Archive 1970-1979 | Campflyingeagle

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The basketball court is renovated with new goal posts and baskets. Basketball becomes a popular and major activity with expert help from Dick Black (who coaches basketball at Lakeview High in St. Clair Shores).
The pre-opening steak fry continues for counselors, kitchen boys, and friends.

Hal and Gale Commerson join the staff: Hal as assistant program director and Gale as camp health director. Gale’s father brings up a metal detector. Exploring reaches a fever pitch! We find all kinds of railroad and lumbering artifacts for a museum.
Judo also is hot. So we build a judo pavilion with mats.
The Blacks build a cottage next to camp.
The state inspector reports that “Flying Eagle is one of the few camps running at full capacity” and “one of the few getting a perfect score in the Fire Marshall’s inspection.”

A new craft shop goes up. The old, shared one is turned over to the counselors and becomes the CQ (Counselors’ Quarters). Rumor is that it has a bowling alley in the basement and a pizza machine.
The other big news is that biking and tennis are added (but the court still gets used for basketball).
Five-year campers now get a gift of their own choice. A few of the choices have been 22’s, fishing equipment, portable stereo and a tape recorder.

No wonder Alex is smiling! That’s a remodeled lodge behind him and the state inspector has called Flying Eagle “exemplary of what traditional private camping can be.” Twenty-eight campers stay for the entire summer.
This is also the year that families from Mexico discover Flying Eagle. Jaime, Julio and Willy Diaz are the first to attend. Many more campers from Mexico follow.

Our camp family is growing! The Commersons come with baby, Aaron.
Tom Marshall brings wife, Kathy.
Do you remember Alex’s birthday (August 11) when counselors would throw him into the lake from the dock? This is the year Alex says “Enough! Don’t throw me in and we’ll have banana splits.” Campers opt for banana splits and a new tradition begins.

We get a new motor boat with a powerful new motor, along with new sailfish and canoes. The waterfront’s the place to be!
The canoes add to Color War excitement. One of the challenges is jumping out and then back into them.

Carnival! We have a great carnival for the 4th of July with games designed by the different “tribes.”
The archery range gets a makeover with new bows and equipment.

This year’s camp report calls CFE an “exceptionally fine camp – soaring as high in camping as its namesake in flying.”
The museum now shares space with the “check-up” part of the infirmary. Gloria Black is the certified camp health director.
We get a new “horse” and other gymnastics equipment.

Campers tear down the old bridge and build a new one
Counselor Rick Casey brings his wife, Barb, to cook, along with sons Sean and Shane. Barb stays five years.

A sign of the times: more women on staff. Debbie Canja is back as crafts instructor.
Susie Black is back as our certified camp health director. Also, as a WSI, she helps out on the waterfront.