Lou Gehrig at Scatico in 1935. The lucky camper receiving batting tips is **Tony Rolfe**.

News from Elizaville

Summer of 1935. A rare day off for Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig. He travels by car 90 miles north from his home in Larchmont to Elizaville, planning to visit fellow New York City athlete Nat Holman. Nat also just happens to be the owner and director of a certain sleepaway camp in the aforementioned Elizaville. Gehrig will even get on a baseball field to play in a game with campers and, as legend has it, strike out.

Fall of 2024. I speak on the phone with David Kleiner, 103 years young, who not only attended Scatico that summer as a 14-year-old, but played in the game. “Lou Gehrig was very nice.... He did strike out.” As interesting as confir- mation of the legend passed down through time, were the memories (seemingly less “grand”) from those summers more than 90 years ago. Living in tentalos at the end of the campus (where 1A-B and 2A-B are now) with canvas flaps to roll down over screens on rainy days. Swimming in the lake. Ace Goldstein (one of Nat’s City College basketball players) as an extremely kind counselor. One very specific memory about sneaking to the general store just off camp property, buy- ing a loaf of white bread and bologna, making sandwiches, and then selling those sandwiches for 10 cents each (which feels like a pretty hefty price for the middle of the Depression).

David also shared memories of growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
How the corner pool hall would let him in as a young teen to read Dodger scores
off of its ticker tape. (It wasn’t until 1938 that New York baseball teams began
regularly broadcasting games on the radio.) His dad, a doctor, making neighborhood house calls. David, himself, later serving as a doctor in WWII and then (after the war) buying two homes in Levittown, NY, for no money down (one to live in and one for his office).

**The Elizaville General Store** (left in photo from 1903) is where David Kleiner would have bought his bologna in 1935. It was located ay the corner of Routes 19 and 2, just behind the woods at the end of Scatico’s golf driving range. Later generations lovingly referred to the store as “Coons” after it was purchased by Burton Coons in 1944. The store burned to the ground after the summer of 1973 and the site has remained undeveloped since then. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Elizaville General store also served as the town’s post office.

Naturally, I was drawn to his memories of Scatico. And how the things that become imbedded with- in our memories are not just the big (meeting Lou Gehrig) but the routine (rolling down flaps on cabin screens when it rains or swimming in the lake). The quirky (setting up a black market in bologna and white bread sandwiches) and the poignant (a thoughtful and caring counselor). Memories that have sustained themselves for 90 years.

While each summer might not promise a future baseball Hall of Famer will visit and it’s been 80- plus years since there were flaps to roll down to cover screens, so much that then made for the essence of camp echoes today for the next generation.

Any other alumni from the 1930s-40s who, like David Kleiner, would be interested in sharing memories of their Scatico lives, we’d love to hear from you.

Summer of 1935—A few things Lou Gehrig would have seen on his visit (which look just a little different today)...

**Girls Archery** is located on top of the golf driving range hill (current location of the soccer fields).

Staying in Touch

As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sight- ings (RSSes), although a few of these may have been ini- tially aided by social media posts. Still, no matter the assist, we know of no purer alumni lift than spotting a fellow Scaticonian someplace unexpected..... Spanning the 1980s to 2020s, Randy Au and Ging Vann spotted Scott Madison and current camper Jake Carlone at an Ohio State University football game in September.... Mitch Polay (1980s-2000s) and Lolli Kahn (1990s-2000s) had their RSS moment at Yankee Stadium in September.... Reg- ular RSS contributor Doug Herzog (1960s-70s) went coast- to-coast to report RSSes from Los Angeles with Nancy Lippman Halis (1960s-70s) and the Bronx at Yankee Stadi- um with Dan Oshatz (1970s-80s).... 2000s Ceramics Direc- tor Dinath Rose made an RSS connection last spring with current camper Abby Cohen at Congregation Emanuel in Kingston, NY. Dinath is a teacher at the synagogue’s third grade Sunday school, where Abby’s mom also teaches. Di- nath has moved north to Rosendale, NY, after living and teaching Hebrew for 13 years in Boca Raton, FL. “I told Abby she was about to have the best summer ever.”

