by Tim Stuart
Camp Deerwoode was an extremely active place. The campers, counselors, JCs, and farm animals all represented wildly diverse backgrounds and personalities. With that kind of mix, some of the stories of Deerwoode events and escapades have become legendary. The ringleader of this circus was, of course, Bill Mayes. Not only was he the guiding vision of the Camp, but sometimes the instigator of some of those escapades.
Through the years, many of the Deerwoode folks have kept in touch, sharing stories and thoughts online or in person at the annual reunions. There are potentially thousands more who all remember at least one good Deerwoode story.
Many of these are collected here. There were quite a few contributions to the first incarnation of the Deerwoode website, in 2004, and I have included these as well. For several years, those attending the annual Deerwoode reunions were given writing prompts as “homework” assignments to jog those memories a bit. I have posted some of the responses — at least those that I felt were appropriate enough to share. By the way, I posted all these without permission, so if you have any objections or would like to edit your posting, please let me know.
Camp Deerwoode was many things to many people. Nowhere is this more evident than in the sharing of the stories, the powerful moments, and the deep affection for this place and the people throughout its history.
Recent Comments