From the time first he arrived in 1955, even before he became co-director, Nardie Stein was a force at Camp Nebagamon.
For countless campers and staff members over the course of his 30 years co-helming camp, Nardie was a beloved and ubiquitous part of the summer experience…
Whether he was at the microphone…
Or handing out awards…
Or welcoming his old pal from the Yo Yo Islands…
Or leading the camp in song (and enjoying the singing)…
He was a constant source of wisdom and advice…
But he was also beloved for his sense of humor and playfulness…
And while so many of us remember Nardie as a patriarch of the camp family, his own family meant everything to him.
In November, many in the camp family traveled to St. Paul for Nardie Stein’s memorial service at Mount Zion Temple. And many more read his obituary (find it here) and watched the livestream of the memorial, which can be viewed in its entirety below:
Here are some excerpted family memories from a celebration of a truly impactful life:
Daughter Jessie Stein Diamond: “I picture him at the wheel of our humongous1970s Aero station wagon with a compass affixed to the windshield – our pre-Internet GPS… For me, that compass evokes so much about Nardie. He had a great sense of direction, literally and metaphorically, and a strong moral compass, a great sense of fun, a true zest for adventure… Nardie devoted his career to giving children the kind of play, adventure and friendship that make childhood joyous and to transmitting values to help people become their best selves… Dad was very lucky. He was married to the love of his life for 67 years. His career gave his life meaning, purpose, and lifelong friends. He never took any of that for granted.”
Son Ted Stein: “I’ll remember him most not as a lucky man, but as an extraordinarily good one… Dad intuitively wanted to do the right thing, and he frequently did it even if no one was watching. He never missed the right moment to visit friends or relatives, no matter how far flung or how late in the day… Nardie epitomized the saying that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life… I couldn’t have asked for a better father. He was as good as it gets.”
Daughter Jane Stein Kerr: “Dad had a gift for seeing strength and talents in people they often didn’t recognize in themselves. Many camp alumni have told us of Nardie’s and Sally’s life-changing impact on them… For some of you, it was a lesson gently administered when you were a child. For others, it was working with and for them… Dad loved learning about your successes and accomplishments. What you were doing in the world fascinated Dad. He was infinitely proud of the people you have become.”
Granddaughter Daisy Diamond: “Nardie had a knack for connecting with people of all ages. He was an adult who could truly interact with children in a genuine way, making you feel like equals and always eager to join in the fun.”
Granddaughter Sarah Kerr: “He showed us the importance of volunteering, staying engaged in current events, standing up for what is right, welcoming people to this country and our lives and always continuing to learn new things.”
Granddaughter Elena Stein: “He approached life with so much curiosity, unpretentiousness, an appreciation for differences and an inner compass that always pointed in the direction of doing good… We often felt like we shared our grandfather with the many camp folks who loved him, but that was okay. Nardie showed us that love and care for others is an ever-expanding renewable resource.”
And, of course, his children and grandchildren couldn’t discuss Nardie without touching on his sense of humor:
Ted: “Dad was pragmatic and humble. If he saw a problem, he found a solution. If the solution was simple or funny, all the better. Why call a plumber when he could fix a temperamental toilet with a Dymo sticker that said PJHTY, reminding us all to Please Jiggle Handle, Thank You… Dad’s humor was often unexpected, and it was never mean. He was frequently the butt of his own joke. He wore socks and sandals not only for his own comfort, but also for the kids and counselors who liked to joke about it.
Jessie: “Dad typically carried a pocketknife and a tape measure in his pants pocket, a pad of paper in his shirt pocket, a Batman credit card in his wallet… (And regarding his adoration of Sally), “Once, during a vacation in Italy after they retired, Dad found a great hotel by asking a garage mechanic, ‘If you were traveling with a young Sophia Loren, where would you stay?’”
Jane: “(In his last months) Nardie’s sense of humor remained intact. His caregivers loved his witty responses to their frequent questions. When the nurse who accompanied him from Duluth to Minneapolis introduced herself, she said, ‘Hi, Nardie. I’m Heidi. He replied with a boyish smile, ‘Hi, Heidi. I’m Seeky!”
Elena: “With Nardie, the world was a place filled with friends you just hadn’t met yet. Intimidating strangers would be reduced to giggles with Nardie’s challenge of an armwrestling match.”
This remembrance has been excerpted from Chapter 29 of Keeping the Fires Burning: A History of Camp Nebagamon, which can be purchased here.
On the occasion of my seventieth birthday, I was honored at a wonderful party given by Sally and the kids. My entire family and a number of friends gathered, including some really unexpected dear friends from out of town. After the skits, roasts, and toasts had died down, I finally got the floor, thanked everyone, and showcased the award I had just bestowed upon myself: the World’s Luckiest Guy medal. This simple three-by-five-inch piece of fiberboard, which I had made and inscribed with the letters “WLG,” was hanging inside my shirt, waiting for this moment!
In reflecting on my life, I feel many of the truly wonderful events came about as a matter of pure luck rather than by design. I grew up in a happy, wonderful family in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and lived a comfortable middle-class life. I can recall taking hikes with my mom in wooded areas and parks in Fort Smith, and occasionally our family would “go up the mountains” north of Fort Smith because my dad’s only recreational interest was fishing in the streams of the Boston Mountain Range. While he tried to interest me in fishing, I was too restless, always wanting to go hiking and exploring in the abundant beauty of those areas.
My first real taste of camping came at age twelve at the Boy Scout Camp near Rudy, Arkansas. I was a member of Troop 15 of the First Methodist Church along with my older cousins, Benno Friedman and Fred Braht. We swam, hiked, passed merit badges, and had the challenge of sweeping our tents daily to remove the many tarantulas that enjoyed visiting our sleeping quarters.
I was also aware that two families who lived down our street sent their sons away to some fancy camp up north for eight weeks. And, yes, Buddy Rogers and Randy and Jerry Ney were indeed at Camp Nebagamon. I didn’t know them well because they were not my age.
The rest of my summers were spent at my father’s business, Stein Wholesale Dry Goods Company, where I worked from age ten on through my college summers. I stocked shelves, packed outgoing orders, swept the floors, and drove packages to the post office. I was happy, learning how to work with some fine people and earning a minimum wage (forty cents an hour) salary. In high school I was active in many organizations and was an officer in most of them.
Looking back on my high school years in Arkansas, I realized also that I was unaware of the realities of living in the segregated South. As part of the small Jewish minority in Fort Smith (sixty families), my parents were not motivated to work for social change. In fact they were wary of “rocking the boat,” being fearful of the Klan, anti-Semitism, and social rejection. I regret my own inaction in those days and my parents’ lack of involvement in social justice issues, but I partially understand their lack of involvement—this was the South in the 1930s and 1940s.
Another great chapter of my early years was getting to go with Boy Scout Troop 15 to the National Boy Scout base, Philmont, near Taos, New Mexico, for two weeks in the summers of 1945 and 1946. We hiked, climbed mountains, and had rugged adventures in the desert and mountains of the Southwest.