Summer of 1967 International Counselors. That’s Fred, third from the right.

In other Alumni news.... Congratulations to Roger Granet (1950s-60s) on the publication of his book, “Talking Back to Cancer: A Psycho-Oncologist Speaks to Hope and Focuses on Coping with Cancer” by Luminare Press. As Roger writes, “It derives from my decades of work [as a psychiatrist] at Sloan Kettering and Cornell Medical Center.”... Scatico staff contemporary, Fred O’Brien, traveled from Ireland to work at Scatico as a counselor in 1967. He has also recently written and published a non-fiction work, “One Family, World- wide, Caring for our Common.” The book reflects on his long career in public health.... Photographer Mark Ostow (1960s-70s) had an exhibit of political portraits displayed this fall at the Bridge Gallery in Cambridge, MA... Jeff Bukantz (1970s-80s) was enshrined in November in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, alongside his father Dan, a Scatico alumnus (1930s) and four-time Olympic fencer (1948-60). Jeff, carrying on the family tradition in fencing, was a 2-time Olympic team captain, a fencing play-by-play broadcaster, and former president of Maccabiah USA.... November 8 marked the third annual "Laugh 'Til It Helps" night of comedy to benefit the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF). Organized by alumnus Scott Kaufman (1990s-2000s), on behalf of Ben and Hope Amsterdam, the event raised more than $31,000 for CPARF, which is dedicated to groundbreaking research and innovative solutions for those impacted by Cerebral Palsy, such as Ben and Hope's daughter Natalie. Ben and Scott were divisionmates and Ben and Hope both had longtime careers as campers, counselors, and division leaders. Nearly 100 people attended, including 30 Scaticonians, with careers spanning from the 1980s - 2020s....

Send news and announcements for future issues 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 spanning 7 decades.

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.

On August 2, **Viola Major** (traveling from Hungary) visited camp with her husband **Adam Lacsik**. Viola and her brother **Marton** worked in the kitchen at camp for several summers in the early 2010s. She is an English teacher in the city of Gyor. Marton is an engineer in Budapest. Although it had been neary 10 years since she was last at camp, Viola was thrilled to see so many familiar faces, including **Ricardo Turnbull**, who was the assistant head chef when she and her brother worked at camp and is currently entering his third summer as Scatico’s head chef.

In Memoriam

Eddie Sussman, on October 17, at 83. Eddie was (as recalled by his divisionmate Dennis Rinzler) “the BEST chicken fighter during our years at camp in the 1950s.” The chicken fight is the final event for each division in boys Color War, and in one year Eddie held off four campers on the opposing team to be “the last man standing.” His brother Gordon was also a camper.
Norm Ilowite, on July 30, at 70. Norm was a longtime Scatico doc-
tor in the 1990s-2000s, when his children Maya, Laura, and Adam
were campers. A pediatric rheumatologist, he was the Chief of Pedi-
atric Rheumatology at the Children’s Hospital of Montefiore and a Professor Emeritus at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Mimi Greiman Hutchinson, on August 30, at 76. Mimi was a camper in the 1950s-60s (along with lots of cousins) and the oldest grandchild of Jack and Daisy Holman. Her mom Lenore attended camp in the 1930s and her children Todd and Tracey in the 1980s-90s.
Howard Podell, on October 17, at 65. An attorney, Howard was a camper and golf counselor in the 1960s-70s. His sister Judy also attended Scatico. Howard’s bunkmate Tom Chiarello remembered him hitting a game-winning grand slam in the 1970 under-13 softball tournament (as the youngest player on the team), advancing Scatico to the finals.

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 91 Scaticonians participate, representing 9 states, 6 countries, and unlimited 12523 pride! (See a selection of alum submissions below, including some current staff members and current camp parents with their children).

