Welcome to Wyman’s 125 Years, 125 Stories project! Throughout our 125th anniversary year, we shared out a wide variety of stories and experiences of service to the young people of St. Louis and the nation.

It has been a joy to share the stories of these incredible young people, staff, partners, and campers with you – people who have made a huge impact on Wyman. Along with you, we have reflected on how Wyman has evolved over the last 125 years and how we will continue evolving as we move forward. As we begin the next chapter of our history, we are committed to serving young people, amplifying youth voice, and building deep partnerships throughout our community. Thank you for celebrating with us, and stay tuned as we continue sharing the stories of our incredible young people, staff and partners on our blog!

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Now retired, Jane Fleishman worked at the Oasis Center in Nashville for 22 years, serving adolescents and their families in a variety of programs. “We’re very relationship based in everything that we do. For a long time, this agency has had a focus on youth voice and young people being in leadership positions where they are giving back to the community.”

“Oasis started using TOP probably thirty years ago, running groups in middle schools and high schools. Eventually we decided to build a whole department in the agency that was about youth leadership and volunteerism, and I was hired to be the first director of that team.”

“About 11 years ago, a lot of federal money became available to states to implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention model with high-risk or special populations. The state of Tennessee’s DCS started looking for programs, and selected TOP because it was so broadly focused at youth development. They got in touch with Wyman and then came to us to replicate the model across the state.”

Jane Fleishman
Wyman Partner, 2000 - 2022

“During TOP service projects, we get to see young people exercise their strengths and really show what they can do. They have the opportunity to start thinking for themselves and formulating opinions and talking about what they care about.”

“We were trying to implement TOP in short term residential treatment facilities, but the length of stay was shorter than the year-long TOP model. We came to Wyman, and they approved an adaptation for us to operate on a four-month model. For the last ten years, we have engaged about a thousand young people across the state each year, both in foster care and then later in some of the state juvenile correctional facilities.”

Over the years Jane witnessed TOP’s impact on young people. “It’s just a very strong model that young people love. TOP is so engaging that young people actually want to do it. Facilitators tell us, the youth will ask, can we do TOP? They’re so happy on the day that TOP’s going to happen.”

“We had a young man in a treatment facility who got involved in TOP and at the end of the school year, he made the honor role. He told everyone that it was because doing service learning in TOP made him see that he was a worthwhile person, that he could do things. Through TOP, he gained that sense of self efficacy and credited that to his grades coming up.”

“They have the opportunity to start thinking for themselves and formulating opinions and talking about what they care about. During the service projects, we get to see young people exercise their strengths and really show what they can do. Maybe they arise as someone who leads within the project or as people who have ideas and opinions. In TOP, they’re getting to exercise their strengths and show that they’re growing into young adults.”

Jane has also been grateful for the relationship with Wyman through the years. “If Wyman puts on a training or a meeting, it’s always worth our time. They’re very responsive and have been really flexible with us and been in a constant mode of learning: we’re going to see what works and what doesn’t work, and we can change it if we need to. Wyman is just a wonderful bunch of people.”

TOP Spanish Translation Team
Wyman Partners

“Some of the feedback we have comes directly from school administrators and teachers. They see the impact that it’s having on their TOP students. They can see and measure their behavioral changes from beginning to end. And that demonstrates how complete and whole the TOP Curriculum is.”

In 2019, Sandra Perez and Haydee Pardee, then Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®) facilitators with the University of Arizona, reached out to Ruth Grande, Program Manager of Adolescent Health Initiatives with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), with the idea to translate the TOP Curriculum© into Spanish and remove an accessibility gap for Spanish-speaking staff and teens.

Haydee shared, “I love TOP. I love Wyman programming, and I always use it. I knew that because it was so beneficial, it was the best one that we could focus our energy on and translate.”

When Haydee and Sandra approached Ruth, she was immediately supportive. Ruth reflected, “I have always had such high regard for Wyman and for TOP and saw that there was without a doubt a need. I felt there was no other curriculum that could come close. Because you commit this time to youth, you really influence a change in behavior. I’ve heard enough from facilitators that youth have such a positive response to the TOP Curriculum and the amazing individuals who facilitate it.”

So, in 2020, Ruth called Wyman. She shared her team’s passion for a Spanish translation and extended the offer to dedicate leadership, financial resources, and a team of bilingual TOP facilitators to the work. The Wyman team was eager to collaborate.

A group of teens doing a team building activity in a classroomRuth and Annie Philipps, National Network Director for TOP, worked closely on planning and other TOP facilitators in Arizona quickly joined the translation work. In addition to Sandra and Haydee, translators included Claudia Espinosa and Alejandra Naranjo, from the Phoenix based non-profit Friendly House, and Karen Castello, from the Yuma County based non-profit Campesinos Sin Fronteras. 

