Camp Nebagamon

THE CHANCE ISSUE
“In an infinite universe, anything can happen.” – Douglas Adams
(Be seated and read)

1940s—1960s

Andy Newman (St. Louis) is Chairman of Hackett Security Inc. and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Washington University… Bud Schram (Highland Park, IL/Boston) is a  brokerage director with Mass Mutual Financial Group… Michael Eastman (St. Louis) had an exhibit of his photography work at the William Shearburne Gallery in St. Louis… Alain Beretz (Strasbourg, France) has been a member of the University of Strasbourg’s pharmacology faculty since 1990 and has served as president of the university since 2009… A photograph of Ricky Gitt (St. Louis/New York) appeared in

Box hockey, 1950

The New York Times in June. It showed him reading a book to an abused dog as part of an effort by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to reintroduce the dogs to human socialization… Lars Kolind (Copenhagen, Denmark) serves as chairman of the World Scout Organization, which is working to transform scouting into the world’s premier leadership development program… Bill Tucker (St. Louis/New York City) has written a book titled Narratives of Recovery from Serious Mental Illness… Steve Wilson (Fort Smith, AR/La Quinta, CA) teaches urological surgery procedures… Dale Wilson (Fort Smith, AR/Houston) has retired after serving 36 years (and seven years of consulting) with the U.S. Customs Service… Ed Altman (Fort Smith, AR/Studio City, CA) serves as a vice president with Value Labs, a firm dealing with media and entertainment sales and solutions.

1970s—1980s

Tri-camp archery team, 1982

Jon Fisher (St. Louis/Pittsburgh) is a senior metals trader at Wimco Metals, a dealer in non-ferrous metals… Kurt Ryden (Wilmette, IL/New York City) is a Managing Director and private client advisor at U.S. Trust, Bank of America… Josh Solomon (New York City) had the pleasure of seeing his BOSS (Manhattan’s Business of Sports School) highlighted last winter in both The New York Times and on Good Morning America. On the latter, a group of students from the school served as guest interviewers. They interviewed Bill and Melinda Gates… Sanjay Jain (St. Louis) is an adjunct professor teaching entrepreneurship at St. Louis University and Washington University… Mitch Cohen (Chicago/Boulder) is the director of surgery at Denver Health medical center and a professor in the department of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine… Matt Goshko (Washington, D.C.) is a Deputy Director in the Office of Western Europe Affairs at the U.S. Department of State… Scott Silk (Louisville/San Francisco) is a regional director for Hands of Peace, an interfaith organization that brings young Palestinians, Israelis and Americans together to pursue peace, equality, freedom and justice… Tom Ruwitch (St. Louis) serves on the boards of the Scholarship Foundation, Aim High St. Louis, the Sheldon Arts Foundation, and Hope Happens.

1990s—2000s

All-camp birthday, 2006

Andrea L’Tainen (Philadelphia) teaches third grade at Germantown Friends School… Michael Tolan (St. Louis/Minneapolis) is community engagement coordinator at Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, a nonprofit organization working statewide for the use, reuse and preservation of historic buildings and sites… Troy Brodsky (St. Louis) is the executive director of the St Louis Brewers Guild and as is in charge of planning the annual St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival in June along the city’s riverfront. A feature article about his tireless entrepreneurship appeared in November in St. Louis Jewish Light… Henry McKenna (Boston) joined USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he’s become the blogger-in-chief of their new Patriots-only website, the Patriots Wire… Paul Lux (Cincinnati/St. Louis) is the director of strategic development for Luxco, a liquor producer and marketer… James Atkinson (Australia) has spent a couple of years in Fiji and Cambodia while working on the U.S. TV show “Survivor.” Among his responsibilities: Building and testing the contestants’ challenges… As CEO and founder of Fourlaps Athletic Apparel, Daniel Shapiro (Clayton, MO/New York City) was profiled in Fashion Times, which described his company as providing men with “attractive-but-attainable activewear with unique technical features and an effortlessly cool aesthetic.”

