Thursday, August 13 -Changes in Ownership

Somwhere around this time in mid-August, I always had a feeling of excitement and melancholy. There were all these culminating activities: Big team meets, and finals in many sports.There was still a full two weeks of camp left, but, there was also a sense of things winding down. And, if you looked carefully enough, you could even start to see some of the trees starting to fade... As a camper, you knew your day would be just as full and busy, and yet you also knew that these days were numbered. As color war moved into its final phases, there was also much talk about the Final Campfire, and the Banquet, where the winning teams would be announced.
It was also around this time in 1963, as we headed back from the lake, that we heard the words, "The camp has been sold!" The news rebounded from one girl to another, in disbelief and dismay. What? How was this possible? What would happen to us and the camp? We should have seen it coming. As early as 1962, in the Banquet edition of the Lenorlog, a man named Milton Sicherman bestowed an award on a camper. I guess the plan was for the old director team to gradually ease out and try to segue in the new foursome of directors, (Milton and Sylvia Sicherman and Irving and Dorothy Golob) as seamlessly as possible. By the summer of '63, the new team was obviously in place, though not readily visible to us. Both couples had daughters who had attended Lenore, and who were, at the time, counselors. I have no doubt that the new directors were operating from a position of great affection for the camp. From what I could tell, the Sichermans were the "outside" faces, and The Golobs were behind the scenes, working in the kitchen and the office. - A decision that was clearly regrettable. Even Mrs. Spec sensed it. (A few years later, Irving Golob mentioned to me, that Mrs. Spec advised him, "Irving, get out of the kitchen!") By the end of the '63 season, many of the campers and parents were justifiably concerned about Lenore's future. As a result, some girls didn't return in 1964, despite assurances that all would remain as it was. It didn't.
Change is not always good. Part of Lenore's cachet was that it had STAYED THE SAME. Lenore offered stability, continuity, and the unique assurance that a contemporary camper could experience the same traditions that her grandmother did. Among those traditions was Color War. It was literally woven into the fabric of our CL sweaters, and was an integral part of our day to day existence. Its elimination was akin to pulling the foundation out from under a house. ( And a rather shaky house, at that.) Those of us who did return in good faith, felt betrayed and outraged. The summer of '64 was a disaster. Enrollment dropped even further. And ultimately, the partnership of the Sichermans and Golobs broke up. By 1965, Irving and Dorothy Golob, and Howard and Risa Golob (their son and daughter-in-law) became sole owners of Lenore, and attempted to put things back on track, with the promise that the "old Lenore" would return exactly as it was, traditions intact. Irv Golob finally followed Mrs. Spec's advice; emerged from the kitchen; took the helm and attempted to right a sinking ship. It took a great deal of courage to do so. The Golobs made a huge effort to reach out to my family and others and bring us back. Because of his honesty and earnestness, we returned. And for the following two summers, Lenore was once again the camp on that "lonely, lofty mountaintop" that we loved.