Camp Dudley
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Founded in 1885 by Sumner F. Dudley, Camp Dudley is the oldest continually running boys camp in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is located in
Westport, New York Westport is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,312 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Plattsburgh and south of Montreal, Quebec, Cana ...
, on the shores of
Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...
. In 1993, it was included within the
Camp Dudley Road Historic District Camp Dudley Road Historic District is a national historic district located at Westport, in Essex County, New York. The district contains 131 contributing buildings, one contributing site, and one contributing structure. It consists of an agricu ...
when listed on the listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.


History and traditions


Early history

Sumner Dudley, long active in both the New York and New Jersey YMCA movements, was asked in 1884 to take "young honor YMCA members" camping. In 1885, he took seven boys for a week's encampment at Orange Lake, N. J. The next year Dudley moved the site to Twin Islands, Lake Wawayanda, N.J. Ultimately, the camp settled on Lake Champlain, N.Y., in 189

Dudley referred to the first camp as Camp Baldhea

and later the Boys' Camping Society (B.C.S.). After Dudley's death in 1897, the camp was renamed Camp Dudley. In 2015, Camp Dudley officially parted ways with the YMCA after respectful discussions concerning Camp Dudley's desire to become independent.


Camp numbers

Campers are assigned camp numbers in ascending order based on when they first attended Camp. The first camp number (No. 1) was assigned George Peck in 1903. Since then, over 25,000 campers, leaders, and staff have each been given a unique, identifying number. At alumni gatherings, there is often a competition to see who in attendance has the lowest and therefore oldest camp number.


Mission and values

No longer officially operated by the YMCA, Camp Dudley is an independent camp managed by the Board of Managers. It draws from the YMCA's own tenets of mind, body, and spirit. Though non-denominational, the camp espouses "Christian values" in its teachings and programs, not least of which is its motto, "The Other Fellow First". The mission is to develop moral, personal, physical and leadership skills in the spirit of fellowship and fun, enabling boys and girls to lead lives characterized by devotion to others. Thanks to a strong and financially supportive alumni base, the camp offers scholarships to those in financial need. In the summer of 2006, Camp Dudley acquired a sister camp in
Colchester, Vermont Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Colchester was 17,524. It is the fourth-most populous municipality and second-most populous town in the state of Vermont. Colchester bor ...
called
Camp Dudley at Kiniya Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
, after purchasing the former
Camp Kiniya Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
from the Williams family. A driving force in this expansion was for the daughters of Camp Dudley alumni to have a place to learn the same ethics and values that their sons could learn at Camp Dudley.


Alumni

One of the unique characteristics of Dudley is the loyalty and support of its alumni. For most campers, their relationship with Dudley does not end with the close of the camping season but continues throughout their lives. Many former campers return as Leaders, and alumni and parents contribute to Dudley through their financial support. All friends of Dudley are invited to attend the alumni gatherings, as well as the August CDA Reunion at Camp. Between 35 and 40 alumni gatherings are held during the year throughout the country and around the world on the Dudley "Reunion Trail". 2009 was Camp Dudley's 125th summer.


Camp Dudley at Kiniya

In 2006 Camp Dudley officially acquired Camp Kiniya to expand its rich camping tradition to girls. Camp Kiniya was founded in 1919 by Helen Van Buren and lies on the Vermont shores of Lake Champlain, in Colchester. Traditions at Camp Kiniya include the Kiwi Day, where the entire camp celebrates campers and staffers who have attended for four years or more. Camp Dudley at Kiniya has grown into a balanced blend of both camps, including traditions from each original camp. There are 16 camper cabins, with additional staff cabins. The camp is divided into two divisions, Junior Division and Senior Division. Summer 2018 was the camp's 100th summer.


Campers, Leadership, Leaders, and Staff

At both Dudley and Kiniya, there are cabins that support a variety of ages. At Dudley, campers are typically 10-14, and at Kiniya campers are 10-14. Girls and boys are placed in cabins based on their ages. The cabins are divided into divisions: Cubs, Plebes, Juniors, and Seniors for Dudley and Cubs, Cats, Juniors and Seniors for Kiniya. Kiniya is, in general, a smaller camp, with fewer campers and less acreage. When you finish your last camper year, you may apply to become an Aide, the first step on the road in being a leader. An Aide lives in cabins with young campers but still has the opportunity to play on sports teams with the oldest campers. At 16 and 17, you can become a Junior Leader or Assistant Leader, paid positions in cabins that are designed to support the leader. At 18, one may become a leader, the main counselor in the cabin. One can also be a program staff member at 18 and beyond, working in the Athletics, Arts, Outdoors, or Waterfront departments.