OUR PRODUCTIVE ALUMNI

We congratulate the following alumni on these new additions to their family (and the camp family):

Nikki and Bill Wallenstein (Chicago 89- 93,02) – Jordyn

Lisa and Robert Ramsay (Glasgow 04-07) – Edie

Abby and Charles Dan (Memphis/London 93-99, 01) – Hildy

WE ARE SAD TO REPORT these deaths in the camp family:

Bud Samuels (St. Louis/Naples, FL 34-39, 41)

Marty Hecht (St. Louis/Cape Girardieu 39-41)

Lou Mendelsohn (Cincinnati 41)

Paul Arenberg (Chicago/St. Louis 42-44)

Peter Nathan (St. Louis/Iowa City 44-52)

Gordon Scherck (St. Louis 46-47)

David Fleischaker (Oklahoma City 56-57)

Ed Elisberg (Glencoe, IL, camp doctor 60-63)

Art Auer (St. Louis 44-45, 47, 53-54) wrote in to declare that he is alive and well: “I was a camper in Axeman 1 in 1944 and Lumberjack 4 in 1945 and remember being at camp when WW II ended and the big bombs were dropped. Most of us were still too young to fully understand all the implications of the destruction that had occurred and the lives destroyed in Japan as well as the lives that were saved on the side of the Allies. I was at Hodag in 1947 and headed the Rifle Program for two years 1953 an 1954 and then turned it over to John Nevers. 

Art Auer at the rifle program in 1953

At this writing I am enjoying time on the west coast of Florida where we spend about 7 months in three separate segments. I still enjoy tennis, gardening, and fishing, all of which I learned at Nebagamon. In May will be my 60th anniversary of graduation from Washington University Medical School. Hard to believe all that time has flown by so fast. It would be nice to hear from some of the other old timers (aiauer@aol.com). I hesitate to name anyone for maybe they are in that great campground in the sky. Keep the fires burning!”

As editor/publisher of a quarterly magazine called Terrain, focusing on outdoor fitness, recreation, adventure and discovery in the St. Louis area, Brad Kovach (St. Louis 82-87, 89, 99) was able to reference Nebagamon in his “from the editor” note in the Winter 2015/2016 issue. He discussed the origins of his love of the outdoors, recalling his “first summer away from home at a wilderness camp in the village of Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. Part of the program included outdoors skill training—knots, pocket knives, tent pitching, campfire cooking, orienteering—as well as the option of taking overnight trips in the nearby Porkies Mountains and Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I can’t begin to recount all the fun and life-affirming experiences I had while there.” Terrain can also be found online at terrain-mag.com.

Wondering what gift to give to a fellow Nebagamon alumnus? Last December, Mike Cole (Indianapolis/Cleveland 56-63) wrote to say that he unwrapped an unusual gift from his son Kevin (Cleveland/Boston, 86-92, 94-95) on the first night of Hanukkah last year—a topographical map of Lake Nebagamon. That is, the lake itself. In case any other alums are interested, Mike wrote, “Though it is produced by a company in Harbor Springs Michigan—Lake Art—he purchased it through a New York based company known as Uncommon Gifts.” Some facts: Range Road is on the map. The lake consists of 913 acres. And its deepest point is 56 feet.

After Lawrence “Punky” Chapman (Omaha 44-49) met a fellow Nebagamon alumnus Ricardo Phillips and his son (also named Ricardo) on the California coast a couple of years ago, he was moved to send the following letter, which Ricardo shared with the current camp directors: “Ricardo, it was such a pleasure meeting you and your extraordinary son yesterday… You should have seen the expressions on your faces when I mentioned ‘Nebagamon!’ Because of its central U.S. location, it never dawned on me that the camp had expanded internationally in so many directions. As I mentioned, over the years, I have run into many campmates at various places around the world, and the instant we meet we begin recapping our wonderful camp experiences—always truly inspiring and exhilarating – we are indeed a fraternity. Realizing that I was at Nebagamon nearly 71 years ago and that so much has remained the same was a true awakening. I hadn’t heard the name ‘Throck’ for over 60 years and have wondered on occasion if the A.K. Agakimik exercise was still in play. Just mentioning Muggs and Janet Lorber and Nardie and Sally Stein brought back such lovely memories. I remember Sally running around the Big House as a little girl. Also, I can remember the Lorbers coming to our home in Omaha to make a recruiting presentation, as if we needed one.  My twin brothers, now 87 years old, attended there as well in the 1930s… Well, enough with the nostalgia today—but be assured, the two of you made my year. Upon arriving home, I immediately called my campmate Jonas Weil (originally from Lexington, KY) to tell him of our meeting. He was absolutely ‘stoked’ (as the kids say today).”

