News from Elizaville

It’s July 1, 1945. Morning. Opening Day. Scatico campers excitedly gather in the main concourse of Grand Central Station, looking for the raised banners that will group them by division. Outside their large circle of energy, laughter and nerves, the bustle of another Grand Central morning passes by. The war in Europe has ended less than two months previously.

Seven-year-old Judy Ugelow, from Washington Heights, is setting off for her first summer at camp. “I see it as if were yesterday. Such a clear vision. I didn’t have a friend. As a City Kid, I knew camp was a treat.”

Judy at camp this Fall— her first visit since 1950.

Judy’s last summer at Scatico was 1950. In September, she returned to Elizaville for the first time in 73 years. Under the heading of “First Class RSS” (Random Scatico Sighting), she discovered several years ago that the two sons of her West Hartford, CT, neighbors (Isaac and Elliot Greenblatt—longtime campers and current staff members) attend Scatico. Nicole, their mom, has finally convinced Judy that it’s time to return to her long-ago summer home and has offered to drive her up for a visit.

There’s nothing we love more than RSSes and alumni who return to visit camp after being away for many years (and 73 years may well be an all-time record!). Both can produce a spontaneous smile and the heart-warming embrace of nostalgia. For Judy (similar to many), it’s not just about the stirring of specific moments and memories, but the overall sense of place. The inside of a bunk. The lake. Campfires. Sights. Sounds. Smells. “Camp looked the same, but fresh. Same feel. I loved camp.” She remembered buying her camp uniform in the lead-up to summer, Color War and Friday Nights, her friends Vera and Rita, the aura of Uncle Nat and his wife Jackie…. To imagine what walking around camp might have felt like to Judy on this Fall visit, a camper or staff member finishing a Scatico career in 2024 would need to envision that next return to camp coming in 2097. Just in time for the 22nd Century.

The summer of 2024 promises, as in years passed, full-camp events (Opening and Closing campfires, Friday evenings, the final night of Color War,…) when graduating campers and staff will share stories and lessons learned from their years at Scatico. They’ll talk about friendship and overcoming challenges. Specific events and moments. And underlying much of this growth is a foundation that’s less tangible and less describable, tied more to a feeling and a connection to place. And sometimes all it takes to re-discover that foundation supporting you is an off-season visit. Or the realization of an unexpected RSS with next-door neighbors, even if you attended camp 70 years apart.

Then and Now photos…. for those of you who haven’t been to camp in 73 years! The shorts are still green and the T-Shirts white. The trees have grown just a bit!

A Court. Then—Wood backboards.

Now—Fiberglass backboards. Trees and shade.

Tennis Courts. Then—Clay surface and wood racquets.

Now—All-weather surface, lighting, and a coed Pickleball tournament.

Girl’s Cabin. Then— metal frame beds and saddle shoes.

Now— wood beds with shoe cubbies, and Crazy Creeks.

Golf Course. Then— no dividers and not much shade.

Now— seating and shorts!

Visiting Camp

In the neighborhood? Want to see what camp looks like snow-covered? Just send an email to info@scatico.com. Although we limit visits in-season (usually to alumni from outside the United States), we love to have former campers and staff stop by throughout the off-season.

A few recent, notable pilgrimages to Elizaville (in addition to Judy Ugelow Satlof—see story above)…. Nathalie Kuilder traveled from the Netherlands to work at Scatico in the summer of 1989. On vacation in the United States in July with her husband and two children, she made sure to include a stop in Elizaville, her first time at camp in 24 years….

For David Wozny, it had been 20 years since he traveled from England to work as a driver in the summer of 1993. During his June visit, he made sure to stop by the bunk in which he lived….

Steve Leonard never attended Scatico, but he knew that his mom Marjorie Friedman and her sister Phoebe were campers and counselors in the 1930s. While on vacation near camp, he randomly drove past the Scatico sign and the name seemed familiar. He couldn’t resist. After a tour by golf cart with his wife Cynthia, he went home and dug through family CD photo archives—and sent in the pictures below from the summers of 1935 to 1937.

Staying In Touch

As always, we’ll begin with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)—whether people who shared summers together in Elizaville (and recognized each other) or when the connection discovered is gleaned through a “Scatico” article of clothing or (as you will soon see) random conversation….

