What's New? Click here for CWW 2007 Reunion and Photos!! Reprinted from the Fall 2007 Walt's Street Journal Letter from the Directors Alumni Feature: James Burrows Staff Feature: Dave Proter A Princess and Her Frog are married The Lew Crew Report Staff Updates Alumni Updates Dear Whitmanites... Sixty years ago, many aspects of American life were so different as to be nearly alien. Jackie Robinson became the first African-American baseball player. President Truman signed the bill creating the CIA. The cold war began. The Allies had just won World War II, and the global community was picking up the pieces. And, in a quiet corner of that globe known as Piermont, New Hampshire, a pair of brothers named Arnie and Chick founded a little camp in the woods, based on the ideals of a well-known poet from a different century. Here children sang, ran, swam, and grew into wonderful young men and women who had a sense of the world beyond themselves. Six decades and eleven presidents later, our nation has changed in immeasurable ways. And yet, children still sing in the woods of New Hampshire and swim in Lake Armington. Children play on that camp's fields and sing the same songs around the same campfires. That little camp Arnie and Chick Soloway founded so long ago is going strong. Children still grow into wonderful young men and women. Bill Dorfman was one of these children. So was James Burrows, who is featured in this issue. So were Rob Sherry, Dan Rosen, and Judy Kapner. Our alumni website is filled with these children, now men and women, some at the end of their careers, some long retired. Every posting remembers camp. From the most recent former senior campers to the tiny staff of that first summer in 1948, the Walt Whitman family stretches across time and distance. All of this seems even more important this year, as Camp Walt Whitman's 60th Reunion approaches. On August 2nd of this coming summer, former campers, counselors, staff and family will descend upon 1000 Cape Moonshine Road to see again the camp they love so dearly. Campers from the 1950s will walk along Lake Armington's beach. Staff members from the 1960s will stand in satisfaction at the top of the lawn. Whitmanites from all ages and persuasions, the young and old from 1948 to 2008, will fill camp with their greetings and fill the campfire bowl with their songs. Our songs. All of this also seems important for another reason. A fourth generation of the Dorfman-Soloway extended family will be joining us at camp this summer. We will be directing camp this summer with the help of a newborn baby! Of course the timing of the firstborn of the next generation of Dorfmans is coincidental. And yet, being able to greet the multitudes of the Walt Whitman family at our 60th reunion with our new child in our arms will add a new level of meaning to this already wonderful moment in Camp Walt Whitman's history, and to the phrase, "the Walt Whitman family." With love, Carolyn and Jed, Directors back to top James Burrows - Alumni Feature Before the 286 episodes of "Cheers," before "Will and Grace," before "Friends," before Kelsey Grammar's Frasier Crane became the longest-running character in TV-dom, before all of that, a ten-year-old boy named James Burrows ("Jimmy" back then) arrived at Camp Walt Whitman for the first time. And though between that time and now "Jimmy" Burrows became the Mr. James Burrows who either directed or produced a stunning number of vastly popular television comedies, the veteran director is able to return to Camp Walt Whitman quickly in his imagination. Before the 24 Emmy nominations in 26 years for Best Director, an award he has won five times, before his world became Hollywood, and Hollywood eventually became his world, "Jimmy" was a CWW camper. "We had so much fun," he remembers fondly. It was the early 1950s, only a few years after the initial founding of the camp. Arnie and Chick were co-directors. A professor from Brown University named Kappy challenged the intellects of the campers. A man named "Big Syd" Dorfman brought his son Billy to New Hampshire around that time. In some ways camp was newly-hewn from the New Hampshire woods. Some traditions were already established, however. Ann Soloway taught swimming and instructed square dance. "Reveille" woke the camp each morning, even if it came from a vinyl 78 instead of a CD. For little Jimmy Burrows, Walt Whitman was a revelation. "It was just so different and open-minded, so psychologically based, so people-focused. . . It was a fascinating place, especially for a New York Upper West Sider. My memories are incredibly sweet." And did these sweet memories include hours upon the Titus stage, preparing for a