Camp Zoe Memories
2003 Letters
12/12/03I can't believe it. This is too much. I happened to search the web under "Worzer" and found this website. Ah, the memories. It is hard to believe that my legacy lives on as Gene Gene the Dancin' Machine. What treasured memories. I am blessed to have been at Camp Zoe.
Best regards,
Patrick Worzer - Camper 1978
Patrick appeared as Gene-Gene during the Gong Show, part of Sunday Activities.
8/23/03
I attended Camp Zoe in the summer of 1949, 1950 and 1951. I loved it. I learned to horseback ride, swim, and canoe, plus archery, sing and make lots of friends. I remember spending one whole day going to a spring and then hiking back in Sinkin Creek. I remember how hard it was to hike in the creek. I have wonderful memories of camp. I'm so glad I found the website. I live in Poplar Bluff, Mo. now and I would love to go up to where the camp was. I lived in Charleston, Mo. when I was a child and attended the camp.
Jane Banta Hopkins
8/01/03
I was a camper at Zoe from '78 to '82, ages 9-12 (if you've got an '82 yearbook, you'll see I was voted "Best Dressed" boy for First Session).
I came across your website and Yahoo Group while Googling for Camp Zoe. Had a strange dream a few nights ago that I was back at camp (which I hadn't thought of in ages) as an adult, for some sort of black-tie affair. The whole camp had been modernized, with the Old Shelter turned into this three-story concrete, steel and plate glass structure with a big observation deck for looking out over Sinkin' Creek. How shocked and saddened I was to learn that the camp was closed way back in '86, and that both the Old and New Shelters have been demolished!
Ah well. Fantastic memories of a too-short youth--I was looking forward to joining the Yahoo Group so I could wade through the photo archives for further reminiscing. Thanks for a great site, and for bringing back great memories.
Best Regards--
Chris Womack
6/08/03
I was searching for summer camps for my son and ran across the Camp Zoe web site. I attended Camp Zoe from 1974-1980 and loved every minute. My best friend went with me for the first couple of years but, he moved away and I was on my own. That didn't stop me from missing camp and all it had to offer. I am sorry that my kids won't beable to enjoy Camp Zoe too.
Dalene Fenton
5/22/03
Wow great to take a trip back to the good old days! My sister Robin and I went two consecutive summers, I think '69 and '70. Tino Trova is kinda of a cousin to us, no contact to speak of anymore. Nice guy, and his sisters too. One thing you forgot was "Flubber" that was always available for lunch. Also when the boys and girls would get to go skinny dipping (not together). Thanks again for the web spot.
Bill Shillington
Although flubber was gone by the mid 70's, campers from the 60's mention the peanut butter and karo syrup mixture routinely!
4/25/03
I'm an 80's alumn. It was nice to see other Zoe people still exist. It was great to take a trip down memory lane. I want to hear from more 80's people. Thanks for my little memory trip!
Grayson Erlbacher
4/25/03
I was a camper at Camp Zoe back in the late 1950s, for several summers. My name is Owen Hardy, and I was born and raised in St. Louis. I now live in Louisville, KY. As far as I can recall, I lived in both the "Boy's Cabin" and the "Tent Cabin." A childhood friend of mine, Tom Gross, also of St. Louis, attended at least one summer with me.
It's funny what different folks remember. One of my most vivid memories is sleeping outside one night, not far from our cabin (I think it was Tent Cabin; it was the cabin closest to a cow pasture.) We were all arrayed in sleeping bags on the cold, wet ground, and I remember, waking up in the middle of the night, to the most frightening sound I'd ever heard. It was a low grunt, deep and guttural, and it sounded like it meant terrible business. As a nine-year-old, I at once conjured up images in the night of a horrible beast, waiting at the perimeter of our campground, just hoping for some hapless camper to come along and use the outhouse. In fact, I thought the monster probably was in the outhouse. And that wasn't good, because I realized that I had to go to the bathroom.
Well, I know I didn't budge that night. I honestly can't remember whether or not I was able to hold nature at bay, but I do remember, in the morning, when I finally got up the nerve to actually make my outhouse trip, seeing the source of my terror in living flesh: a big, dumb ol' cow! City boy that I was, I had no idea they could sound so ferocious at night!
Thanks for starting this site. I have many more memories (archery, horseback-riding (especially on that monster of a horse: "Man") dances, unending tether-ball matches, checking for ticks and finding them, etc. But I'll let you go.