Andrew “AJ” Kahn lives in Denver, CO, where he works for Pearl Health. Riding in a gondola on a ski outing in Telluride, he heard one passenger say he was from Red Hook (Brooklyn)—and another passenger counter that “the real Red Hook is in Upstate New York.” AJ asked Passenger Two how he knew the Upstate Red Hook. (You know where this is going!) Connection made with longtime camper and current counselor Jacob Schiff (2010s-20s)….

Bruce Holman (1944-56) sat down in a movie theater near his Florida home this summer to watch the film “Oppenheimer” and recognized the person in the seat next to him—Annie Bierman Gruenberger (1959-68). Although they had never spent a summer together at camp, they knew each other from alumni reunions through the years. Annie then shared how her father was a member of the 27-person flight crew on the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima….

Current camper Sam Oberweger was riding a bus in Manhattan after school one day and (naturally) wearing a Scatico shirt. A woman approached and a new friend made—Susan Rosenbaum Retblatt (who attended camp from 1952 to 1960). Their last and first summers gapped by more than 60 years!... Current camp parents Joanna and Jeremy Klein (Gracie and Jordan are their children) went to see a Broadway show in December and afterwards entered a crowded restaurant for a bite to eat—“A lovely couple invited us to share their bar table.” In the ensuing conversation they realized that they shared a Scatico connection. One of their “new” friends? Betsy Nosonowitz (1960s-70s).

Other alumni checking in…. Zack Phillips spent one summer at Scatico (heading the music program in 2012) but he has plenty of camp DNA (grandparents Don and Sue Kohlreiter Herzog, mom Jill Herzog Phillips, and sisters Gaby and Halle Phillips all spent many years in the 12523 as campers and counselors from the 1940s to the 2020s—in fact, covering every decade except the 1990s). At a Webster Hall concert in Brooklyn in April 2022, Zack saw INJI as an opening act: “We were immediately kindred spirits and I’ve been her manager ever since!... She had a big viral moment on Tik Tok with her first song Gaslight.” The photo below shows Zack and INJI outside a sold out show in London this past summer….

Janet Lapidus Nova (1970s-80s), NFL deputy general counsel for media and league business affairs, was honored for her philanthropic leadership by the UJA Federation of New York at a June event in Manhattan. Former bunkmates Stefanie Friedman Feidelson, Alison Max Rothschild, and Margie Ostrove joined her at the celebration.

…. Glenn Parker (1950-59) has co-authored (with his son Michael) “Positive Influence: Leadership in a Time of Crisis” (a Goody Business Book Awards winner)…. Congratulations to Alexsander Borisavljevic, who this August received his PhD in Sport and Physical Education from the University of Belgrade. Alexsander and his father Radisa both worked at camp as members of support staff (respectively in 2006 and 1978)—a two-generation Scatico family from Serbia

…. Standup comedian Modi Rosenfeld (1970s-80s) is in the midst of a 25-performance tour that extends through April (“The Know Your Audience Tour”) and includes stops in New York, Washington, and Boston. For ticket information visit ModiLive.com….

When Adam Birbrower (1980s) saw a Scatico instagram post this past summer about a come-from-behind victory in a night baseball game at Camp Kenmont (in which his nephew Jed Greer played), he couldn’t help but recall pitching in a tournament at the same camp in 1986 (when Scatico lost in the last inning of the finals—after winning its first two games). He sent in the two photos below…

Abby Pariser (1950s) and Eric Baron (1950s-60s) worked together to help plan the 50th anniversary of the Scarsdale High School Class of 1963….

Send news (and non-news) for the Spring issue of the alumni newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Reunions

Getting together with Scatico friends? Send us your photos. In this issue, we heard from alumni from the 1960s to the 2010s.

1960s-70s—Nancy Greystone and Wendy Wolf—Now (in Los Angeles, where Nancy lives and runs a Communications Consultancy) and then (in the vintage photo, that’s Wendy on Nancy’s shoulders in the middle). “I met Wendy on the first day of camp in 1966. It was my first year, but Wendy’s second, so she knew the ins and outs. She took me under her wing, and was the best possible friend to have—then and now.”

1970s-90s—Todd Fass, Billy Goldman, and Justin Lapatine. Scatico dads drop off their children at Vanderbilt University for the fall semester. Don’t think we didn’t notice that Todd and Justin are wearing white t-shirts.

