It is with great sadness we report the passing of Rockbrook Alumna Ellen Lensing. Ellen passed away on June 22 at the age of 92. Phyllis Shaw sent us a beautiful email that captures the spirit of Ellen:
“I am very sorry to report the passing of Ellen Lensing, age 92, last night June 22. Her passing is truly the end of an era for my generation of Rockbrookers. None of us feels old enough to be the front line!
Ellen worked with Jerky in the office and was a counselor on senior line. I have known her since I was 16 years old. She lived a remarkable life of teaching (she had a PhD in business), mentoring, serving others, traveling all over the world, camping, hiking, etc. Finally at age 89, she decided not to get ON her roof to clean her gutters!
Her health declined in very recent years prior to her moving to Milwaukee to live with her sister two years ago. She was a remarkable embodiment of the Spirit of Rockbrook. We will miss her dearly and remember her always.”
We recently found another Rockbrook photograph during our search of the archives at The Transylvania County Library. In their records they had this photo of the original tennis courts at The Carrier House. The Carrier House or Rockbrook House as it is now known was the home of the owners and directors of Rockbrook, Henry and Nancy Carrier. Here at their house many camp activities were offered including tennis and lawn dancing. Tennis was a popular activity from the beginning of camp and quickly outgrew this first court as the number of campers increased. In the late 1920’s two more courts were added and then ultimately three more courts were built. This original court was removed from The Carrier House lawn and was turned into a beautiful side porch. Note the small boxwood hedge in the background of the picture, those same boxwoods are now over 9 feet tall! Here is a previous blog post that tells you more about our current tennis program.
Arts and crafts has been an important part of the program at Rockbrook since it’s founding in 1921. Giving girls the chance to express themselves creatively, the crafts program features many specialties such as jewelry making, pottery and painting.
A favorite creative outlet at Rockbrook is weaving on the loom. Weaving takes place as part of the “Curosty” activity. Curosty (a regional term for “know-how”) is the home of our fiber arts classes which include weaving, basketry, knitting, cross stitch, and needlepoint. The class takes place in our 19th century log cabin which can be seen in the photo above.
In a catalog from the 1930’s Curosty is described as: “a place where the lore of the mountains is preserved in the indigenous craft of weaving.” In the 1920’s the creative outlets were also considered important to young women as they would “help make their homes more attractive.” Although the roles of young women have changed a lot since the 1920’s, the creative outlets still give the campers the chance to express themselves creatively and expand their skills in a multitude of outlets.
Learn more about our current camp weaving program which still features weaving on the very same looms from the 1930’s!
Elizabeth O’Neill Verner by Marie Danforth Page, 1937
There are many fascinating and inspirational women who have been a part of Rockbrook and it’s history. None more so than the artist Elizabeth O’Neill Verner of Charleston, South Carolina. Mrs. Verner was a long time neighbor of Rockbrook, her seasonal home Hanty Branch Hill is located next door. Her daughter Elizabeth Verner Hamilton was the first camper at Rockbrook in 1921. Mrs. Verner and Mrs. Carrier were good friends and Mrs. Verner was often recruited to come teach the campers the art of sketching and pastels. We can imagine her walking over from her home, ready to teach the enthusiastic campers. She is mentioned in the journals and scrapbooks of several campers from the mid 1920’s. It must have been a great occasion when Mrs. Verner was in attendance.
While at Rockbrook she also created an etching of the waterwheel that ran the power for the camp. We will be sure to share that image with you in a later blog posting.
Rockbrook campers sketching with Elizabeth O’Neill Verner
A Legacy in the Arts
As an artist, Mrs. Verner is recognized as the “matriarch of the Charleston Renaissance” and is considered the “best known twentieth century woman artist of Charleston. “She is famous for her etchings and pastels of life in Charleston. Her studio The Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Gallery is still in operation in Charleston and is the oldest fine arts gallery in the city. She is such a well respected and important artist that the state of SC has named their highest honor in the arts after her. The Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Awards recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina. According to their website: “These awards honor South Carolina arts organizations, patrons, artists, members of the business community, and government entities who maximize their roles as innovators, supporters and advocates of the arts. In 1980, the Verner Awards took on a special significance with their designation as the official “Governor’s Awards for the Arts.”
Mrs. Verner’s great great grandchildren are current campers at Rockbrook. What a treasure that they can share in their families wonderful legacy at RBC!
In a time when we all lead such busy lives it is nice to have a place like Rockbrook where you can step out of the hustle and bustle of the modern world and live a more simple and thoughtful life. We recently discovered a chapter in the Rockbrook Memories Book that was written in the 1960’s that expresses this same thought. Whether it be the 1960’s or the 2010’s, we all appreciate that Rockbrook provides a haven for girls to reconnect with themselves, friends and the natural world.