Joe and Marilyn Hirschhorn, partying in 1999

Joe Hirschhorn (Cincinnati 40-44, 47-48, 99, 01-08) wrote to tell the tale of an international meeting that wasn’t necessarily a chance encounter, per se, but is certainly representative of the reach of Nebagamon: “In 2005 Marilyn and I planned an Atlantic Crossing from Ft. Lauderdale to Lisbon. Three days before we departed, Marilyn suggested we check the C/N Alumni Roster to see if by any chance there was someone listed in Portugal. To our surprise, one person was listed, Don Price. Don is approximately 10 years younger than we and,of course, our paths had never crossed. Undaunted, we emailed him and received a prompt reply that he would be delighted to see and help another ex-camper. We arrived in May, took a cab, from the port to our hotel and spent a couple of hours, on our own, getting acquainted with Lisbon. On this initial foray Marilyn had her wallet stolen, and so it was back to the hotel and calls to cancel credit cards. Don had sent an English speaking taxi driver (a friend) to show us the sights that first afternoon… The next morning. we took the train to Cascais, a seaside town and Don’s home. He served as our friend, guide and teacher for the rest of a full day… I could go on raving but it was a most pleasant experience, all connected by our summers at Nebagamon.”

Front row: Adam Kaplan, Max Settineri, Matthew Santner, Todd Alhers, Troy Donovan, Kayla Rosenow, Jeremy Boshwit, Barnaby Sargent Megicks, Amy Mack, Charlie Gordon, Alex Gagnon

Second row: Tony Blumberg, Hugh Broder, Bill Hensel, Jaye Hensel, Jon Rogen, Sally Stein, Nardie Stein, Allen Bennett, Jill Kiersky Marcus, Keri Rosenbloom, Amber Burvall, Grant Rosskamm, John Kleeman

Third row: Paul May, David Serwer, Grace Slosburg, Bud Herzog, Sam Slosburg, Eric Kessler, Adam Bezark, John Bezark, Mark Caro, Bill Caro, Jeffrey Cohen, Dana Gustafson Regan

Back row: Adam Winick, Jim Koretz, Bill Nefsky, Bruce Rogen, Zack Colman, Jon Colman, Jon Star, Andy Kaplan, Carlos Beaujean, Joel Hensel, Margeaux Settineri, Andy Mack, Hank Pulitzer

The Camp Nebagamon Charities web site www.cncharities.org is dedicated to both the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund (CNSF) and Camperships For Nebagamon (CFN). Learn about different donation options, read about each charity, and more.

Introducing CNSF’s New Logo

A big “HOW!” to Dana (Gustafson) Regan for designing the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund’s new logo. Dana, a professional children’s book illustrator and former Nebagamon Art Shop director (in the 1980s), donated her design services. CNSF’s new logo (in Nebagamon blue and gold) evokes a North Woods vibe with a whiff of how camp changes kids’ lives for the better. If you think the tent looks like a book, you’re right! We hope CNSF’s impact on kids who experience poverty and disability comes through loud and clear: fun, friendship, freedom, nature, adventure, learning and forward momentum in life.

Recent Donors to the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund

Thanks to the generosity of Nebagamon alumni and friends, the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund supports transformative camp experiences for youth who experience poverty and/or intellectual and physical disabilities. Recipient camps, located near communities where Nebagamon campers live, are a home-away-from-home where youth in difficult circumstances are among peers and powerful role models for success.

Check out (and like!) our Facebook page for a first-hand glimpse of photos and insights that illustrate the amazing impact the CN Scholarship Fund is having on kids’ lives. Founded in 1947 by Muggs and Janet Lorber and administered for 50+ years by Nardie and Sally Lorber Stein, the CN Scholarship Fund provides tuition scholarships at nonprofit camps that cultivate skills and values needed for success. Thanks to generous donations to the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund, 225 kids attended camp in the summer of 2016 (up from 175 in 2015).

