It’s no secret by now that Camp Starlight is in the midst of the ‘Great Bunk Renovation Project’ during which all of our bunks will be updated and refurbished. Renovations, though, a time of change are also a time of reflection. It’s interesting to think about the many campers who have called a Camp Starlight bunk home over the 68 summers that it has been in operation or even, for that matter, how many more bunks there are in 2014 than there were in 1947.
Bunk plaques in the Dining Hall remind campers and staff each day that the Camp Starlight family extends into the thousands. Campers enjoy seeking out their own plaques from past summers as well as those of their parents and even grandparents. Staff enjoy perusing the plaques and pondering the creative and often comical themes and designs, all of which capture a unique quality of the campers and counselors who called THAT bunk home in THAT particular year. Together, the plaques tell the stories of the Camp Starlight bunks and the adventures, memories, and moments in which they’ve played an important role for 68 summers.
Today, more than two dozen bunks on each side of camp plus the Lodge and the Lakehouse house the nearly 580 Starlight campers as well as many members of the staff. Back in 1947, the story was much different. The 10 original bunks, according to their plaques, housed, a total of 62 campers, 19 counselors, and 1 CIT. The boys’ bunks were signed with letters while the girls’ bunks were numbered. And of what do we know of those inaugural campers? For starters, Bunk 5 considered themselves “maestros” while bunk 4 liked the word “shnookums.” Moving along the walls of the main dining room and into the staff dining room, one can see that Girls Bunk 3 has housed an eclectic mix of campers over the decades. In 1964, its residents weren’t so tidy, and a group of tattlers called it home for the summer of 1976 while in 1984 its residents loved Cabbage Patch Kids.
The summer of 1984 was a big year for trends. Boys Bunk one called themselves “The Gremlins” after the furry little movie creatures
that are cuddly and loveable…until they get wet. The feel in Girls bunk 4 was one of nostalgia in 1952. They dubbed themselves “The Flappers.” Boys bunk 9 was home to the “Cool Cats” in 1960, and even though its seen hundreds of campers since, it’s not likely that the walls of boys bunk 4 have forgotten the “Unforgettables” of 1958. Boys bunk 13 has apparently been home to some of Camp Starlight’s more mischievous campers over the years. In 2000, it was home to Starlight’s Most Wanted and just a few short years later was known as “The Animal House.” No one wanted to be the last one out of bed in Boys bunk 14 in 1990—the last one stacked the table after meals. The girls of bunk 21 were all too aware that they were “making memories of a lifetime” in 2001.
One could spend days in the Dining Room weaving together the stories of the Camp Starlight bunks and the campers and staff who’ve passed through them and never have to wish that walls could talk. The bunk plaques tell quite the story of the importance of bunk life at camp.
Tags: American summer camps, bunk life, camp bunks, camp history, camp memories, Camp Starlight, camp traditions, sleepaway camp