career in Hollywood? Was little "Jimmy" a perpetual leading man in age group musicals? "No. I never did any acting at camp. I remember nothing along those lines," he remembers, chuckling. It turns out James' jaw-dropping success in television all started in a graduate program at Yale university, where even there he "had no great aspirations as a director or actor. But I found I could just do directing. I just knew how." It isn't surprising that James "just knew": his father was the famous playwright and director, Abe Burrows. "I just inherited the family business, like a tailor shop" James explains. "My father knew how to make a great suit, and he taught me how to do the same." That "suit" bloomed from a beginning with the "Bob Newhart Show", "Laverne and Shirley", and "Taxi", to become a complete phenomenon in the form of the show "Cheers." It is this show that James remembers the most fondly. "Cheers" was my baby, me and the Charles brothers." Eleven years and as many seasons later, things were different for James. "After "Cheers," I just got all the good scripts" he remembers. "Frasier" followed, then "Dharma and Greg," "Friends," and "Will and Grace." And those are only the most well-known: comedies that came to define decades. Scattered throughout James' career are hundreds of other episodes in countless other shows. Throughout all of these shows, throughout a career that has now spanned 32 years, one concept has governed James' vision. "If you want to find something that links my work, if anything, there is a humanity to all my characters. Sam Malone was a womanizer, but we forgave him because he was a recovering alcoholic. Carla Tortelli was mean, but her husband left her with four kids. Karen (from Will and Grace) was a lush who was mean, but she had a horrible life. In each of these characters, one can see their soft side. You have to be able to laugh at them, but you also have to like them. These characters are nice to each other." Given his background in another place full of characters, will James ever pursue a television comedy about camp life? "It isn't about the place or the concept, it is about the characters in that place." Come to think about it, he could be talking about something other than comedy. back to top Dave Porter - Staff Feature Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. The sound of a solid forehand hit strongly into the backcourt repeats and repeats again. From 6:30 am till dinner time, the clay courts of Camp Walt Whitman hum with activity. At the center of this eleven-court flurry is Dave Porter, his coral necklace and collared shirt as reliable as his constant encouragement. He nods as he feeds another forehand to a middle camper whose racquet is nearly as big as her body. "Good, Good." Sure, everyone knows that Dr. Dave Porter, Head Coach of BYU Hawaii's unstoppable tennis program, has now won a staggering eleven national championships. Sure, he's been district or regional Coach of the Year fifteen times. Sure he's been National Coach of the Year four times. Sure, he's coached teams to a career win-loss percentage of 519 wins and 107 losses (a win percentage of 83%). Sure, his players have won nationals many times, competed in the Olympics for various nations, and then gone on to coach successful collegiate programs of their own. Sure, fifteen of those players were All-Americans. But did you know his first sport was basketball? Did you know he has been to the NCAA Elite Eight? Did you know that, in high school, tennis was his second sport? "Well, it was pretty simple," Coach Porter explains, laughing. "When I was growing up, the basketball stadium had 23,000 seats. The tennis courts had two sets of uncovered aluminum bleachers. For a young man, it was an easy choice." And yet, despite his success in basketball, both tennis and coaching were in his heart from the beginning. The seeds of greatness were waiting. Beginning in high school where, even as a three-sport athlete, Coach Porter found time to coach a little-league baseball team. "My teams would win, and it hit me: these other coaches, they were moms and dads. They had only a little bit of time they could give coaching. But I was able and willing to just put in the time." This trend never ceased. As an assistant basketball coach in Utah, Porter coached the local high school tennis team. He had found his calling. Coach Porter's mother was a bank president and his father a college dean. His brother is a Rhodes Scholar and a professor at Harvard: hard work and excellence are clearly family traditions. Coaching would be his domain. Originally slotted for a basketball coaching position at BYUH, Coach Porter shifted to tennis