As high school days were ending I felt confident that my good grades, numerous extracurricular activities, and leadership records, plus where I lived, would give me a leg up in the college application process. Yale, Washington University, and Vanderbilt, in that order, were my choices. I was confident that all three would want me, so it came as a shock when Yale turned me down, but the other two sent acceptance letters.
So there was a tipping point in my life: had I gone to Yale, I think I would have hated it, and I would never have met Sally Lorber or Camp Nebagamon. Need I say more?
Washington University in St. Louis was a fine choice, and I enjoyed my new friends in college and in Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. My mother’s family, who all lived nearby, were hospitable, providing free meals and loaner cars for weekend dates. My social life was never better. My fraternity brothers were friendly, helpful, and marvelous at fixing us “out of town” guys with dates. Bud Pollak, one of the older guys in the frat house and a Nebagamon counselor, suggested I call Sally Lorber, which I did in December 1949. And so, as they say, “The rest is history!” I thought Sally was one of the nicest, cutest, and smartest people in the world. And I still do! Muggs, Janet, and Maggie were nice to me and were also a source of Sunday meals when our frat house closed its kitchen.
Muggs offered me a job at his camp during those early college years, but I didn’t think going to work at a place where I was dating the boss’s daughter sounded like a good idea. So I continued working at Stein Wholesale in the summer.
While Washington University turned out to be a good choice for me, I quickly discovered that the education I received in Fort Smith had not prepared me for rigorous studying and real academic challenge, and I really struggled at first. Although I entered college thinking I’d like to be a doctor, I dropped that dream and studied what I liked with the professors I liked, feeling that eventually I would find my way. People chuckle when I reveal I was a medieval literature major with a minor in psychology and a lot of classical art and archaeology courses.
Another reason I qualified for the WLG award is that I was drafted as a sophomore, during the Korean War, but Congress changed the draft laws a few months later and allowed college students to be deferred as long as we kept our grades up. As a result, I graduated in 1953 and was inducted the very day the Korean armistice was signed in July of that year. And the good luck continued. At Fort Sill, Oklahoma, one week after induction, I noticed an ad seeking foreign language translators. I, of course, signed up for French, as I had had three years in high school and two more in college, and I stayed behind when my unit was shipped out, so that I could take the test. I took it, discovering how inadequate my French skills were, and did not qualify as a translator. I was then placed with a unit that was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for basic training, where by luck I got an interview with another Washington University graduate, who let me select my Signal Corps specialty job: cryptography.
Although Sally and I had dated quite a bit as she finished the last year and a half of high school, we “broke up” after she graduated and went off to the University of Michigan. Upon completing my army training, I visited old friends and family in St. Louis at Christmastime in 1953, and lo and behold, there was Sally again. We saw each other briefly and realized our relationship was not really over. We said goodbye at Union Station in St. Louis, and I boarded the train back to Georgia, once again dazzled by young Sally Lorber.
We saw each other again a few months later in Florida, as I knew I was going overseas and wanted to say goodbye. She was visiting her parents, who had by then moved to Miami Beach. This time we knew we were in love, but I had one and a half more years of overseas army duty, and she had one and a half more years at the University of Michigan. We decided to quietly make plans for a future together and shared this decision only with our immediate families. So Sally returned to Ann Arbor, and I headed to Seattle, then to Japan, where I again had the good luck to be stationed near Yokohama at Camp Zama, the headquarters of the U.S. Army Far East Command. My duty as a cryptographer was reasonably interesting, and I had ample time for travel and learning about Japan and its rich culture.
In summer 1954, I received a letter from Muggs that shocked me. In it he explained that he and Janet wanted to plan for their retirement, and he wanted to know if I was interested in a career in camping. This was truly a bolt out of the blue! I had welcomed my two years of required army service, as it gave me a cushion of time to consider possible careers. I only knew the three business offers I had received failed to interest me. These were small family businesses, and eight years later they had all disappeared. Again, a lucky decision!
I responded cautiously to the offer of directing Camp Nebagamon and began corresponding about this possibility with Sally and Muggs. I was excited about this opportunity, but it loomed as a frightening unknown. Muggs and Janet felt they could train Sally and me and decided that my best training would be “on the job” in carefully measured steps.
I was discharged from the army in late May 1955 and went to Wisconsin in mid-June to meet Nebagamon and start counselor training, a big transition for this mustered-out soldier in a short period of time. The first step was serving as a senior counselor in Swamper One with a junior counselor and six wonderful first-year ten-year-old campers. It was a summer fraught with conflicting agendas. Sally and I were busy trying to plan our October wedding and our future and had many big issues to deal with, while each of us had to get used to each other again. We were also trying to envision careers as camp directors of a large, successful boys’ camp.
In retrospection, it is safe to say I also was terrified (or at least I should have been!). Here was this huge business dominated by a larger-than-life hero figure—Muggs Lorber—dynamic, brilliant, super-athlete, gifted, a personality-plus guy . . . and I was contemplating filling his shoes!
Somehow we got through the summer of 1955. After our small wedding in the Big House, we were off on a wonderful three-week cross-country drive ending in Miami Beach. We then had a ten-day honeymoon in Nassau, paid for with my army savings. What a great start to our marriage!
Keep us posted! You can send life updates to Louis Levin in the camp office (louis@campnebagamon.com) or directly to Keylog editor Brad Herzog (brad@bradherzog.com).
Edgar Rothschild (Nashville, 62-66) just finished a bike tour of Sicily, covering a total of 450 miles… Rand Shapiro (St. Louis 65-69, 71-75, 08-11, 13-15) is a homebound teacher in St. Louis, educating students who cannot attend school in person… Jennifer Daskal (Paradise Valley AZ/Washington D.C. 91-92, 96, 99), a globally recognized expert in cyber policy and national security and faculty director of the American University Washington College of Law Tech, Law and Security Program, was named Deputy General Counsel (Cyber and Technology) at the Department of Homeland Security last February. She previously served as senior counsel for Human Rights Watch and in the Department of Justice during the Obama administration… After 25 years as a staff member (19 as Associate Director), having served as a cabin counselor, Program Director, Wilderness Tripping Director, staff recruiter, and all-around welcome presence at Camp Nebagamon, Adam Fornear (Duluth 92-97, 01, 04-22) has started a new career with the Duluth Parks and Recreation Department.