The CN Scholarship Fund gratefully acknowledges donations from April 1, 2016 – October 31, 2016:

Lara and Michael Balser

Peter Bloch

Lori and Jeff Blumenthal

Joe Borinstein

Linda and Philip Carl

Teddy Chazkel

Debbie Dalal

Jessie and Scott Diamond

Luise and Ed Drolson

Deepa Dwarakanath

Anthony Ero

Sara and Scott Fisher

Julie and Dan Frank

Laura and Bill Freeman

Susan and Bill Goldenberg

Carolyn Grant

Sherry and Michael Grosman

Bobbie and Mark Gutman

Dee Dee and Dick Harris

Pat and Michael Harris

Carol and Leonard Hershkowitz

Blair Kaplan

Irene and Dmitri Kaznachey

Malcolm Kerr

Jen Kline-Galkin

Claudia Simons and Alan Korn

Stu Kornfeld

Pam and Mark Kuby

Janet Leeds

Sondra and Alan Levi

Judith Axelrod and Kenneth Lewis

Joyce and Brad Long

Leslie and Paul Lux

Reed Maidenberg

Nancy Brown and Andrew May

Michael Mendelsohn

Deborah and David Mendelson

Teena and Mike Myers

Leah and James Myers

Bill Nefsky

Cynthia Wachtell and Jeff Neuman

Deborah Snyder and Jim Platt

Viki and Tom Rivkin

Marie and Louis Robbins

Cindy and Jon Rogen

Marya and Tony Rose Foundation

Jonathan Tobak and Keri Rosenbloom

Carol Murphy and Bill Rosenthal

John Rubel

Leslie Rusoff

Mary Anne Saltzstein

Kim and Tom Saltzstein

Isaac Schiff-Lewin

Julius Schweich Jr.

Laura Seeley

Geula and Josh Solomon

Solon E. Summerfield Foundation

Nesta and Walter Spink

Barbara and Frank Star

Irene and Norton Starr

Ellen and Corky Steiner

Elizabeth and Walter Stern

Ann and Will Stern

Gavin Stern

Emily Glasser and Bill Susman

Nanette Williams

Recent Donors to Camperships for Nebagamon

Camperships for Nebagamon (CFN) was established in 1995 to enable children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to have a camping experience. Over the years, the CFN endowment fund has provided camperships for boys to attend Nebagamon and girls to attend Camp WeHaKee. Campers receiving camperships help to diversify their camp communities by virtue of their racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic status. In addition, CFN continues the tradition of support to sons and grandsons of Nebagamon alumni who demonstrate financial need.

CFN wishes to thank the following individuals who generously made donations to CFN from April 1, 2016 – October 31, 2016:

Gayle and Corey Arlen

Lisa and Andy Aronson

Neeraj Baxi

Lynn, Bob and Robert Behrendt

Susan and Simon Blattner

Lori and Jeff Blumenthal

Julie and Adam Braude

Tracy and Martin Bregman

Linda and Don Brown

Lewis Burik

Nancy Chang

Ralph Cohen

Lisa and Sherman Cohen

Carrie and Steve Cohen

Jeffrey Cohen

Elizabeth Moss and Bill Dubinsky

Daniel Finan

Marjorie and Terry Franc

Julie and Dan Frank

Roxanne Frank

Laura and Bill Freeman

William Friedman

Bill Friedman

Osnat and Greg Gafni-Pappas

Judy Garfinkel

Terri Grossman

Ethan Harkavy

Shirley and Barnett Helzberg Jr.

Barbara Herz

Carol and Richard Hillsberg

Marilyn and Joe Hirschhorn

Marjorie and Robert Kaplan

Leo Kayser III

Malcolm Kerr

Sharapat and Eric Kessler

Daniel Kotcher

Roberta De Araujo and Ron Kreisman

Janet Koestring and John Kupper

Mike and Jane Lenz

Ming J. Lowe

Laura and Ken Mack

Reed Maidenberg

Elaine Rosenblum and Charles Mendels

Michael Mendelsohn

Julie Stevenson and Tom Meyer

Benjamin Moskowitz

Betsy Murray

Janet and Fred Nachman

Bill Nefsky

Brian Neil

Brenda and Sandy Passer

Deborah Snyder and Jim Platt

Renee and Joel Posener, M.D.

Rita and Kevin Powers

Marcia Kaplan and Michael Privitera

Judy Rolfe

Alyne and Jim Rolfe

Emily and Bob Rosenberg

Bryce Rosenbloom

Jonathan Tobak and Keri Rosenbloom

Carol Murphy and Bill Rosenthal

Dawn and Dan Saltzstein

Ruth Sang

Laurel and Edward Shapiro

Allison and David Singer

Lucy and Eric Slosser

Sue and Bob Smith

Julie and Rick Smith

Geula and Josh Solomon

Gloria and Paul Sternberg, Jr.