when the athletic department decided to start a team. "I had a couple hundred dollars for strings and tennis shoes. That was it," he remembers. The Islanders went undefeated three seasons later: the first time any team in the history of the university had gone unbeaten in any sport. "We didn't have to ride to practice on a city bus after that" Coach remembers, smiling. From there, it is a long and famous story of athletic dominance and success for Porter and the BYUH Islanders. But is there a secret? How did Coach Porter produce the first of eleven national championship teams a mere three years from barely affording racquet strings and shoes? "Well, of course there is no real secret," Coach explains. "I think I have just always been willing and able to just put in the time. That, and I always keep learning. I try never to believe I have all the answers. I also knew that the team could always be fitter than anyone else, and, before the NCAA rules, put in more time than anyone else." Given this intense approach to collegiate athletics, one wonders how Coach Porter adjusted to a camp where everyone plays, everyone is allowed to compete if they like, and competition is seen as part of the process towards personal growth. In some ways, Coach's role at CWW, which is approaching its eleventh year, was not a difficult adjustment at all, so close were his personal philosophy to camp's. Indeed, he brought his wife Lorrie and four children: Terah, Lincoln, Dylan and Taylor to CWW. "In the end, tennis is only a game. It is a fun, challenging, tough game, but only a game. At camp this game becomes an important vehicle for lessons about life, just like with all athletics. Camp Walt Whitman tries, through many channels, to change lives. Tennis is just one of these channels." And so Coach Porter sees his role at Walt Whitman to be one of a larger team, all working toward the same goal. "This place makes men and women out of boys and girls." back to top A Princess and Her Frog are Married On Labor Day weekend in Waverly, Rhode Island, Chris "Froggy" Bellem and Sarah Baldwin exchanged their wedding vows, with a small circle of their closest friends and relatives looking on. Chris and Sarah, both Whitmanites for many years, garnered a strong contingent of CWW staff and alumni for this momentous occasion. Sean "Soup" Campbell, Kevin Henchell, Rob Leahy, Lindsey Marsh, Kelly Renouf, Adrienne "A" Levin, Chris "Bunkie" Roy, Lynn Roy, Alan "Irish" Moody, Jen Link, Jill Robichaud, Mike O'Brien, Brooke Lynn Bauer, Ellie Schecter, Kathy and Bob Mannis, and of course Jed and Carolyn watched as Chris and Sarah said their vows. Chris spent twelve years at Walt Whitman, including five years as CWW's Athletics Director. Sarah worked three summers as a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the Walt Whitman waterfront. Though not the first romance to begin in the mountains of New Hampshire, Chris and Sarah's is certainly one that touches many Whitmanites' hearts, so dear are they both to campers and staff of the last many years. The entire CWW family wishes the newly-weds the very best in their new life together. back to top The Lew Crew Report One of the best things about living at camp year-round is that Lew gets to see and experience things that nobody else in the CWW family ever sees. Like a bull moose standing knee-deep in the snow covering the thick ice over Crib Three last winter, for instance. Or perhaps the three-foot lake trout that Lew and his father pulled out of the newly-thawed water just ten feet into the lake near Geoff's Cabin. Or have you heard about the young orphaned fox that Lew trained to chase the beam of a flashlight through the spring woods? The most recent of these discoveries concerned the incredible fall leaves that fill the woods of New Hampshire. While working on a huge new wooden deck on boy's side (don't worry, there will be one on girl's side too), Lew noticed that when he made an especially loud noise with the timber, the glorious red, purple, yellow, and orange leaves fell off the trees at a much higher rate. Testing this theory, Lew started to pine panel and rewire two of camp's oldest cabins. His drill and hammer did little to increase the falling of the leaves. So Lew headed down to the pool, where he sand-blasted and re-surfaced the plaster. The sander didn't do much, but his jack-hammer made the leaves virtually fly from the trees. That gave him an idea. Jed and Carolyn had mentioned that the old Art Studio should probably be replaced, and could certainly use better light. So Lew looped a huge chain around the Art Studio and clipped the end to his big blue truck. He floored it, and the blue truck shot