Adam Fornear
Ben Edmunds (Birmingham MI/Portland OR 93-97, 99-04, 07-08) is the co-founder, co-owner and brewmaster at Breakside Brewery in Portland, Oregon, where he oversees the company’s production brewery and two pub breweries… Jonathan May (Memphis 94-98, 00-06) recently completed a half-Ironman triathlon… Brian Bauer (Nashville 98-00, 02-03) and his company Bauer Entertainment were nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year by the Nashville Business Journal… Ben Deutsch (Atlanta 02-07, 09) married Sophie Koff from Scarsdale, NY… Brothers Spence Myer (St. Louis 02-07, 09-12, 14) and Jackson Meyer (St. Louis 04-09, 14) were both inducted into the MICDS Hall of Fame as hockey players. Brian Mounce (Scottsdale, AZ/Memphis 04-08, 10) teaches history and politics at Christian Brothers University in Memphis…
Andy Cohen gives a Sunday Service in 2019
Andy Cohen (St. Louis 04-10, 12-21) is Sales Manager for the Ritz Carlton in St. Louis… Jeffrey Burnstein (Glencoe/Atlanta 05-10, 12-14) is working in commercial real estate with the Bridge Investment Group… Michael Deutsch (Atlanta 06-11, 13-14, 16-18) is a Data Analyst with Ernst and Young. Ben Montag (Atlanta 12-18) is studying sports management and playing baseball for the Rice Owls… Four years ago, Jamie Lau (London 10-12, 14) and his partner Adam adopted two boys, who are now seven and eight years old. Jamie is a personal trainer in London, having built a studio gym in his back garden… Gus Peters (Raleigh, NC 10-15, 17) graduated as a Second Lieutenant with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO… Sam Rezaei (Chicago 11-15, 17) is walking across the country from New York City to Los Angeles to raise money for unhoused Chicago residents. He is almost finished with his journey – you can track his journey and donate on his Instagram page here.
A Nebaga-crew at the October wedding of Louis Levin and Maggie O’Hara
*****
OUR PRODUCTIVE ALUMNI
Josh Kotin (Chicago 91-96, 98-01) and Katie Durick – Benjamin
Tom Elson (Chicago/Washington D.C. 93-99, 01-04, 09, 13, 17) and Adam Backels – Ethan
Paul Schutz (Chicago 97-02, 04, 06, 08, 10) and Lauren Schutz – Isla
Scott Ventrudo (Redondo Beach, CA 98-03, 05-09, 12) and Emily Brosius (08-09) – Noah
Joel Sircus (Chicago 01-07, 09-10, 14) and Stephanie Rivkin – Cooper
Michael Kaplan (Los Angeles/Washington D.C. 01-05, 07-08) and Elizabeth Kaplan – Henry
Ben Donchin (Oklahoma City 03-08) and Stephanie Donchin – George
Michael Cohen (Atlanta 05-07, 10) and Emily Cohen – Jack
*****
WE ARE SAD TO REPORT THE DEATHS OF THE FOLLOWING ALUMNI:
Bernard “Nardie” Stein (Fort Smith, AR/St. Louis/Minneapolis 55-90)
Bob Mendelsohn (Cincinnati/St. Louis 40-44, 50, 67)
Allan Sher (Washington, D.C./Santa Monica, CA 42-47)
Walter Shifrin (St. Louis 44-47)
Tom Horwitch (Winnetka, IL 49-56)
Mike Samuels (Youngstown, OH/Washington, D.C. 50-58)
The 2022 Family Camp crew: Front row — Joey Apter, Stephanie Hanson, Marilyn Gallant, Amy Mack. Second row — Billy Wallenstein, Mark Carman, Stan Strauss, Andy Mack, Chris Sachs, Frank Sachs, Bud Herzog, Jon Colman, Allen Bennett, Andrew Guest, Martin Sadler, Andy Mack, Judy Wallenstein, Hugh Broder, Claire Guest, Jill Kreindler, Steve Apter. Third row — Troika Brodsky, Katy Neusteter, Jim Guest, John Kramer, Brian Kramer, Mike Singer, Brennan Green, Keri Rosenbloom, Peter Braude, Andy Becker, Bill Hensel, Jaime Hensel, Baby Aubrey Hensel, Jaye Hensel, Sean Kennedy, Tony Blumberg, Don Spero. Fourth row — Buzz Neusteter, Roger Wallenstein, Jeffrey Cohen, Rob Newman, Jim Koretz, Mark Caro, David Serwer, Jon Star, MJ Lowe, Eric Kramer, Ken Kanter, Bruce Rogen, Jon Rogen, Ricky Spero, Jonah Spero
The Camp Nebagamon Charities website 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.
Nebagamon’s alumni community has stepped up support for our affiliated charities in recent years in meaningful ways. In addition to generous direct support for both Camperships for Nebagamon and the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund, alumni have increasingly encouraged donations to one or both funds as memorials and to honor happy occasions.
Camp Nebagamon Charities also instituted a virtual keylog program, a means of giving while thanking someone special (you can donate and fill out a message here). Contributions are split evenly between Nebagamon’s two affiliated charities. You will receive two separate emails confirming your contribution to each fund. If you’d like to give a unique donation to CFN or CNSF of if you’d like to give a gift in honor or memory of someone, please use the CFN-specific and CNSF-specific donation pages.
In addition, alumni and others can donate to the Camp Nebagamon Foundation, the non-profit organization created to ensure that Nebagamon will thrive and survive through another century.
Below you’ll find a list of generous donors and further information about all three of these worthy causes:
CNSF helps hundreds of children and teens who experience poverty and disability attend non-profit summer camps that specialize in meeting their needs. Recipient camps (located near communities where Nebagamon campers live) offer expert therapeutic and adaptive recreation and a nurturing environment for kids who have been exposed to adversity and trauma. Children are among peers and role models for success at these camps as they enjoy friendship, adventure and personal growth — opening new possibilities for a more positive future.
CNSF was founded in 1947 by Muggs and Janet Lorber, Nebagamon’s founding directors, and administered for 50+ years by Nebagamon’s former directors, Nardie and Sally Lorber Stein. Check out our Instagram and Facebook page to learn more!
The following individuals, foundations and corporations have supported CNSF from May 1, 2022, through October 31, 2022
Andrea Abke The AK Guys Barbara and Stephen Allen Amazon Smile Foundation Richard and Shirley Armstrong Lori Arthur Stroud Lynn Barth Mike Beebe Herb Behrstock Richard Biegel Marilyn Cahn Larry Cartwright (Memorials) Ralph Cohen (Estate) Ann and Richard Costello Luise Drolson Aaron and Sari Eshman Mary and Richard Fisher Bud and Julie Friedman Goldmiller Family Charitable Fund Sharon Green Scott and Sheliah Gruber Michael and Pat Harris Larry and Sue Hochberg Janet and Stanley Imerman John Kander Blair Kaplan KeyBank (Matching Gift)) Carol Kiersky Ariel Kirshenbaum Arthur and Rini Kraus Bob and Cissy Lenobel Chuck and Rita Levin Henry and Janine Lichstein Steve Loeb Reed Maidenberg Karen Mannes Nancy Marcus Edgar and Margery Masinter Paul Mason Audrey and Danny Meyer Malcolm and Paula Milsten Erika and John Montag Bob and Mary Nefsky John and Patty Nickoll Margaret Reinhardt Carol Murphy and Bill Rosenthal Chris and Frank Sachs Gail G. Ifshin and Steven Salky Allan Sher (Memorials) Judy Sher John Hecht and Victoria Sher Ann and Will Stern Bob Striker Brian and Carolyn Swett Esther Starrels and John Wasserman Michael Weinberg, Jr. Judy and Lon Zimmerman
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.
Over the past decade, more than 500 Camperships have been given out to more than 250 boys and girls attending Nebagamon and WeHaKee. Over $2 million has gone to support the cost of tuition and related expenses for these boys and girls.
The following individuals, foundations and corporations have supported CFN from May 1, 2022, through October 31, 2022.