Barney Straus

Deborah Aronnoff and William Strull

Laurel Southworth and Andrew Susser

Robert Tecktiel

Peggi and Michael Touff

Esther Starrels and John Wasserman

Betty and Bernard Werthan

Phyllis and Bruce Willett

Deborah and Adam Winick

by Mason Wright

Who doesn’t love a horse ‘n’ goggle?

Whether campers are hoping for a spot in the MOCA kitchen or an extra dollop of brownie glop, the system of selection known as the horse ‘n’ goggle has become a Camp Nebagamon constant. In fact, look it up on Wikipedia. First, you’ll find a description: “To use the system, all participants stand in a circle. An arbitrary member of the group is selected by the leader as a starting point. All participants simultaneously throw between zero and five fingers. The leader counts the total number of fingers thrown, then counts that many people around the circle. The selected person is the winner.”

But scan the footnotes, and you’ll discover this: “Camp Nebagamon, Camp Horseshoe, and North Star Camp, all located in Wisconsin, have references to this game on their websites.”

In Keeping the Fires Burning, Nardie and Sally Stein describe the horse ‘n’ goggle as “a way of ‘throwing fingers’ to decide who gets chosen for an extra dessert—or perhaps an extra job. It is usually (unless the counselor conducting it is a skilled mathematician) a game of chance.”

Anyone who has visited Nebagamon during recent summers may have witnessed a horse ‘n’ goggle renaissance. These days, the campers shout—ein, zwei, drei, horse ‘n’ goggle!—with gusto. Loud. Really loud. And the counselor horse ‘n’ goggle tournament, started in 1986, has evolved into the king of counselor competitions, with the two finalists often arriving for the championship throw like heavyweight prizefighters entering the ring. It is all pomp and circumstance.

And randomness, right?

Well, actually, it turns out that the horse ‘n’ goggle is not necessarily the fair and responsible way of allocating resources that the MOCA staff would have you believe.

I own a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Michigan, and I am currently a PhD candidate in computer science and engineering in Ann Arbor. I’ve studied artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational complexity. I’ve worked in data analysis for Microsoft. I have co-authored studies with names like “An Investigation of the Effect of Competition on the Way Students Engage in Game-Based Deliberate Practice.” So numbers and predictors are my game.

Inspired by four summers as a Nebagamon camper (1997-2000) and two as a counselor (2006 and 2007), I decided to delve into the mysteries of the horse ‘n’ goggle. And here’s what I discovered: There is a way—a small way, and not a sure thing by any means, but a way—to beat the system, sort of. The secret: Position yourself halfway around the circle.

With more than six players, a standard horse ‘n’ goggle game is actually biased against Player One, the first person to be counted. The person directly across from Player One—halfway around the circle—has better odds of being picked, and this only becomes more probable if there are lots of players.

How can this be? In a game with six players, each player controls his own destiny—in the sense that whatever number the others throw, there is some number (0 to 5) that he can throw that will prove to make him the winner. With more than six players, however, there is the possibility that no matter what he throws, the count may not land on him. He is the mercy of the odds.

On a popular MOCA night with lots of hands in the horse ‘n’ goggle, the “law of large numbers” says the average throw will be almost exactly 2.5. That’s because (0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5) / 6 = 2.5. This means that the count will often pass around the circle 2.5 times and finish across from Player One.

In fact, a computer simulation finds that with 50 players in the horse ‘n’ goggle, Player One is over four times less likely to win than the player halfway around the circle. And with even more players—imagine, say, a camp-wide horse ‘n’ goggle—the odds are even better that the count will finish halfway around the circle.

It is the same concept as flipping a coin. Flip in ten times, and it might land on heads eight times. Flip it 1,000 times, and it’ll be close to 50-50.

So now you know the dark secret of the horse ‘n’ goggle. If you find yourself in a particularly big circle, position yourself about halfway around it—directly across from where they start counting. Unless, of course, someone decides to randomize the spot where the counting begins. Because there’s one thing of which we can be certain: In a horse ‘n’ goggle, nothing is certain.