through the late autumn afternoon. A huge crash resounded over the lake and over Mt. Piermont as the Art Studio came hurtling down. Every leaf on boy's side and most of the leaves on girl's side exploded off the trees. Lew got out of his truck and grinned, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of swirling leaves, each a different color. As the leaves whirled on the cool wind, he pulled out the plans for the new Art Studio from the bed of his truck ­ more light, more room to create, and more places to hold paint, fabric, crayons, and his favorite, colored pencils. Now Lew is busy at work again. back to top Staff Updates Julia Reich just moved to Aspen and is breathlessly waiting for the season to start so she can actually ski. She is planning on visiting Sam Gallaher, Josh Holland, and Preston Helmstetter in Boulder to do a little skiing there. Emily Goodman is in the middle of her last year at Skidmore, looking forward to a trip to Acapulco, and also to a gathering of CWWers at Skidmore soon. Ashleigh Streng is finishing up at Willamette University, enjoying the rain. She is also missing the ex-Bearcats and CWW Alums Susan Butler, Hannah Johnson, and Michelle Therriault. Steve Dutelle continues to survive the wilds of Platteville, Wisconsin as he completes his degree in counseling. Josie Shafer is headed for the big bad city of New York for the next chapter of her life. She is looking forward to NY pizza and public transportation. Sarah Wolicki just got to Vermont from Michigan. David Jacobsen-Fried is getting his shots and Bermuda shorts in preparation for a trip to South America. He is doing all his shopping in Las Vegas, where he currently lives with his brother. Speaking of Ducks, David Wolery is beside himself with the recent successes of the University of Oregon football team. Go Ducks! Zach Montes reports that Ultimate Frisbee is going well, but he would prefer if everyone would refer to it as "disc." Andy Tilton is loving Japan. Jeremy Brinn continues his photographic journeys as he progresses through his program at NYU. Adam Greenwood has stunned everyone by forming a garage rock band in Vancouver, British Columbia. He just got back from visiting friends at Skidmore University. Ryan Pozalek is on his way to visit Girish Mishra in Mumbai, India. Ryan is, of course, very excited. Speaking of trips, Zach Farmer visited the hot town of Austin, Texas during the Austin City Limits Festival. Josh Holland and he had a few great dinners. He also got to see one of the stages catch fire. James Coker just landed a sweet job as an assistant producer on a television show. Casey Sukeforth is now an outdoor educator in Connecticut after making the jump from the west coast. A small CWW commune has developed in British Columbia, as Nathan "Bleecker" Crowe, Chris "Chev" Cheverton, Sasha Fritchley, Amber Greenwood, the Wilcox brothers, Sue Hunt, and Brady Magnusson have all congregated. Bleecker, Chev, and Sash are ready to start a season at the Big White ski resort, Brady and Amber are living in Salmon Arm, and Sue, Adam, and the Wilcox brothers are settled in Vancouver City. Will Seelbach now cooks for a small restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Hannah Johnson spends her time with her twin sister as she prepares for a move to the Southwest. Much snowboarding and catching up with friends is planned for the holidays. Devin Olson is livin' it up in Portland Oregon, having just nailed the lead in a college play. Peter Griffith is slowly converting to a north-easterner, as he settles into Boston post-college. Shelley Marier is enjoying hockey on real ice up in Canada. She is a semester into her masters program at the University of Windsor. Liz Mannis and Abby Kesten are both enjoying Cornell. Liz is considering a junior year in either Europe or South Africa. Shanna Thomson is working through an unusually tough knee surgery. We are pulling for you Shanna! Denise Charters is headed to West Virginia from California. Becca Levin is totally loving her time abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is proud of her new accent. Trevor McGinn is actually stretching right now in preparation for his senior season as a Bard basketball player. Addie Honeycutt has just purchased a big down jacket in preparation for the unbelievably cold winter at Carleton College in Minnesota. She also has grudgingly admitted that Seattle is the coolest city in the union. Vlado Dancak and Lucy Demska recently opened a hostel in Slovakia. Mary-Caitlin Anderson just returned from Africa, and is back in Washington. The triplets were, of course, overjoyed to see her. Lew Chase reports that the leaves were gorgeous as