Hall of Fame: Quaker Lake Edition

I spent many years working and volunteering at Quaker Lake Camp (QLC) in Climax, NC.  It is in many ways unrealistic to try and pick just a few people from those special times to add to my Youth Group Hall of Fame, but today I will attempt to do just that.  To read stories about others who could just as easily by added, check out these older posts:

• Quaker Lake Characters
• Pops
• Top 10 Quaker Lake Moments
• Pranks
• The Empty Cabin

Having acknowledged the difficulty of choosing from this wide cast of characters, today I would like to welcome the following three Quaker Lakers into my HOF:

1. Jay Osborne-  There are many stories that feature the name Jay Osborne (far left in the picture above, along with myself, Jodi Coble, Terri Johnson, Beth Edgerton and Danny Newby) already on this blog, from his leadership of Young Friends Yearly Meeting to his dropping my guitar off the roof of the lodge at QLC!  Jay was a camper in my cabin; he was my Counselor Assistant on a couple of occasions; and later on on we worked on the QLC staff together.  It was Jay who once famously said that being a counselor at QLC is "where the rubber meets the road."   Jay and I had many long talks about the state of Quakerism, about the wonders of camp, and about females.  I kept trying to fix him up; it always ended in disaster!    In later days, Jay was one of the people who worked desperately to keep the true spirit of QLC alive when others where trying to tear it down.  He used to tell me he looked up to me;  today I can tell him that I always looked up to him as well, so much so that I am putting him in my Hall of Fame.

2. Laura Wheeler-  You can pretty much read all about Wheels in the "Pops" post mentioned at the top.  She was another one of the young people whose influence in my life at the time cannot be overstated.  She was a great camper and later on a fabulous counselor at QLC, and a legend to all who knew her.  I'm not sure why I didn't just induct her when I wrote about her the first time, but I will not make the same mistake twice!  Welcome, Wheels, to the HOF!  And try to make a little room for the rest of your "sisters" as well...  (Left to Right, Back:  Sharron Tutterow, Mollie Edwards, Me, Debbie Tully, Kristin Hayworth, Wheels.   Front: Jane Tesh, Jane Terrell)  I was proud to be their "Pops!"
3. Jodi Coble-  Pictured at the top next to Jay, Jodi was another camp friend who became so much more than that.  We became letter writing buddies who stayed in touch during the off season, and saw each other quite often as well.  One of my most ill-conceived "fix-ups" was getting her to go out with Jay- that just never took off!  She eventually worked at camp as well.  She was my Abby Normal- a very unique and talented person whom not everyone understood.  That didn't keep her from being one of my favorite people ever.  She was at my wedding and I was at her's, and it was only after her nuptials that we lost touch.  But there is no question that Abby deserves, and now has, a place in my Hall of Fame.

Be sure to join me tomorrow as I take a look back at the Top 12 Restaurants that were favorites of my student ministries over the years.  Sorry QLC cooks, but the dining hall at camp will never make that list...

Becasue of Jesus,