Daily Activities/Program Areas


Athletics

There are many athletic opportunities for boys and girls to participate in. There is: * Basketball * Soccer * Softball/Baseball * Tennis * Golf * Ultimate Frisbee * Handball * Lacrosse * Archery These are played in a major, a specialized activity block for each child, or team competition, a time of the day where teams play sports against each other to learn the value of respect and good sportsmanship.


Arts

* Theatre * Arts and Crafts * Theatre Tech * Music * Ceramics


Outdoors

* Hiking and Overnight Camping * Challenge Course Elements (low and high) * Rock Climbing * Camp craft


Waterfront

* Kayaking * Canoeing * Sailing * Paddle boarding * Swimming * Boating * Windsurfing * Diving


Spiritual

There is a very profound spiritual life at Kiniya and Dudley, especially on Sundays. There is a chapel service on Sunday mornings with a guest speaker. Their purpose is to inspire the children with encouraging words for the following week. It is meant to help campers more fully understand "The Other Fellow First", and provides an atmosphere of togetherness and unity. The speakers provide many valuable life lessons in their speeches. All campers and staff members wear the camps' traditional blue and white colors to this service. On Sunday nights, the camps individually gather to sing Hymns. This is one of the most valued traditions of both Dudley and Kiniya.


Other Activities

Every Wednesday and Saturday shows are performed by the campers and staff. Wednesday nights are talent shows, and Saturday nights are scripted plays. Each division has its own extravaganza once a session, which is a themed day planned by the division's leaders.


Dudley Cheers

Dudley: “D-U-D-L-E-Y / Whitewashed cookies, chicken pie / Pink music, pickeral fry / Westport, Westport my oh my / All ye campers stand in line (line)/ Take your hats off just like mine (mine) / Bevo, bivo, boom get a rat trap bigger than a cat trap, bevo, bivo, BOOM!


Notable alumni

*
R. Inslee Clark, Jr. Russell Inslee "Inky" Clark Jr. (1935 – August 3, 1999) was an educator, administrator, and a key player in the transition of the Ivy League into co-education in the 1960s and diversified student bodies to the present from the 1960s. Personal lif ...
(1935–1999) First Dean of Admissions at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
to admit women *
Tate Forcier Robert Patrick "Tate" Forcier ( ; born August 7, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was a starting quarterback for the 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team ahead of Denard Robinson, and Robinson's backup for the 2010 Michigan ...
Former University of Michigan quarterback and
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
player * Bruce Gehrke professional football and basketball player (NY Giants, NY Knicks) * Oliver Jeffers Artist *
Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...
(1907–1997) Actor, film & television *
Shaun O'Hara Shaun O'Hara (born June 23, 1977) is a former American football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for Rutgers University. He began his professional career by signing as an u ...
Center, New York Giants *
Clark Peterson Clark Peterson (born February 7, 1966) is an American film producer and entertainment executive. He produced the Academy Award-winning film '' Monster'', starring Charlize Theron, and has created and produced a wide variety of award-winning fil ...
- Horticulturalist *
Bob Pettit Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's M ...
NBA Basketball Player, 1970 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee * Andrew Weibrecht World Cup alpine ski racer and two-time Olympic medalist *
James Widdoes James Widdoes (born November 15, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), sometimes billed as Jamie Widdoes, is an American actor and director. Early life Widdoes graduated from The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1972, and is a memb ...
Actor, director, film and television *
Cameron Winklevoss Cameron Howard Winklevoss (born August 21, 1981) is an American cryptocurrency investor and Olympic rower, who (with his brother) founded Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. He competed in the men's pair rowing eve ...
*
Tyler Winklevoss Tyler Howard Winklevoss (born August 21, 1981) is an American investor, founder of Winklevoss Capital Management and Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, and Olympic rower. Winklevoss co-founded HarvardConnection (later renamed ConnectU) along wit ...
* Samuel Adams Wisner Rapper * Quenton Nelson All Pro NFL Guard (Indianapolis Colts)


See also

*
Summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...
*
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
*
Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...


References


External links

* * * {{Summer camps in New York
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
1885 establishments in New York (state) Tourist attractions in Essex County, New York Buildings and structures in Essex County, New York
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
Temporary populated places on the National Register of Historic Places