The AK Guys Amazon Smile Foundation Anonymous Donation Richard and Shirley Armstrong Herb Behrstock Allen Bennett Alison and Andy Bloom Susan and Tony Blumberg Don Bosley Adam and Julie Braude Jakob Braunschweiger Hugh Broder Don and Linda Brown Larry Cartwright (Memorials) M.J. Chisholm Alfred Cohen Charles and Kim Curran Leah and Robert Dugan Anthony and Sharla Forcellini Roxanne Frank Bud and Julie Friedman GOOGLE, Inc. (Matching Gifts) Andy Gordon Jackson and Stephanie Harty Jill Haskel Lynne Heldman Lena Hershkovitz Bud and Marian Hirsch Jay Horvath and Nancy Mendelsohn. M.D. Euan and Jane Kerr Paul Heldman and Deborah Kirshner Eric Kramer and Sara Jill Rubel Roberta De Araujo and Ron Kreisman Bob and Cissy Lenobel Reed Maidenberg Leslie and Timothy Maloney Josh Marcus Jim Mendelsohn Julia Gittleman, Ph.D. and Tom Mendelsohn Nancy Meyer and Marc Weiss Mark Motley Bob and Mary Nefsky Network for Good Joseph and Teri Parker Laurie and Todd Platt Patricia and Renan Rieur Jenny and Tom Riley Kathy Rinehart Chris and Frank Sachs Gail G. Ifshin and Steven Salky Abby and David Schwartz Susie Ansehl and Rand Shapiro
The Camp Nebagamon Foundation’s non-profit model removes many of the risks of the traditional private-ownership model and allows Nebagamon leadership to focus solely on creating the best summer experience possible for our campers. To achieve this, we have launched Keeping the Fires Burning, a campaign that invites the Camp Family to come together to secure Camp Nebagamon’s future. Our financial goal is to raise $10 million for the tax-exempt non-profit Camp Nebagamon Foundation, an amount that will allow us to complete the purchase and hold reserves to ensure the long-term financial health of Camp, so that future generations will enjoy “the memories of you that will live all year through.”
Whether you spent last summer on Lake Nebagamon, occasionally read the Arrowhead and attend reunions, or haven’t set foot at Camp since your last four-square game, Camp Nebagamon has molded your life and now you have a chance to ensure it is ready to receive the next generation of Swampers. You can explore different ways to contribute here.
The following people and organizations have contributed to the Camp Nebagamon Foundation through 2022:
Keith Abeles
David Abrams
Charles & Ruth Adler (In honor of Charles F. Adler, Sr.)
Phillip Myers & Kristin Ahlberg
Kareem Al-Bassam
Hayley & Max Alpert
American Jewish Committee Cincinnati (In memory of Joanne Wolf)
Thomas Arenberg (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Gayle Arlen and Corey Zimmerman
Richard & Shirley Armstrong
Lissa & Joe Arnstein
Aschaffenburg Foundation
Mike & Linda Baker
Sam Baldwin
Ben & Laura Barnett
Donna Barrows, Sam & Holly Barrows, Charlie Barrows, and Ted Barrows
Robert & Linda Barrows, Stephen & Mia Barrows, and Geoffrey Barrows and Hélène Ollivier
Lynn and Bob Barth (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Carl Baum
Jim Baumoel (In memory of Nardie Stein)
The Bearman Family
Robert Behrendt
Herbert Behrstock
The Bellaire Family (In honor of Natty Crenner)
Craig Bender
Allen Bennett (in honor of the birth of Ethan Tucker Elson-Backels)
Matt Berler
Ric Best
The Bezark Family
Deborah Binder, Gaetan and Jai Veilleux (In memory of Nardie Stein)
The Blair Family – Allen “Yogi”, Arnold “Tex”, Brian, Peter, Kevin, and Fletcher
Brian Blair
Lorena and Adam Blonsky (In honor of Michael Blonsky)
The Bloom Family
Adam Bloom
Sue & Tony Blumberg
Alan, Christine, Justin, and Camden Blumberg (In memory of David Blumberg)
Chris Blumenfeld (Olson)
Jeff & Lori Blumenthal, Max Blumenthal, and Jack Blumenthal
Philip Blumenthal (C/N 1987-1990) (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Laurie Bomba
John & Elizabeth Breyer
Ken and Ann Brown
Alexander Buring
Charles Cahn (In honor of Maddie and Sally Stein)
Dan Chait & Megan Cunningham
Robert Chukerman Family
Scott Chukerman
Barbara B Cohen (In honor of campers Ben Brotchner and Zach Brotchner and in memory of Joanne Hirschhorn Wolf)
Jeffery Cohen
Lori Cohen
Tom Collinger
Jon & Suzi Colman
The Condrell Family
Tom Collinger
Kay and Mike Cosgrove
Connie and Darryl Couts (In memory of Larry Cartwright and Nardie Stein)
Stuart Cowles
Hank Crane
David Crane
Critchfield/Jain Charitable Fund
Raven & Becky Deerwater
Stan DeGroote
Marilyn Diamond (In honor of Nardie Stein)
Elizabeth Dodge
Ben Donchin
Jonathan Dreifus
Jeffrey Dreyer
Dubinsky Family
Ruth Dunn (In honor of Allan Sher)
The Eberhard Family
Chuck Eckert
Robert Elisberg
Andrew & Dana Ellbogen
Michael Faber
Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Jeremy Feiwell (In honor of Robert Feiwell)
Charlie Felsenthal
Juli-Ann & Jonty Felsher (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Thomas G. Fiffer Charitable Giving Fund
Joseph Fisher
Scott & Sara Fisher
Gary Follman
The Nan & Steve Fox Fund
Amarinder Bindra and Amy Foxman
Brad, Jeana, Ari, and Adele Foxman
Adam Frapart
Rocky Fried
Bill and Laura Freeman (In honor of the marriage of Michael Freeman to Dr. Negin Dahya)
William Friedman
Julie Friedman
Sam & Jane Friedman
Sophia & Elijah Fromm
Andrew Fromm (In honor of Elijah, Walter & Charlie Fromm)
Greg and Osnat Gafni-Pappas
The Galik Family
Betsy & Spencer Garland
Scott Genshaft
Ben Gerber
Jim & Aliza Gerstein
Kate & John Gilligan
Dan & Mark Gingiss
Dan Gingiss (In memory of Nardie Stein)
The Gladstone Family (For Joanne Hirschhorn – may her memory live on in a place she loved)
Bill & Sandy Glassman
Lindsay and Michael Goldberg Charitable Fund
Lisa Goodman (in honor of Jack Goodman)
Michael Goldman (In honor of Nardie Stein)
Jordan Goodman
Paul Guggenheim (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Martin Gradman
Jesse Gray and family
Alison Greenberg (In memory of Allan Sher)
Hunt, Doug, Chris, Brennan and David Greene; and Jane Piccard
John Harris
Lucy Harris (In memory of William Harris Gold)
Louis Helman
Shirley & Barnett Helzberg Jr. Donor Advisory Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
Lois Jane Heller (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Jaye & Bill Hensel