1980s-2000s—Scott and EB Berwitt Strauss (with Blair) and Josh Aronin (with James). From Elizaville to neighbors in Delray Beach, FL.

1980s-90s—Mitch Polay and Julian Lynn—from Amsterdam, where Julian manages a hotel. Mitch (who was on vacation) was Julian’s counselor in 1988.

As campers in the 2000s-10s, Noah Levine and Jayson Pinals made their share of horror films in the Scatico film program, so many that Noah created his own production company—Zomboy Productions. Today, Jayson works for a pharmaceutical company in Boston and Noah works for Lionsgate Films (most recently running the media campaign for “Saw X”). When Jayson visited Noah in Los Angeles recently , they met up with John Hickey, the head of the Scatico film program, who will celebrate his 40th summer as a Scatico staff member in 2023.

2000s—Visitng Paris this summer, Lizzie Swerdlin connected with her longtime bunkmate (and French native) Hava Suchait.

A likely location for a reunion of 1980s-90s alumni? A Bruce Springsteen concert in New Jersey. Left to right: Aaron Zamkoff (Erik’s son), Randy Au, Doug Florin, Erik Zamkoff, and Matt Florin. Lynette Santoro-Au is taking the photo.

From down-under and covering Scatico summers from the 1960s to the 2000s… Rich and Sue Rubin Wolfin were visiting their son Jake (who lives in Australia) where they met Trevor and Jenny Dodge (and daughter Perth). The Dodges live in Mexico City, but Jenny is originally from Australia—and they were home to see her family.

**2014 Soopers** celebrate Friendsgiving

In Memoriam

Jeff with Braelyn, Scatico caretaker Teddy’s daughter.

Joan Lorberbaum Moore on July 7 at the age of 77. Joan attended camp from 1953 to 1960, along with her sister Kara Lorberbaum Beck. Originally from New York City, Joan lived in Florida where she worked as a real estate agent. Her son Brett Moore was a camper and counselor in the 1980s-90s, and was famed for running Scatico’s only-ever auto-shop program (teaching campers such skills as how to change oil).
Hal Bauman on June 23 at the age of 85. Hal was a counselor in the 1950s. A Judge and Village Justice in Liberty, NY, earlier in life he worked as an aeronautical engineer for Grumman Engineering. While at Grumman, he served on teams that helped Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1969 and that designed vertical stabilizers for the F-14 fighter jet.
Marcia Marks Thaler on October 9 at the age of 80. A graduate of New York University Uptown, Marcia was an early childhood educator and administrator at both the 92nd Street Y and JCP Downtown in Manhattan. She spent summers at Scatico from 1949 to 62 and her children Lawrence (LT) and Karen were at camp in the 1980s-90s. Her grandchildren Noah and Ryan are current campers.
Jeffrey Somang Kiluba on October 7 at the age of 24. Jeff worked fulltime as a member of the maintenance team in 2018 and part-time from 2019 to 2023. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to Kingston, NY, in 2012.

International Camp T-Shirt Day

A new favorite annual tradition, November's #CampTshirtDay calls on the global camp community to wear the gear of their summer camp, and post photos of it on social media. This year, we had a record 101 Scaticonians participate, representing 11 states, 10 countries, and 8 decades of Scatico history! (See a selection of alum submissions below).

Beyond the heartwarming display of camp spirit, Scatico has turned T-shirt Day into a fundraiser, donating to a different non-profit each year for each person who participates. This year we donated $404 to Experience Camps, an award-winning non-profit that transforms the lives of grieving children through summer camp programs and innovative, year-round initiatives. ExCamps offers no-cost summer camps throughout the US for children who have lost a sibling, parent, or primary caregiver. There are three Scatico alum personally involved with the organization-- Brian Helfman, who serves as a Program Director, and Melissa Samuels and Lexi Schecter who both serve as volunteer camp counselors.

The Next Generation

Send announcements to info@scatico.com…. And for your effort will send you a Scatico Onesie and bib.

Clara on August 2 to Alex and Ali Levine Foster. Ali was a camper and counselor in the 1990s-00s. Grandpa Andy (better known as Lumpy) was a camper and staff member in the 1960s-70s.

