Indian Brook was thrilled to have Jack & Ruth Hunter over for dinner on a recent evening. Sitting next to a glowing fire, the two shared a little slice of F&W history and, of course, a delicious, warm meal and hot herbal tea!
Jack Hunter was F&W’s first executive director from 1973-1977. He and Ruth co-directed Saltash Mountain camp from 1962-1968 and Tamarack Farm from 1969-1971.
“Our founders [Ken and Susan Webb] were Quakers, who believed in equality, who thought to have camping experiences available to all kids, regardless of [their] ability to afford it,” Jack Hunter said.
Although they were not well-supported by the larger community, the Webbs stood by their convictions of promoting equality and peace. For decades, “F&W has encouraged participation among campers of all different backgrounds,” Mr. Hunter explained. “In the early 70s, it was a gutsy thing to do because the camps were hanging by a thread, financially. But they did it anyway.”
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was another important moment in F&W history.
“We extended an invitation to all the children of Civil Rights movement leaders,” Jack Hunter said. “After Malcolm X was killed, we invited Betty [Shabazz] to send the three girls here.”
Two of the Shabazz children attended Indian Brook, including Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the former professor of three new F&W staff members. F&W has three new staff at F&W this summer, that were students of Ambassador Shabazz, in Kentucky, where she served as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the Unviersity of Louisville.
“Wow! A professor?!,” exclaimed Mr. Hunter. “I remember Attallah…she was a very strong person.”
In 1968, F & W changed from proprietary camps to a non-profit organization (which it continues to be today), “This was a godsend to us, particularly for getting scholarships for campers,” Mr. Hunter explained. “I’m sure many of you, who are former campers, are here because of camperships.”
Around this time, Saltash Mountain Camp – previously a boys camp – invited girls to attend. “We shouldn’t just be having boys camping,” Ms. Hunter said. “Girls wanted to have that kind of [experience].”
What better way for our new staff to gain a better understanding of the culture, than through the firsthand account of two very dedicated individuals.