Tom & Janie Herman
Karen and Bob Herz Family Fund
Barbara Ann Herz
Bud & Hazel Herzog and Family
Jeffrey and Andrea Rich Hesser
The Hirschhorn Family
Dana Hirt
The Hirt Family (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Maurice & Marian Hirsch (In honor of Nardie Stein)
Mitchell Hoffman
The Rodgers and Hoffman Families (in honor of Buddy Rodgers)
The Horner Foundation
Hal Hudson (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Mark M and Cathy Kaufman Iger
The Isaacs Family
The Jørgensen Family
Fred & Anne Joseph
Sasha Kahn & Michael Kahn
The Kalishman Family
John Kander
Kanter Family
Benjamin Katz
Nicolas Kemper
Jane and Euan Kerr
Benjamin Kersten
Art Kessler
Eric & Sharapat Kessler
Dennis & Barbara Kessler
Victor Kessler
Micki Klearman
Klein Family Foundation – Yaeil & Steve Klein
Jeffrey Kobacker
Thomas Kolbrener
Ron Koretz
Rick & Stephanie Koretz
Cynthia & Eric Korman
Kerry Kornfeld and Andrea Wilson
H Joshua Kotin
Jeremy Kotin
The Korman Family
The Lawrence and Reich Family
Dan Laytin and Jennifer Nelson
Nancy Laytin (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Bob & Cissy Lenobel
Alan J. Levi
Josh Levy
Jon R Levinson (In memory of Bruce Cohen, Atlanta GA)
Steven & Jayne Lewin
Kenneth A. Lewis
Deana Linfield (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Ronni Lodato (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Ed Loeb
Jeff Loeb
Thomas Loeb
Carolyn Losos (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Ming Lowe
Susan Lucas (in honor of Sam Lucas)
Robert and Ralinda Lurie
Sam and Susie Luten Family Fund (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Liz and Zach Lutsky
Dr. and Mrs. Paul S. Lux and Family (In memory of Paul A. Lux)
Gary Lynn
Joe, Ezra, and Eve Maidenberg
Reed Maidenberg
Jorie Malk
Jill Kiersky Marcus, Andrew and Josh Marcus
Jason Marczak
Andrew Margolin
Andy May and Nancy Brown
Jack May
Carolyn McGoran (in memory of Bernard Stein)
The Meadows Family
Mary Kate & Jeff Mellow
Sam Mellow
Marji & Don Mendelsohn
James Mendelsohn (In honor of Ruth Lorber Rosen and Muggs & Janet Lorber)
Michael Mendelsohn (In honor of Ruth Lorber Rosen and Muggs & Janet Lorber)
Nancy Mendelsohn and Jay Horvath (In honor of Ruth Lorber Rosen and Muggs & Janet Lorber)
Tom Mendelsohn and Julia Gittleman (In honor of Ruth Lorber Rosen and Muggs & Janet Lorber)
Gil Mendelson
Danny & Audrey Meyer
David Michel (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Mimi and Boppie (in honor of Adam Eberhard)
Jeffrey Mora
Zachary Muzik
The Muzik Family (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Frederick Nachman and Janet N. Nachman Family Fund
Nancy Nathan (In honor of Emil Nathan III)
Bob & Mary Nefsky
Alex Neil and Family
Jeff Neuman
Buzz Neusteter, Katy Neusteter and Thad Kurowski
Edison and Newman and Solomon Families
Chi Nguyen
David and Amy Patent
Betty and Thomas Philipsborn
Alfredo & Monica Phillips & Sons
Nana Hope Phillips
Leslie Phillips (In honor of Andrew Condrell)
James Platt
Ben Platt
Joel A Posener MD
Charles Portis (In loving memory of Jack Polsky & Nardie Stein)
Sue and Ben Post and Family (In Memory of Nardie Stein)
Drs. Michael Privitera and Marcia Kaplan
Daniel Quiat
The Reichert Family
Michelle and Larry Rivkin Charitable Fund
Pat and Jerry Robertson (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Andy & Cindy Rolfe
The Rorsted Family
Doug & Michelle Rose
Marya & Anthony Rose
Mark S Rosenberg
Ellen & Philip Rosenbloom
John and Frances Rosenheim
Bill Rosenthal and Carol Murphy
Jacob Rothman and Rachel Leah
Edgar Rothschild
Robbie & Brittany Rudich
Joan Russell (In honor of Judy and Roger Wallenstein)
Patricia C Russell
David Sachs
Frank Sachs
Kari Sachs (In honor of Q’s Corner)
Arizona Saltzstein’s
In honor of Ed Saltzstein
Dan and Dawn Saltzstein (In honor of Edward and John Saltzstein)
Andy and Betsy Saslawsky Family Foundation
Betsy, Andy, Joel, Matthew Saslawsky (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Jon & Suzanne Scharff
Adler Schermer Foundation
Elliot & Sara Schiffer
Bruce Schimberg
Marc Schieber
Bennett Schmidt
Pat & Fred Schonwald, Jr. Gift Fund
Jay Schulman
Andrew and Deborah Schwartz Charitable Fund
Adam Schwartz
Bob and Monique, Susie and Ralph Schweich (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Charles A Seigel III (In honor of The Seigel Family)
Arlene Semel (In honor of Mitch Semel)
Mitchell Semel
Mitch, Drew, and David Semel (In honor of Nardie Stein)
The Sher Family
Joseph Shlaferman & Judy Zins
Maya, Christina, Noah, and Alissa Shoukri (In memory of Nardie Stein)
Eric, Rhonda, Stuart, Philip and Nathan Siegel Family
Matthew Silver (In honor of Mitch Semel)
Dana & Seth Singerman
Brad Sklar (In memory of Bo Blach)
Ron & Linda Ellen Sklar
Janet Slate (In honor of Sam Allen)
William Sloan (in celebration of Gabriel Sloan-Garcia)
Ellen and Richard Slosburg Family Foundation
Jeffrey Bob Smith
Josh Smith and Lael Culiner
Joshua & Geula Solomon
Anne and Jon Spear Charitable Fund
Don Spero and Nancy Chasen
Alex Spiegel (in memory of Nardie Stein)
Jon Star
Nardie, Sally, Jane, Jessie, and Ted Stein
Noah Stein (In memory of Jim Friedman)
Irving Stenn, Jr.
Ann & Will Stern
John & Merrie Stillpass (In memory of Joanne H. Wolf)
I have always bragged that Camp Nebagamon is a place where EVERYONE has a voice, where shy campers become leaders as counselors, where normally quiet kids belt out “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” where Dungeons & Dragons aficionados are as valued as daring Big Trippers, where more than 30 languages announce the diversity of voices on the signposts in front of the Big House. It is, after all, a place of “welcome for all.”
Hence, the theme of this issue of The Keylog. You’ll find stories about different kinds of VOICES — from post-meal announcements (the famous YAKDM award) to songs (the creation of “54849”) to an alumnus who has job security as the voice of Porky Pig. But of course, voices are also the integral element in “keeping the fires burning.” And it has become particularly apparent to me in recent months and years that these voices have legs.
