Reverend John Farmer
Camp Director 1977-2015
Favorite Song: I have to say Tow-Ley-E-Mow-Mow because no one else will lead it! But also like Rock Around the Clock blessing and mostly, watching campers grow to be staff and lead songs.
Why Psalm 188:24? It was good for call and response; invoked a positive attitude; easy to remember and it just stuck with me.
How many years were you at camp before you knew it was your life’s work? There wasn’t a particular moment. I just enjoyed it because every day—sometimes every moment—there was something different. I also had a dream vision long before Divinity School that I was in a place with water, boats and open spaces and once at camp, felt like this was where I should be.
What did you learn at camp? I learned children are very resilent. One time there was a young camper girl that walked across camp at night to the med hut and accidentally got bit by a copperhead. We were seeing the effects of the bite and I’m calling mom, telling her we were taking the camper to the New Bern hospital. She was hospitalized for two days, then went home. About a week later, I had a phone message from mom. I called her back, expecting to hear negative comments about her daughter’s experience. Instead, the mom said, “You know, she didn’t get the full week? She wants to come back for another week. Will that be ok?”
What did you do that was important…what people needed at the time and what they have needed since then? That’s different for every camper and every staff member. Seems like a minor thing and it got to be a joke, but my hand on my chin and say hmmm…that became sorta a trademark thing. That would be I hope sometimes you have stop, sometimes you have to digest and think about it. Let me think about that…that’s an action that is a skill that develops with experience. Males have a reputation of wanting to solve the problem…for me understanding, not necessarily what was being asked…I was being asked to be heard. Learning that skill an important piece of what I did.
What did you do as director that you never expected to do? Crawled in and out and around manholes! As a director, you do things that you didn’t anticipate doing. You work in ways that you wouldn’t think you would. In many ways, it is about the same as it was 25-30 years ago…you still have a lot of people gathered together and life happens.
What is your favorite camp food? Fried Chicken! Cinnamon Rolls, homemade yeast rolls
In what ways does the camp experience enhance a child’s life? It may seem trite, but there is a self confidence of feeling knowledgeable about yourself and being capable. I think that’s an experience both for staff and campers that camp experience provides. They grew the most when there was some sense of the unexpected.
Why should college students work at camp? It gives them an opportunity to do some thing meaningful with their time, to give of themselves and know more about what they are capable of doing. I could say to make millions of dollars, but that’s not true. Opportunity for a sense of freedom but a lot of responsibility. Yet there is nothing more transferable than working at camp. People who worked at camp they had to think on their feet, they had to make decisions. Those people who have worked in camps know how important it is. I don’t think there is anything that tells you more about yourself than working at camp. Difference in having a schedule and actually doing it. Parents are looking for a lot of things for their children. Once people work at camp, they usually want to come back.
Why do you support the annual fund? I think for the same reasons…its provides an experience that’s not really available anywhere else. If camp does what it's supposed to do there is an attempt to make a small Christian community….live in a group, be part of a community moving together for a common good. Camp can provide something very unique and different.
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Mott Blair
Sailing Staff/Sailing Master 1976-1981
What is your favorite camp song? "Three Wood Pigeons" was the song that I would always lead. It was usually sung “out of tune”. The Pigeons all leave but gradually return home again!
Where did you learn to sail? I learned to sail at CDL. In those days sailing was taught with “tacking drills” on Monday mornings. The person who taught me to sail was Rosalee Ward. On that day there was no wind so Rosalee waded out into the river and pushed the little pram that I was in so that I could practice. It is amazing how a singular act on a singular day can ignite an interest for a lifetime as it did for me.
What makes the sailing program at Don Lee special? I always liked the destination sailing. Whether to Croatan, Camp Perry (Oriental) or South River, it was always challenging whether reading the weather, predicting the wind and above all keeping everyone safe.
What did you learn while serving in this leadership role? I like the small group philosophy. Working together as a small group, realizing and learning to respect our differences while together always working towards a common good were great life lessons that have served me well in working with people and organizations my entire life.
What makes the sailing program at Don Lee special? I always liked the destination sailing. Whether to Croatan, Camp Perry (Oriental) or South River, it was always challenging whether reading the weather, predicting the wind and above all keeping everyone safe.
What did you learn while serving in this leadership role? I like the small group philosophy. Working together as a small group, realizing and learning to respect our differences while together always working towards a common good were great life lessons that have served me well in working with people and organizations my entire life.
Why should college students work at camp? Working at Don Lee is the opportunity of a lifetime. Mentoring young people and at the same time having a lot of fun is a great investment of summers. I made lifelong friends at Don Lee and to this day will still encounter former fellow staff members and campers. It is the opportunity to be a part of a great friend network with a common experience.
