frankie" Yuen's "Airflow" canoe trailer loaded with 12 eighteen-foot wood trusses, six feet high. They had been salvaged from G.I. housing in Oak Park and were discovered and procured by Dr. Hemwall. With these rafters in hand the envisioned recreation and assembly shelter would be simple to build.
We were delighted with the kitchen addition and the Estep apartment now completed. There was much anticipation for the day when Jack would carry his "Dottie" across the threshold. We hurried operation after the carpenters left, and moved some furniture and carpet into the "Estep Penthouse." We worked early and late moving and hooking up the kitchen equipment. What rejoicing there was! Now we had increased the dining capacity 50% to 125, enough to seat the growing camp, staff, and students."
In this season as we set budget goals, build camper cabins, install new equipment and pray for a safe and meaningful summer it's fun to look back and see the similarities how things were nearly 60 years ago. What growth we've seen and what blessing the Lord has given to this ministry!
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