One of the true joys of directing Camp Nebagamon is the chance to connect and re-connect with people who were formative in my camp experiences or who were simply formative in fostering the greater Nebagamon experience. Rare is the job where the correspondence and encounters are nearly universally positive. I get to be the recipient of expressions of gratitude and nostalgia, almost on a daily basis.
90th Reunioners
Recently, this has been clearer than ever — at Nebagamon’s 90th reunion in 2018, for instance, where hundreds of alumni wandered the grounds with goofy smiles on their faces and voiced their love for camp in countless ways. It was also evident when we produced THANKS FOR THE PINES, the beautiful coffee table book about Nebagamon (still available via the website!) that includes a collection of short essays in which alumni and directors voice their passion for the place. And in 2020, when Covid shut camp’s doors for the first time in 90-plus years, countless campers and counselors and parents and alumni voiced their support — again, in myriad ways.
Indeed, if there has been a silver lining to the Covid crisis, it has been in the form of reconnection. Nostalgia quenched by modern technology. For instance, my own cabinmates (LJ-4 of ’82) have sporadically scheduled online gatherings, and it is always a pleasure to see familiar faces and rehash familiar territory. But we are among many such Zoom cabin reunions — and even trip reunions for the participants in Long Trip ’83 and the 1973 version of Camp Scandia, a Nebagamon-sponsored six-week tour of Scandinavia. Of the 19 Scandia trippers, 12 of them managed to participate last August.
Frank Sachs has put together a couple of Zoom collectives. One, which he describes as “for old-timers who started at camp in the late ‘50s and through the early ‘60s,” included the late Larry Cartwright, a mainstay at camp for nearly two decades. The other group is called “The Hits Brothers,” and (while it has since expanded) it started with a group of back-in-the-day bros (Guy Sachs, Terry Bond, Stan Strauss, Rand Shapiro, Bob Chukerman) who obviously found some free time amid their HITS world tour. So there has been a resurgence in the convergence of voices and faces.
Zoom reunion of Voyageur 1983
But Steph and I also have heard from scores and scores of voices recently — in the wake of our announcement that camp is transitioning to a not-for-profit model guided by a board of directors, an attempt to assure Nebagamon’s viability for another 90-plus years and more. It has been profoundly heartening to receive positive feedback from voices representing every generation of camp alumni.
Just a snippet of some responses from Facebook alone: “That is very cool! I love the idea of keeping camp continuing the same place it’s been for so long!… So happy to know that someday (god willing) my grandchildren will be able to go to Nebagamon… Very exciting! A fantastic plan to keep CN going strong for generations to come… A brilliant move to protect camps legacy… KTFB for real — so happy about this durable future for Camp Nebagamon!”
These voices of support — resonating and reverberating loud and clear — have always sustained Steph and me, just like alumni support plays such an important role in sustaining camp. And, of course, Nebagamon’s sustainability is the whole point of this new paradigm — a means of making sure that camp will remain the same old place where everyone has a voice.
Among the world-changing entities introduced in 1958 — NASA, the microchip, the Barbie doll — one cannot overlook the Leo Bearman Award. That year, counselor Bob Wood received the inaugural honor, named after the 1950s counselor whom Nardie and Sally Stein described (in Keeping the Fires Burning) as having had “a love affair with the microphone.” The Steins also gave the award a nickname that has endured: YAKDM, as in “You Are King of the Diarrhetic Mouths.”
Creativity is a constant at Camp Nebagamon — whether it’s Cruiser Days or Council Fires or GTC acts. But perhaps nowhere is that more effectively on display than during post-meal announcements. Over the years, counselors have energized campers in countless ways — about a village activity or Wanadoo offering, about a missive from Chief A.K. Agikamik or a goofy Wednesday theme, even (and often) about a not-so-unusual afternoon in archery or art or athletics. And some counselors truly do seem to love the microphone. So The Keylog contacted some YAKDM winners from years past and asked them to recall some mouthy memories.
Ryan Glasspiegel (2007): Before I earned the award, oddsmakers would have made Jackson Breyer a heavy favorite. He had these really extravagant, dramatic announcements that frankly were more compelling than mine. I think I won it as something of a lifetime achievement award from spending five years on staff and working to get better at making the announcements fun. Adam Kaplan got a kick out of how my body would sway with my words, and as the judge and jury of the distinction I presume his amusement from that had something to do with my victory. A couple things I remember, which may or may not have been from the year I actually won it, were playing the ESPN NFL Primetime theme music — that Chris Berman has narrated highlights over since I was a young kid — over the audio system for an announcement. When I worked in tennis, I would start announcements by asking what the word of the day in the project was, and much of the rec hall would yell, ‘HUSTLE!’
Ron Koretz (1986): I remember winning the YAKDM award like it was 35 years ago. You had to pretend it wasn’t important to win, but I tried hard. And I did want to win. I admit it! It was hard work as I spent so much time planning announcements and thinking of new and creative ways to entertain the camp. Every YAKDM winner had their “schtick” and I had a few. But most importantly, standing in front of the camp day after day and making people laugh — and having them look forward to hearing from me! — gave me a self confidence that helped define the person I became.
Michael Deutsch (2018): I won the award in 2018. At that point, I was one of the older cabin counselors. The main reason I won it was because of a bit called “Hot Cakes & Hot Takes.” It was a news/sports opinion show parody. We first did it during the Paul Bunyan Day Council Fire. I have to give a special shout out to my co-writer, the hilariously sharp Charlie Gordon. The segment was me sitting down at a table in front of the fire while eating leftover cold pancakes from breakfast and complaining in a raspy voice about how things had “changed” around camp. For example: “#FruitZone: Back in my day we didn’t have fruit, we had scurvy!” And “#LazyDays: Back in my day we woke up at 6 AM every day, and we complained about it. But it taught us how to complain!” Ironically, considering this award, the most memorable was the rant/desperate plea begging my fellow staff members to stop making so many morning announcements as we didn’t have enough time for cabin cleanup, that some announcements could be put on the project board, and for the campers to use the project board to plan their whole day. It was a great experience to be able to win an award for just eating pancakes and being grumpy.
Grumpy Michael Deutsch
Adam Bezark (1976, 1978): The YAKDM Award is probably the single greatest honor I have received in my entire lifetime. When we were campers, we’d listen to announcements like an eager radio audience, waiting for the “fun ones” that would liven up a meal. Our heroes — Ken Kanter, Buzzy Katz, Bob Schreiber — were the guys who we could count on to grab our attention or crack us up. By the time I became a counselor, I counted audio recording among my countless nerdy obsessions. I’d scraped up money to buy a fancy — and heavy — portable cassette recorder with Dolby Stereo and handheld microphones (iPod? What’s an iPod?), and I lugged it all over camp. I used it constantly to produce weird voice recordings, ad parodies, and music tracks for my announcements, council fires, and cabin projects. I figured out how to patch the deck into the Rec Hall PA system and thought I’d found Nirvana. Perhaps my YAKDM Award was inevitable, but I was just having fun doing stuff with recordings. As a non-athlete, there weren’t many awards I could aspire to. I was never going to be a Big Tripper, a Davis Cupper, or even a Skish champion. I was a terrible Chef’s Cap contestant. So the only honor that meant anything to a dork like me was that wooden microphone. I was floored when Nardie called my name at the Final Awards Ceremony. The biggest shock, though, was winning the YAKDM a second time two years later. I’m not sure how many have “double-YAKked” since. With that exalted achievement, I could die happy.”
