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HYDE BAY HOME LETTER  Precamp 1                                    SEASON 1947

EXPLANATION: All old cambers will be familiar with this letter. To our new friends I should say that I write something like this a few times before camp starts and every week during the camp season. This one is to tell you how plans are shaping up for the season. It is also to ask for your help.

VACANCIES: While we have an excellent group of campers enrolled, 1 should like very much to add several boys to our numbers. One or two people have written me assuming that we had no space left at Hyde Bay. That's not the case. We are still able to take some additional campers. We have always found the friends of our old campers to be the sort of boys we want. I hope that you will keep us in mind.

PART TIME: While most of the boys at camp will be there for eight weeks, there are always several who for one reason or another come for four weeks or for some other period less than the usual eight weeks. While the camp fee for the eight weeks is $350, we are glad to receive boys for shorter periods at the rate of $50 per week. Any campers whom you suggest will be given every consideration.

THE COUNCIL: It seems to me we have never had a better council than the one which has been arranged for this year. GEORGE CHANDLEE will again be the head councilor. BOB PICKETT will assist him and the Director while BETTY PICKETT, R. N., will once more look after the infirmary. AL KERR will add another to his many years at Hyde Bay looking after the music and the dramatics.
DELANEY KIPHUTH is coming back for his second season in charge of the water front. Since he was last at camp he has been Freshman swimming coach at Yale. WALTER GEER, whom some of you may remember as one of our best horse councilors, will be back this year to take up his old job. The famous EVANS BROTHERS will perform their usual duties. A new councilor in the person of RICHARD TERRILL, who is a Sophomore at Yale after some years in the Service, will look after tennis. OLLIE THOMSON and JIM WATERS will be back as councilors. Old camper HUNT WILLIAMS will be on the job. ALAN HOBLITZEL. Buzzy WILLIAMS, and ANGUS MAcLEAN are going to help out as councilors while it seems very probable that TONY BOGATKO will be back to look after the shop and keep the machinery in running order.

FACULTY: MR. RUSSELL is back this year to direct the summer school and to teach Latin. MR. DRESSER will have the Mathematics. MR. MERCER is going to do the English and MR. BARRISKILL will have charge of the French and Ancient History.

HORSES: The Cavalry will consist of Silver, Punch, White Star and the black horse who had a number of aliases last summer.

COMETS: We bought another Comet after the season closed last year so there will be three of them on the water this summer along with the dinghy. There is renewed interest in racing on the lake, and we have been invited to take part in the weekly regattas.

MOTOR BOATS: The Hacker engine has been away all winter for a thorough overhauling. The shaft has been straightened and the propellor is back from the factory as good as new. The "S.T." will be careening around the lake as usual.

BASEBALL: On the 21st of July the campers will be taken to town to see the big league annual baseball game on Doubleday Field. The Braves and the Yankees are the contestants.

MOVIES: Our movie schedule has been completed. In addition to numerous trips to town to see various films, we are going to show at camp "The House on 92nd Street", "Anna and the King of Siam", "And Then There Were None", "Jane Eyre", and "Buffalo Bill." Some very fine and interesting industrial films will be shown between times.

NOTICE: Well in advance of July 1st you will get the usual directions for travel. Probably a great many boys will come by car. Those who come by train should buy tickets for Fort Plain. The last I knew, the fare from Baltimore was $9.81; from New York it was $5.13.

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