ever at 1000 Cape Moonshine Road. back to top Alumni News from... Doug Kramer (1980s) remembers being called the "restraining doctor" with a smile. His uncle owns and operates the Crazy Horse Camping Grounds not far from camp. Doug is now working as a professional in IT/MIS, which he enjoys. He still communicates with Julian Wise. Libi (Coken) Warren (1950s) is now living happily in Santa Monica. She remembers being a pain in the neck to her counselors even though camp was a good experience. Jimmy Cruz (2000s) still recalls the wonderful experiences of CWW. He is married now, and his wife and he are expecting twin boys. The Cruz's live in Austin, TX, where they just purchased their first house. Jamie Federbush (2000s) loves CWW so much and can't wait to come back as a counselor in 2009! Kate Samuels (1980s and 1990s) lives in Atlanta and would love to hear from CWW alums in the area. Samuel Kolodney (1970s and 1980s) found the alumni site when his son googled his name. He still remembers Stebo saying "let's think about that" after reading a poem, and Chick playing the guitar. Shane Haley (1980s) is back in school for an MFA in painting and visual literacy. He hopes all is well with his CWW friends. Jonathan Weiss (1950s and 1960s) is a professor of French at Colby College. Lois (Saval) Finstein (1960s) finds it hard to believe that she climbed mountains, canoed, and stayed overnight, but she did! She remembers blueberry picking, folk songs, and square dancing. She would love to hear from anyone who remembers her name. David Coken (1940s) went looking for Walt Whitman poems and found the camp's website. He attended camp in 1948 and 1949. Carly (Bavosa) Leal (1980s and 1990s) wants to say thanks for the wonderful summers. Kenneth Lauterstein (1960s)'s father grew up with Chick and Arnie Soloway, and Ann Soloway taught him to swim at camp. She then repeated the feat for his son, Nathan! He passes his regards on to Ann. Dave "Schnitz" Schneider (1970s-1980) fondly remembers all the personalities that had a huge influence on his life. He has had a band called the Zambonis for 12 years now (www.zambonis.com) Eric Dichter (1980s) is living in Philadelphia with his wife, Leigh-Ann, and his two children, Samantha and Jason. He works for the law department of Johnson and Johnson. Elisha Lawrence (1960s and 1970s)'s father and aunt went to CWW. Her son Zach was 3rd generation last summer! Herbert Ratansky (1950s) worked as a counselor for 4 years during college at Brown, before becoming a physician. His cousin, Ira, designed the dining hall. He remembers the days when classical music was played over the speakers during rest hour. James Freemantle (1990s) credits one magical summer at CWW with providing hundreds of memories of hospitality, generosity, fabness, and international love. Dan Cath (1990s) loves living in San Francisco and working for Google. He'd love to hear from anyone who is curious about hearing about either. Todd Newman (1990s) fondly remembers Bunk 3 through Bunk 9. After graduating from Indiana University in 2006, he began working for Wachovia in DC. He is headed back to NYC soon enough. Matt Jacobson (1980s)'s memories are still strong, and he finds himself humming certain tunes on Sunday mornings. Alexis Durgee (2000s) feels that without the tremendous lessons learned at CWW, she would be a rather unfortunately different character. Josh Hill (2000s) is stunned to realize it has been five years since he's woken up where the purple lilacs grow. He works as an instructor in Maine, and longs to go back and get those junior and lower middle campers to "march to the beat!" Erin (Ersberger) Ross (1990s) recently saw Josh Dorfman's article in Body and Soul and wanted to touch base with camp after all these years. She married a New Yorker in Montana, where she got her Masters in Environmental Studies. Erin has one daughter, Ava, and a second one on the way. Lila Marguiles (1980s) is doing well working as a social worker at Friends Seminary School. She recently got busted doing the Louisana Saturday Night at the high school dance. She made up for it by doing the Patta Patta. Pauline (Watkinson) Davey (1960s and 1970s) is delighted to make contact with camp after all these years. Trey Spencer (1970s) is glad to see CWW still kicking, and would love to get in touch with anyone from his era at camp. Jeremy Baskin (1990s) remembers everything at camp from "quack-quack-quack, waddle-waddle-waddle" to Little Shop of Horrors. He is currently studying chemistry at Berkeley and would love to get out of the lab and come visit camp. back to top About Camp Walt Whitman | Campers and Parents Working for CWW | Alumni | Contact Us | Home