What’s your favorite camp memory? During our time on sailing staff, the Hobie catamaran sailing trips were begun. It was closest to an “outward bound” type of experience. At that time there was no such thing as GPS navigation, cellular telephones or handheld VHF radios. We would carry all our supplies including food, water, and camping gear strapped to the trampoline of the Hobie. We did not use a chase boat and as sailing leaders we would lead using our sailing skills. We would navigate via dead reckoning using a compass and nautical chart out to Portsmouth Island and sometimes Ocracoke. It was wilderness camping and sometimes the conditions could be brutal due to the vagaries of the weather, the severity of the insects and unrelenting heat. Once, I was camping at Cedar Island in an all night rainstorm. Exhausted from the days sailing, I woke up in the late night soaked with water and my head literally in a puddle of water. The trip's spiritual leader, a minister, was sitting cross legged in the only dry spot of the tent. With a rather guilty look, he said to me, “Mott, you were sleeping so good, I couldn’t bear to wake you up!” We all learned a lot about faith, teamwork, perseverance and resilience during those trips. Interesting that many people returned for those trips in subsequent years (including the spiritual leader who watched me sleep in a puddle of water!)
Favorite Camp Meal? Friday night picnics of course-with a dessert of cinnamon rolls. At home I have a copy of Ms. Gatlin’s recipe
Why do you support the annual fund? The camp continues to touch many lives just as it has mine and it is important to support that mission going forward.
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Gaynelle and Scott Glass
> Gaynelle Glass, Summer Staffer, 1960,
Widow of Dr. Conrad Glass,
Camp Director 1960-70
> Scott Glass, Camper, Summer Staffer,
Assistant Director, 1993-96
How has Camp Don Lee impacted your life?
Gaynelle: It is where I first worked with, and enjoyed, young people and children. At camp, I met Conrad Glass who became my husband. We were married 62 years.
Scott: The short answer is that I would not have a life if it was not for Camp Don Lee. My parents met there in 1960 and were married within the year, so I owe my entire existence to CDL. My mom originally was offered a job at Chestnut Ridge but was called and asked if she would switch camps for the summer and she agreed. My dad gave her a ride to camp on a Friday, and they went out on a date the next night at Tony’s (Sanitary Fish Market) in Morehead City and were married within the year. In addition, I would not have the life I have now if it were not for working there for so many years. I met my wife, Bonnie,
at CDL and have since had my children, Katie and Sam, who have both attended, graduated as LITs and worked at camp. I believe my time at camp led me into the career I have had for the past 25 years. And certainly those summers at camp allowed me to meet some of my best friends for the past almost 40 years. It is hard to describe how much the place has meant to me and my family.
Share a favorite camp memory:
Gaynelle: Cooking many meals outside in a pot over an open flame.
Scott: The best memory is easily meeting my wife. That has impacted how the past 35 years have gone for me and that eventually led to the two best children in the history of time and space, and I don’t think that is an exaggeration. There are so many great memories that it is hard to pick just one, but I also appreciated all the staff training sessions I attended. It was always so exciting to finish school for the semester and drive to camp for the summer. That time seeing old friends and meeting new people was always a great experience.
Favorite Camp Song:
Gaynelle: Kum Ba Yah, My Lord (Come By Here, My Lord), and (We Are Climbing) Jacob’s Ladder
Scott: Lord of the Dance, but I should also share that my dad’s favorite song to sing was Dem Bones.
How does the summer camp experience impact a camper’s life?
Gaynelle: They can learn to work in a large group, get along with each other and learn to accept others just the way they are.
Scott: It can be such a powerful experience for young people to have the CDL summer experience. It is a time for them to meet new people, try new things, grow in their faith, and hopefully come away with a stronger sense of self-worth and self-confidence.
Favorite Don Lee tradition:
Gaynelle: Learning and singing camp songs after dinner.
Scott: Overnight sailing trips would be at the top of the list. They could be brutal when there was no wind, but those times allowed groups to bond and staff to lead, and I hope that camp continues to find ways to make those experiences available to campers.
What do college students gain by working at camp?
Gaynelle: They can learn and use leadership and time management skills, and they learn to work with young people.
Scott: One of the things I appreciate so much about camp is that I know the experience of working at camp for college students can be just as impactful as being a camper. It helps teach the students responsibility, how to care for others, and how to lead in a variety of situations. I know that the experience can help those college students feel a part of something bigger than themselves, and can help with their self-confidence as well. It is such a powerful experience I wish more college students would have the opportunity.
Favorite Camp Meal:
Gaynelle: Camper’s Stew (Don Lee Stew) - cooked outside over an open flame.
Scott: The circle pizzas were pretty good, but few things compare to Ms. Gatlin’s cinnamon buns. I was little when I had those, but they were memorable.
Why do you support the Camp Don Lee annual fund?
Gaynelle: Because of the need to maintain upkeep on the camp - supplies for arts and crafts, maintaining boats (canoes, sailboats, etc.), indoor and outdoor chapels, buildings, and furnishings for the buildings.
Scott: I support the annual fund because I know the impact that CDL has had on me and three generations of my
family. The trajectory of my entire life has been affected because of Camp Don Lee and the experiences I had there. I know how powerful it was to find friends and a place I felt I belonged when I was a camper but particularly when I was in college. I enjoyed it and appreciated it so much that I continued to find ways to work there for the better part of a decade. I would like for other campers and college students to have those experiences as well. The relationships I built there are still the ones that mean the most to me today.
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