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 $455 to Kite's Nest, a Hudson based nonprofit that provides a wide range of year-round programming and learning environments for youth of all ages in Columbia County. In summer's past Scatico has partnered with Kite's Nest for our in-camp Service Day, and our campers and staff have worked alongside Kite's Nest teens composting in their community garden!

Scatico Fall Open House

We celebrated Scatico’s first-ever Fall Open House on September 21! Open to all current families, staff, and alumni, the day provided an opportunity to walk around and enjoy camp, reconnect with friends, participate in some activities, and take a dip in the lake (it was warm enough!). Around 250 attendees spanning the Scatico generations joined us. We closed out the afternoon with a campfire (and s’mores, naturally) and a raffle featuring Scatico’s first-ever batch of homemade maple syrup. Five lucky winners walked away with a bottle tapped and boiled from Scatico maple trees. So should we make the Fall Open House an annual event? We think so! Keep your eyes peeled for next year’s date, to be announced in the Spring.

Staying Connected....

Follow us on Instagram (@campscatico_official —2,700-plus followers and counting) and Facebook (@campscaticoofficial ). Visit the Alumni Section at www.scatico.com to read back issues of the Alumni Newsletter and to purchase Scatico-gear.

Congratulations

Weddings:

Gil Sunshine and Evita Rodriguez on August 24. Gil (a 4th generation Scaticonian—great-grandparents were Jack and Daisy Holman) was a camper in the 1990s- 2000s, along with his siblings Reuven and Hannah. His dad Harry was a camper and staff member from the 1950s to the 1990s (taking the 1980s off). His grandmother, Marjorie Holman Sunshine, began her camper career in 1934, the first year the girls’ camp was open.
Amanda Gerzog and Joey Evans on June 22. Amanda was a camper and counselor in the 2000s-10s. Her brother David was a
camper in the 2000s.
Hailey Blumenreich and Sam Feldman on October 26. Hailey and her twin sister Stacey were campers and counselors in the 2000s-10s.

2008 Soopers celebrate with Rachel (back middle)

Rachel Gladstone and Juan Bologna on September 6. Rachel and her brother Josh were campers and counselors in the 2000s-10s.

Just a few Scaticonians join Leah and John.

Leah Robinson and John Kane on September 21. Leah and her brother Dan were campers and counselors in the 2000s-10s. More than 30 Scatico contemporaries and their plus-ones attended.
Eiko Suzuki and Jim Materowski on November 1. Eiko and her brother Yosuke traveled from Japan to Elizavile for many summers in the 1990s-2000s.
Emilie Grodman and Jake Dosoudil on September 28th. Emilie and her brother Justin were campers and staff members in the 1990s - 2000s and mom Pam served as the Girls Waterfront Director for several summers.

The Next Generation

Harrison Michael on June 15 to Cameron and Lucy Callahan Au. Cam and his sister Kael were counselors in the 2010s. Their mom Lynette was a staff member in the 1990s and their dad Randy is the current boys’ Athletics Director. Randy’s Scatico career has spanned 5 decades, beginning in the 1980s.
Zoe on May 23 to Dan Petroff and Emily Gopstein. Dan was a camper and sailing counselor in the 1980s-90s.

Engagements:

Josh and Aodhan with **Diana** and **David** on the steps of the Admin.

Josh Robertson and Aodhan Gregory met at Scatico as international staff members in the early 2010s, Josh working in the outdoor adventure program and Aodhan in film-making. Currently living outside London, they returned to Elizaville in September as part of a U.S. vacation.... And Josh’s proposal.

Winter 2024-25, Edition 104

News from Elizaville

Staying in Touch

Reunions

Visiting Camp

In Memoriam

Howard Podell on the A Court

International Camp T-Shirt Day

Scatico Fall Open House

Congratulations

Zoe

Winter 2024-25, Edition 104

News from Elizaville

Staying in Touch

Reunions

Visiting Camp

In Memoriam

Howard Podell on the A Court

International Camp T-Shirt Day

Scatico Fall Open House

Congratulations

Zoe

Spring 2024, Edition 103