Rae on September 23 to Matty and Kael Au-Carroll. Matty and Kael met as counselors at Scatico in 2008. Matty was last at camp in 2022 as an assistant head counselor. Grandparents Randy and Lynette Santoro-Au both worked at camp in the 1990s (and, for Randy, in the 1980s and 2000s-20s as well—currently as an athletics director).

Owen on October 23 to Sam and Jessica Abrams. Sam and his brothers Joe and Mike were campers in the 1990s; grandpa Jeff a camper and counselor in the 1960s-70s.
Margot on August 22 to Ben and Danielle Hayon. Ben and his siblings Sol and Rachel were campers and staff members in the 1990s-10s.

Asher on September 21 to Russell Goldstein and Hannah Markell-Goldstein. Hannah and her brother John were Scatico campers in 2000s; their mom Donna Matles Markell was a camper in the 1960s.

Jake on November 22 to Michael and Cassie Bukantz. Michael and his sister Stephanie were campers and counselors in the 1990s-2000s; their parents Jeff Bukantz and Carol Irwin were counselors in the 1970s-80s; and their grandfather Dan Bukantz attended Scatico in the 1940s. According to Michael, Jake’s older sister Ivy “is already trying to teach him the chicken patty chant”
Logan Jack on December 16, 2021 to Charlie Bahamonde and Rachel Frishman. Rachel and her brother Adam were campers in the 1990s; Grandpa Ricky was a camper and counselor in the 1960s-70s.

CONGRATULATIONS

Weddings A busy wedding season! Including three trios of bunkmates: 2005 Upper Seniors Jesse, Joe, and Brian (who also happen to be first cousins); 2004 Upper Seniors Michael, Justin, and Max; and 2008 Soopers Emily, Rebecca, and Audrey. Send announcements to info@scatico.com.

Jesse Fleischner and Liz Deubl on September 23. Jesse’s siblings Greta, Rebecca, and Adam and dad Ben were also campers.

Joe Quigley and Christina Moller on June 3. Joe’s siblings Doris, Rodger, Helen, and Sally were also campers.
Brian Klena and Liz Butcher on October 21. Brian’s siblings Patrick, John, and Deirdre were also campers.
Michael Lew and Elissa Weinberger on September 10. Michael’s siblings Audrey and Ben were also campers in the 1990s-00s. Ben currently heads the girls’ tennis program.
Justin Grodman and Mackenzie Cunningham on September 30. Justin and his sister Emilie were campers in the 1990s-00s.; their mom Pam Gulick-Grodman ran the girls’ waterfront from 1999-2003.
Max Bosch and Gabby Gonzalez on October 14. Max was a camper and counselor from 2003-09; his mom Alley Foster and stepdad Dave Hyman worked at Scatico from 2003 to 2015, Alley as a ceramics and art director and Dave founding and heading the woodshop program. They also jointly directed the CIT program.

Tory Dodge and Andrew Ehinger on July 15. Tory and her siblings Jessica, Trevor, and Aliza were longtime campers and staff members from the 1990s-10s; their mom Lisa Paymer Dodge and uncles Steven and Andy attended camp in the 1960s-80s. (Andrew proposed to Tory on an off-season visit to camp.)
Alexa Wallerstein and Dylan Lawson on June 3. Alexa was a camper and counselor from 2001-13. Her brother Adam was a camper in the 2000s.

Rebecca Schwartz and Chris Mack on October 14. Rebecca attended camp with her sister Ashley Green Sheen in the 1990s-00s.
Emily Heineman and Andrew Jacobs on June 18. Emily and her brothers Jack and Matt were campers and staff members in the 2000s-10s; their mom Leslie and aunt Amy attended Scatico in the 1970s-80s.

Julie Miller and Zach Zaffos on May 27. Julie was a camper and counselor from 2004-12.

Jon Kochen and Julie Rudnick on March 4. Jon and siblings Matt, Jacob, and Leah attended Scatico in the 1990s-2010s; there mom Sharon Beck Kochen, uncle Joel, and grandparents George and Kara Lorberbaum Beck all attended camp (covering the 1950s-80s).

Last, but not least…. Audrey Fleischner (girls athletics director and assistant head counselor) and Mark Gretenstein (boys head counselor) on September 3 (ceremony at the girls campfire site, cocktail hour outside the dining room, reception on the boys ballfields, and afterparty at the canteen). Just a few current and former Scaticonians in attendance….

Winter 2023-24, Edition 103