Yours,
Owen (or, as I was known then, Colly)
4/18/03
I got your email and revisited the Zoe site. I posted a bio for you....hope it was not too long but it was hard to stop writing once I started. I used to be a counselor at "Group" for the younger campers. One song we sang was "Alice".
Alice where are you going?
Upstairs to take a bath.
Alice with legs like toothpicks and neck like a Giraffe.
Alice stepped in the bathtub,
Alice pulled out the plug.
Oh my goodness, Oh my sole,
there goes Alice down the hole.
Alice Alice Glub Glub Glub
We had motions to this and also did "Little Cabin in the Woods" with a the words dropping out and the motions getting faster every verse.
Little cabin in the woods (draw house in the air with fingers)
Little man by the window stood (hand over your eyes looking out of the window)
Saw a rabbit hopping by (rabbit made with fingers hopping)
Knocking at my door (knocking with fist on door)
Help me help me cried (hands raised in the air)
Ere the hunter shoot me dead (hands up like holding a rifle)
Little rabbit come in side (motion with hands to come in)
Safely to abide (hands petting like holding the rabbit)
I still tell people the best times of my life were the summers at Camp Zoe. There are just too many stories to tell and good times to remember to even begin here.
I still see several councelors that are in West Plains, Dottie Summers Walker, Vicki Schmutzler Gregory, former owners David and Jon Baltz. One of my employees in our Mt. View office is married to a former councelor from the 80's, Dave White. Campers I see regulary are my counsin Frank James, John Richards, and Ted Detherage. Former camper and good friend Gates Paris lost a battle to cancer this past year.
Business adventures in recent years re-connected me with Skip Chipperfield. Both of my children attended Drury University and I think Skip is now on the Drury Board of Directors. Everyone who knew Skip at camp knew he would be a success.
I think of the special smiles on the faces of special people that made Camp Zoe what it was for me....Chris and Meg Hirsh (both on duty as angels for God now)...Kathy "Mush Mouth" Delany, Connie Conrad, Margie Grinnell, Chris St.Cir, Lucy and Ellie Hirsh, Lynn Holden, Kent Jones, Robin Goldstein, Marilyn White, Tim England.....too many more with faces I remember but names I forget...my hair is gray now by the way.
Camp Zoe was a special place, with special people. I try to share that with others, but somehow they never understand unless they were there. What a wonderful time we had, near the river, on a hill, under the stars, having fun as I surely believe God intended his children to do.
Dick Davidson
04/12/03
I thought that I would take a moment to share a few of my memories of Camp Zoe. Being born in 1982 I have no memories when the camp was up and running as a childrens summer camp. Even though I wasn't sent to spend the summer with kids of my age, I spent many days there with my family. I couldn't remeber a 4th of July spent anywhere else until last year.(we spent it under the bridge where sinkin runs into current though)
Most of my memories are camping across the river from the original camp on the camp ground. We would walk up to the "Zoe hole" as we called it to fish and swim, in the earlier days there was a dock you could jump off of. As the years went by the land changed hands and I had the opportunity to camp in a few of the cabins across the creek. I spent quiet a few hours poking around in the buildings. I even took some of the dishes from the kitchen down to the spring and cleaned them up. I also spent a few days romping around in the barn. I have always had a place in my heart for Camp Zoe even though my memories are in later days than most of the ones on your website, you have done a wonderful thing by building this. THANK YOU!!!!
Amy Terrill
03/30/03
Hey, I just found your Camp Zoe page, and the Yahoo group. How excellent! It’s kind of funny how I found it. We were just on a car trip with my boys (5 and 8) and were singing a bunch of songs. I started singing the Titanic song from Zoe, but couldn’t remember all the words. When we got back, I did a google search for the lyrics and found your page!
I, too, have fond memories of Zoe. I think you and I were there about the same times, but you must have been there different sessions, because I don’t think I remember you. I tended to go either the 3rd or 4th session. One year I was there for 2 sessions, but I don’t remember when that was. I have all my Zoe albums in my trunk at home -- I’ll have to go dig them out. Thanks for the great effort in your creation.
-Kevin Ross
Beautiful ol’ Sinking Creek, who’s waters lap our shore
03/02/03
I was a Zoe camper from '64-66, and I loved my summers there. I spent 2 sessions there my first year and 1 session each of the following 2 years.
I loved the horseback riding, the over nights at the old school, swimming in Sinkin Creek, the food, the counselors - everything. I am really sorry that it is no longer the type of camp I remember. It was such a special place.
My only really bad memory was feeling positive one night that Willie was right outside my cabin window looking at me. There was SOMETHING out there, but I was too scared to look!
Sunni Mace
See the letters from 2002