“Living in a world so filled with change that it is difficult to communicate with one’s grandchildren, it is good to know that girls still enjoy living close to Nature, hiking down mountain trails, sleeping under the stars, cooking over an open fire and swimming in a rocky pool. It is refreshing to discover that there is one area, at least, where time has stood practically still. That area is summer camping where a cardinal is still a cardinal and although one may picnic on plastic instead of paper, one gets the same thrill from a mountain sunset or a flamboyant rainbow covering the earth with its semi-circle of jeweled colors.”– Mary Bissell McIver Thompson
Our good friend and Rockbrook Alumna Phyllis Shaw sent us word of the passing of former Rockbrook counselor Sue Alley. Sue and Phyllis were counselors together in the early 60’s.
Phyllis says: “Sue and I kept up closely, bound by that Rockbrook connection. Despite her numerous health issues over the years, she maintained a positive outlook and spoke of her health problems with wry humor. I last saw her two years ago when I got a last-minute weekend fare and flew out to surprise her for her birthday–a real Rockbrook SURprise, for sure!”.
We were saddened to hear of Sue’s passing, but are so thankful to have such a wonderful group of Alumnae that create our huge Rockbrook family. Her obituary can be read below.
Sue B. Alley (February 17, 1940 – February 24, 2011)
Sue B. Alley, age 71, a resident of West Chicago, died February 24, 2011, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. She was raised in Elmhurst, the daughter of Edward and Bess Baierbach.
She graduated from York High School where she was active with women’s sports and GAA. She received a Bachelors degree in Physical Education from IL State University. She was a camp counselor at Rock Brook in North Carolina and Lake Geneva Youth Camp. On October 17, 1964 she married Scott Alley. She was a member of College Church in Wheaton and Lombard Gospel Chapel.
She was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame as a super fan. She enjoyed watching Wheaton Academy Sports and following her “grandchildren” Andrea, Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin.
She is survived by her husband, Scott, two daughters, Jenny (Tony) Dudasik of LaGrange Park, and Carol (William) Melton of Mulberry, AR, and one sister, Jean (Ben) Hinckle of Dongola, IL.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
A visitation will be held on Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Lombard Gospel Chapel, Stewart and Pleasant St. in Lombard.
Memorial gifts may be directed to An Open Door Adoption Agency, Melton Fund, P.O. Box 4 218 E. Jackson Street, Thomasville, Georgia 31799 (opendoor@rose.net)
Since the founding of Rockbrook in 1921, Horseback Riding has been a perennial favorite for many of our campers. Our program is based on the forward seat style of riding and we have always had horses and instructors to work with all skill levels. In a Rockbrook catalog from 1926 the Horseback Riding program is a featured activity. Here is an excerpt:
“A string of well broken horses affords every girl an opportunity to enjoy this wholesome sport. In an enclosed field each camper is instructed by experts in the arts of horsemanship. She is taught how to bridle, saddle and mount a horse; how to care for it on trip; how to feed and groom her mount as well as how to ride gracefully and securely.”
In the Words of the 1926 Catalog
Here is another featured comment of the 1926 camp catalog:
“The horse show of Event Week attracts spectators from the neighboring country and cities and Rockbrook has been referred to as “The Camp where the girls are taught to ride so well.”
So as you can see from the 1920’s or 1970’s up to today, our riding program continues to offer girls a wonderful place to learn the skills and joys of horseback riding. If you have any great horseback riding stories from your time at camp we would love to hear from you. We would love to know more about some of the overnight trail rides and any of your favorite horses. Some of the horses we often hear stories about are Sambo, Peaches, April, Be Good and Druid. Please help us add to our horseback riding archive!
Visit our website to learn more about our current horseback riding program.
Rockbrook has a long tradition of canoeing at camp. From the earliest days, Rockbrook girls could learn how to canoe in the camp lake, and later take canoeing trips on the local rivers. For example, read this account of a camp canoeing trip. Even on whitewater rivers, Rockbrook campers were some of the first girls to brave the local rapids in a canoe.
Here is an old photograph from our archives showing a girl solo canoeing by the waterfall in the Rockbrook lake. We’re not sure what year it was taken or who the camper is in the photo, so if you know, please share it with us!
Sarah, McKenzie, Mercer and Mandy enjoy a visit in VA
During the fall and winter we travel around the country sharing Rockbrook with potential campers, current campers and their families. We always love it when Rockbrook Alumnae are able to join us at the parties and share their camp memories and stories.
Just a few weeks ago we had a great show in Charlottesville, VA and were thrilled to be joined by McKenzie Harper Inigo and Mercer Reeves. McKenzie and Mercer were both campers and counselors for many years. Mandy and Sarah enjoyed getting to catch up with both of them! Those Rockbrook friendships sure are special no matter how many years it has been since you were at camp together!
