Summer Camp For All The Kids
I advocate summer camp for all kids with the federal government subsidizing families who cannot afford such an expense. Even though I am a war abolitionist, I see a role for the US military in operating facilities than would give all kids a chance to live in rural scenic place for as long as one month.
Criminal justice administrators could set up similar facilities for young people who have had trouble with the law. Give our young drug offenders and non-violent criminals good meals and the opportunity to learn social and computer skills.
One of the peak periods of my life was my time as a camper and a kitchen worker at Texas Catholic Boys Camp near Mountain Home, Texas. Located on the Guadalupe River, the site is truly beautiful. Life as a camper entailed daily Mass, archery, marksmanship, crafts, horseback riding, swimming, hiking and an evening movie. The meals were excellent. The Brothers of Mary offered easy going discipline.
There are many camps in the same Kerr County, Texas administered by secular or religious groups that offer this outdoor experience.
The camp enforces a stricter discipline nowadays in one sense. For many decades, they have not allowed their employees to come and go into town on freelance excursions nor take adventurous trips as described in the story related below. One of the ironies in life is that I can easily describe a trivial event that took as much as seven hours while I find writing about the profound experiences as a camper and a kitchen worker difficult.
The following is an article about my experiences in summer camp that changed my life. Kerrville, Texas newspapers have run versions over the years with the title, “A Saturday Night in Kerrville, 1960”:
In the 1950s, my brother and I were campers at Camp Tecaboca (Texas Catholic Boys Camp), near Mountain Home. In the summer of 1960, my brother and I returned to work in the kitchen. It was a delightful time with terrific scenery and daily Mass. I felt connected to nature.
A few times, my brother and some kitchen workers hitchhiked to see a show at the Bolero Drive Inn where the Wal-Mart store is now. They would jump over the fence, see the show and find a ride back to the camp.
One Saturday night, my brother Terry, Mike Arnold (another kitchen worker) and I took the Greyhound bus from the roadside park (near the camp) to Kerrville. We had a choice between a show at the Realto and a show at the Arcadia. If we went to the show at the Arcadia, the bus would have to be late leaving Kerrville for us to get a ride back. We decided to see the movie, “Mountain Road” with James Stewart, at the Arcadia anyway.
When the movie finished, we walked the short distance to Water and Sidney Baker streets, could see the bus station was dark and that the bus had left on schedule. We walked to highway 27 and, after a while, got a ride from a young Hispanic fellow who took us to College Street and highway 27 (the intersection with the blinking yellow light) in Ingram.
We started walking without any success of getting another ride. About three miles from College Street and highway 27, we were glad to see King’s Place, a bar owned by the King family. It was a simple place with a concrete floor. Since there are no water fountains on highway 27, we were glad it was there and could get a Coke.
It was about 8 miles from the College Street to Camp Tecaboca. It was a matter of determination, just putting one foot in front of the other. We saw things in plenty of detail that had been missed when traveling by car. After getting to the top of a hill or going around a bend, a new stretch would appear in front of us. When will it ever end?
When we could see highway 479, we could feel some sense of accomplishment. When we got about a mile from the roadside park, we could see familiar places that were near overnight sites where we stayed when we were campers. It was a delight to see the roadside park. When we got to the farm house, our residence, we were happy people. One of the kitchen workers, who did not go to the movie, woke up due to our commotion. He was not happy to see us but what did we care.
The walking trio talked about it on Sunday but that was about the end of any more stories for many years.
The adventure marked the end of my Kerrville movie career.
KTSA-AM in San Antonio was a rock and roll station in those days. I remember hearing one of the prettiest songs of all time, “I Only Have Eyes For You” by the Flamingos. Many years later, I discovered the song was originally released during the Second World War.
I started my Spanish speaking career when I bought Spanish Made Simple at a Kerrville book store. I studied it most days at the camp and occasionally spoke a few words. Later, I would obtain a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.
Some of the landmarks are gone. The Bolero Drive Inn, the Greyhound bus station, the Rialto Theater, the Sands Motel, King’s Place and the farm house at Tecaboca no longer exist. Camp Tecaboca is still there with four weeks of camp every summer. In the old days, the Brothers of Mary ran the camp for eight weeks each summer. The Pampell’s building that housed the old drug store is still there but is now a sports bar and feels different. The milk shakes there do not taste like they used to.
The summer of 1960 had a direct effect of a turning point of my life in the summer of 1991 when I was seriously considered joining a twelve step program. I knew I could exist without alcohol but did not think it would be much fun. When I remembered peak experiences like Camp Tecaboca, long before alcohol meant anything to me, I decided to get serious and started attending twelve step meetings. In June 1991, I was visited Kerrville and bought the book Under The Influence which helped me a lot. I have been a without an alcoholic drink since then.
When I return to the Arcadia Theater, I imagine I could go in, sit down and watch “Mountain Road” just like I had stepped into a time machine and it was 1960. Then I would start the long journey back to Tecaboca.
Ed O’Rourke is an environmental accountant in Houston. He and his wife visit Kerr County, Texas from time to time.
Julie Woods, communications and business manager, at the Kerrville Convention & Visitors Bureau, contributed material to this story.