Big Pete Peterson, Adam Bezark and his recording device
Ken Kanter (1969, 1973): How honored I am to send a few words about the YAKDM award! Let’s begin with the fact that it was named in honor of Leo Bearman, a distinguished counselor in my camper days. It was a joy to fast forward 40 years, when his granddaughter (and David Bearman’s daughter) Rachel was accepted to Hebrew Union College as a rabbinical student, and I could make the YAKDM connection with her! I read the inspiring response that Adam Bezark provided, and I only wish I had been so aspirational in this “honor.” Unfortunately, even though I was given the YAKDM award at that momentous penultimate day of the camp summer, I never worked to ‘win’ the YAKDM prize. I probably received it because I was involved in a lot of activities (GTCs, choir, camp musicals) that seemed to require lots of campers, staff, and lots of reminders!”
Jonathan Gerstell (2013): Credit for my YAKDM award really should go to my trusty colleague in the archery project, Shooty. As some readers may recall, Shooty was a sock puppet who would make archery announcements. Shooty would speak in a very silly, high-pitched voice, and it seems people got a kick out of it. I don’t recall the experience being particularly competitive; really all I can remember is it was a lot of fun.
Ric Best (2011): The highlight of my YAKDM run was a CNOC-run election to let campers vote to determine the menu for the last cabin cookout of the week out of the three options: enchilada pie, pesto carb, or mac n pep. A CNOC staff member was picked to run the “campaign” of their respective dish over a week, and I was assigned to the latter. After teaming up with Rose Mendelsohn (she played Mac, and I played Pep) we staged an elaborate series of campaign announcements, including a spin on the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet from up on the projector area in the back of the rec hall by the “WIN OR LOSE BE A GOOD SPORT” sign. We ultimately lost, but in our concession speech we declared “Mission Accomplished” as an homage to the iconic 2003 George Bush declaration. Like all good jokes, it was understood by exactly zero campers, but they laughed anyway.
Bud Schram (1964, 1965): One of the highlights of my many summers at Camp Nebagamon was the annual awards ceremony along with the final GTC, Sunday Service and Council Fire… and the Final Banquet lovingly prepared by Chef August Jaschi. The awards ceremony not only recognized athletic achievements, but also (going along with the CN philosophy) included awards for Nature Lore, Photography, CNOC, Fishing, Rover Boy, Schramming, and several awards that are no longer presented. But the Leo Bearman Award continues. Being a two-time recipient was truly an honor. I always looked up to Leo when I was a camper.
Joe Laskin (2008): I do feel particularly proud that, not only did I win the award as a first-year junior counselor, but I won it mostly after an impressive second session performance, and under tough conditions — after being moved from the tennis project to air riflery. I didn’t have too many creative announcements, in my opinion. I mean what can you really do for SI or Wannado in air riflery? That said, I did launch what I thought of as a “grassroots” campaign against the tennis program, where I centered my focus around the under-utilized tennis backboard (which now is a climbing wall)! Funny thing is: I loved the backboard, and was so sad to see it go years later. And while I wouldn’t characterize it as “quantity over quality,” I think I had more rec-hall announcements than just about anyone… by a long shot. That was my main strategy.
Kyle Hopkins (2002): For me YAKDM stardom wasn’t necessarily something I was seeking (at least not at first) but was something that came out of being in a cabin group of kids and young men who could make each other laugh. And it was surely a byproduct of the hours and hours spent with a staff of guys that all genuinely enjoyed being around each other on the fishing dock. After a couple of early season announcements got the Rec Hall rolling, we realized that YAKDM fame was within our grasp and then it became something to focus on. My campers and I would plot and scheme to create silly announcements. During projects, as we sat on the dock waiting for the behemoth 5-inch bluegills, we would make each other laugh by creating parodies of songs and endless puns about fishing. Camp always offers these extended periods of time where you don’t need to focus on schoolwork or bills or politics or bullies or fears or the future. Instead you can live in the moment and exert all of your brain capacity to figure out how a human being can move their body and facial features to completely recreate the movements of a Big Mouth Billy Bass as it sings “Take Me to the River.” When it culminates in the execution of the perfect Big Mouth Billy Bass announcement and you involve the boys from your cabin and the staff members from your project — and when the whole camp family feels true joy from what you’ve spent the afternoon creating — I think we get one step closer to understanding the meaning of life. We are experiencing a collective effervescence that somehow makes us all feel connected in a beautiful way. And when I look back on the years I spent at camp, it is these little moments that stick with me most and always make me smile.
Every Sunday morning for many decades now, the voices of Camp Nebagamon’s choir have rung out from next to the Chuck Hirsch Shrine. Andrew Gordon directed the choir in the 1990s… and it directly led to the creation of a new camp song. The Keylog asked Andrew for some memories about the singers and the song:
The Camp Choir has always been paired with Sunday Service, and it functions as a source of entertainment to complement the more subdued Camp traditions on Sunday morning. With an “exclusive” for performing before and after Sunday Service, there’s opportunity for those who participate, along with a unique challenge to learn the selected songs in a short period of time. Nebaga-Sound, as it would be called in the 1990s, required some inspiration and energy.
For many, joining a “choir” would not intuitively seem fun. Competing with other Camp activities for participants, Nebaga-Sound would need to attract campers and counselors who were being pulled in many directions. A camper could go to a goggle for MOCA, sign up for Target shooting… or go to Camp Choir practice. And don’t forget the fact that half the group might be in Pictured Rocks or the Porcupine Mountains at any given time! Suffice to say that having everyone at rehearsal was always difficult
Still, campers who contributed to Nebaga-Sound would provide a steady stream of young singers. Others would participate to support the Sunday service speaker. And some just liked music. We’d meet in the Rec Hall or Big House living room with transcribed lyrics (by hand). Occasionally, we had sheet music, which helped the guitar or piano player. Usually, we just had a cassette (yes, it was those days). We would play, pause, rewind and replay the tricky parts to help the melody sink in. Eventually, everyone would usually catch on, just enough!
Andrew Gordon leads the Sunday Choir in 1994
By Saturday afternoons and into Sunday morning, the time left for practice would be dwindling, and practice would take on greater priority. With 15-20 kids (and some counselors) singing, a guitar player and/or a piano player, and the same songs played over and over, those working in the Big House office must have gotten a few tunes stuck in their heads! Sometimes, Sunday was a first and final rehearsal all at once, with the added benefit for some of missing cabin clean up! At this point, everything would finally come together.
The musical tastes of the Sunday Service speaker would typically determine what we performed. While we would sometimes sing current hits that many knew well, we were often handed songs near and dear to the speaker that almost no one knew. The range of music included songs like “On the Road Again“ by Willie Nelson and “Everybody Hurts” by REM. Some songs have faded from memory, but I have an enduring memory: the satisfaction of working together with campers and counselors from all over the country (and even all over the world!) to pull off a performance in a short period of time.
In the mid-1990s, the first end-of-camp retrospective slide show came to life, and if I am not mistaken it was E.J. Hahn who had the idea of having Nebaga-Sound sing a new camp song to accompany the visual. I was asked to “write” it. Eventually, I settled on adapting Warren Nelson’s “Illustrated End Song,” which was aptly named. With new lyrics and a few twists, Camp Nebagamon had a new song — “54849” — which is now a staple after every GTC and has become a sort of anthem celebrating what we love about Camp. In more recent years I have served as the camp doctor for a week each summer, and it’s always gratifying to see the pride and passion that this song, originally produced for Nebaga-Sound, brings to campers and counselors.
This Keylog dedicated to VOICES would be incomplete without inclusion of an alumnus who has devoted his life to that subject. Bob Berger (Cincinnati/Los Angeles 75-77) is a prolific voice actor, having lent his talents to hundreds of cartoons, movies, commercials, promos, and interactive video games. He has earned three Emmy nominations, has performed in a one-man show, has served as the grandstand announcer for the Hollywood Christmas Parade, and has taught animation voice-over workshops for 35 years. At one time or another, he has voiced characters ranging from Luke Skywalker to Tweety to Marvin the Martian.
Even before Bob (he is “Bob Bergen” professionally) roamed Camp Nebagamon for three summers, he was drawn to one voice in particular — one of the most iconic voices in animation history. He realized his dream (and has been realizing it for nearly three decades now) as the voice of Porky Pig. In fact, you can watch how Bob has perfected Porky’s voice here.
The Keylog caught up with Bob and asked him a few questions before it was time to say, as only Porky can, “Eh-thuh-the-eh-that’s all folks.”
The story goes that when you were five years old you told your parents you wanted to grow up and be Porky Pig. Why that character? Why that voice? Why not Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse or Popeye?
I get asked that all the time. Honesty, cuz I could do him. I found his voice and personality charming and funny, even at 5. Now, I also do a mean Popeye…jussayin! But there was something about Porky that I just found endearing. I guess it’s kind of like a kid who is drawn to a favorite baseball player, or favorite musician, etc. I was drawn to Porky! (no pun intended!)
You are a dedicated Looney Tunes historian. Was that true as a child, and how did your interest manifest itself and grow?
I was obsessed with cartoons as a kid. In school, when a teacher asked me a question, I would answer as Porky Pig. I remember in a 9th grade math class I was asked to come up to the blackboard and figure out some problem. I looked at the blackboard for a few minutes, put the chalk down, and told the teacher, “Ya know, I’m going to be Porky Pig someday. I don’t need to know this.” Growing up, in the days before VCRs and DVRs, I had a tape recorder next to the TV at all times. I would record cartoons. I would record interviews with animation professionals, from animators to voice artists. Anything I would see in TV Guide that said cartoon or animation, I would record. I wanted to learn the history of the business and the people behind it.
You’ve pointed out that Porky Pig has evolved over the years, depending on the director or producer’s interpretation of the character at the time. Is there a particular era that you model your version after?
If I’m not told by the producer what they are looking for in Porky for a project, my sweet spot is mid–‘50s. The Duck Dodgers, Drip Along Daffy, Robin Hood Daffy era. This is when I feel Mel Blanc really honed the character. And each of these were directed by Chuck Jones, who was one of the best in driving Porky’s humor and personality. Blanc passed away in 1989, and I did my first Porky gig in 1990. Since then, the world has changed a lot! From home computers to cell phones to Uber, there are current pop culture references that Blanc never experienced. The hard part for me is to keep the integrity of the character with today’s pop culture references. Every show, every director is different. My process is to always honor and respect the writing. That said, if I ever take creative issue with a line or scene, I have no problem asking, “Hey, can I try one take just for me?”
You were a camper at Nebagamon in the mid-1970s. Was there someone there at the time — or some event or experience — that inspired you or your chosen career path?
He probably doesn’t know how much of an impact he had, but Adam Bezark was a huge influence. His GTC evenings were a blast, and he had me participate a few times. Not long before I graduated high school, Adam was working as a tour guide at Universal Studios. I contacted him and we had lunch at the commissary. A few months later, I also became a guide. Adam had already left Universal, but he made a huge impact. Nardie and Sally were big influences! Just terrific people! Another influence was Larry Cartwright, whom I heard recently passed away. I was born without a right foot, and kids can be, shall we say, a tad cruel at times. Larry was there for me. He was my champion. From a shoulder to cry on to a life coach who pushed me to get over it/back on the horse. At times he was pure tough love, which I think all kids need. I’m sad he’s gone. I’d tried for years to find him on social media, just to let him know what an important impact he had on me.
How did you break into the voice acting business? And did you ever meet your idol, Mel Blanc?
The day after we moved to L.A. when I was 14, I called Mel Blanc after finding his number in the phone book. During that call, he mentioned the name of the studio he was working at that week. He didn’t say the day or time, just the name of the studio. So when I hung up from him, I called that studio pretending to be Blanc’s assistant and got the day and time of his recording session. When we got to the studio, I told the receptionist we were guests of Mel Blanc, and she showed me where he was working. I got to watch him in action recording Looney Tunes. I was in heaven! I only met him one more time a few years later when he was signing his autobiography.
I started studying voiceover and acting when I was 14. At 18 I was introduced to my first agent by Casey Kasem. I hit the jackpot with my first agent, who represented everyone from Mel Blanc to Orson Welles. In fact, my first audition was with Orson Welles. For the first five years, I had day (and night) jobs to pay the bills. At 23 I was able to quit my last day job and have worked as a full-time actor ever since.
Is there a certain challenge to being a voice actor — versus an on-camera actor — that most laypeople don’t realize?
You only have your voice to rely on. An on-camera actor can use a look or expression to emote during a moment in film. Every emotion in voiceover is vocalized. In theater or on-camera, you have your body and space to work with. For voiceover, you must stay on mic. You still use your body to bring out the performance. But you must always stay on mic. Acting is reacting, and you have your fellow actors to work with. Often in cartoons, and especially an animated feature we record solo. I did a film called The Emperor’s New Groove where I voiced a squirrel. All of my scenes were with Patrick Warburton, who played Kronk. We have terrific on-screen chemistry, but we were never in a recording session together.
What has been your favorite moment of your career?
The guy who animated Bucky the Squirrel in The Emperor’s New Groove was working on an animated project with Paul McCartney. He asked me to voice a character in a pitch reel to try to get the film financed. This gig was not even a big money maker for me, but it was a chance to work with Paul McCartney. I don’t think the film ever got made, but it was a fun and surreal life experience I will never forget. When I walked into the session, the producer said, “I’ve been looking forward to this: Porky Pig, meet the Beatle. Beatle, Porky Pig.” I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that!
Throughout the session, Director Adam Kaplan will post updates to keep you informed of the activities taking place at camp. If you would like to speak with Adam directly, call him at (715) 374-2275 or by email at adam@campnebagamon.com