Claudia knew she wanted to participate in this work after her personal experiences with TOP.  “When a position opened for the Teen Outreach Program I thought, ‘I have to do this.’ The program is great. It reminds me as an adult, ‘don’t forget to explore your emotions, too.’ The TOP Curriculum has taught me so much on a personal level, and it’s great that we’re able to pass this information to the youth. We tell them all the time, if only we had this curriculum when we were younger. It would have helped us so much.”

Karen joined this translation work after experiencing the powerful impact of TOP Curriculum on her students. “Some of the feedback we have comes directly from school administrators and teachers. They see the impact that it’s having on their TOP students. They can see and measure their behavioral changes from beginning to end. And that demonstrates how complete and whole the TOP Curriculum is. We’re feeding a side that students are not getting a lot of information on with regular school: their social skills, how to manage their emotions.”

For those who worked on this Spanish translation, it was bigger than Arizona and their community alone. Language accessibility is critically important in celebrating diversity and expanding inclusivity and equity in learning environments. Ruth points out, “This is not something that’s isolated to this state. This is a much bigger gift for young people across the country. Facilitators can now provide the opportunity to receive the information accurately and in a language that is a comfort.”

Though many bilingual teens are able to experience the TOP Curriculum in English, there’s an important element to receiving and absorbing these topics in your primary language. “Teens grasp language quickly, but for them to receive and perceive an important topic like this in their primary language, it’s amazing.” said Sandra. Haydee emphasized this point. “When it’s your native language, you feel a connection to it. You’re able to express yourself a little bit more. And there’s the impact for them to feel included and seen—that they are important enough for people to invest the time to speak to them in that language.”

Collaboration between Wyman and partner organizations in our National Network make projects like this possible. “Wyman takes our role as a program developer seriously. We’re always looking for opportunities to better expand, not just what we see as a priority, but what our partners identify as priorities,” said Tori Gale, Senior Director Partnership Services. “It’s not just the people at Wyman that propel these important projects. It’s all of our partners.”

Linda Copeland’s first introduction to Wyman’s Teen Outreach Program came while she was working in state government. “I spent 22 years working with the department of children’s services, primarily in the office of juvenile justice with delinquent youth. In 2012 I was called in to help at a secure facility that housed young people who had been adjudicated in serious offenses. That’s where I encountered the team that wanted to bring TOP into the facility.”

“I was their point of contact to get it up and running, so I got to see it in action with the young people in that facility. And I saw it work, I saw the positive side of it.  Shortly thereafter I actually got trained with other staff and became a TOP facilitator.”

In 2018, Linda joined the Oasis Center, one of Wyman’s National Network partners. “The Oasis Center is a nonprofit that has programming for all things young people, including an emergency shelter, counseling, programming around LGBTQ young people, and around ending youth homelessness.”

a young person painting one panel of a colorful mural

Linda Copeland
Wyman Partner, 2018 - 2023

“Working with the Wyman staff is pretty incredible. They are just amazing humans and every chance we get to be in the same room, it’s always very encouraging. The Wyman folks are just, I daresay the best.”

When working there, Linda trained staff working in group home facilities to become TOP facilitators and run TOP clubs with young people.

“Being on this side, it feels like I’m still advocating for young people just doing it from a different perspective. And I absolutely love it. Now I get to pour into staff who don’t often get positive youth development training. It’s been amazing to be able to give them the tools that they need to do this work and affect change in young people in very positive ways.”

“I think the thing that we’ve learned is that when young people are involved in TOP clubs, the behaviors leave the TOP club setting and get carried into the schools and every other aspect of life on those campuses. It makes them better, and it makes the facility better when young people are learning these skills.

They are learning tools and practicing skills that they’re going to need throughout their lives. TOP connects them to community in ways that perhaps they’d never been connected. They’re also learning and growing and becoming more empathetic, making better decisions, and learning who they are.”

“Working with the Wyman staff is pretty incredible. They are just amazing humans and every chance we get to be in the same room, it’s always very encouraging. The Wyman folks are just, I daresay the best. Speaking personally, I always walk away better from those encounters. It’s been a mutual relationship, and we feel very valued by everyone at Wyman. It’s definitely one that we honor and appreciate.”

a young woman smiling at the camera

Raegan
TOP Participant, 2020

“I like to brag about Wyman! I tell other people all the things we do, and the things we get with TOP. I love to share the experience because I think everyone would really like it.”

Raegan, a previous Teen Outreach Program (TOP) participant, first learned about Wyman’s TOP in 2019 when she was in 6th grade at Ferguson-Florissant Middle School.

“I came to school and they gave out papers about the program. I wondered what Wyman TOP was. It seemed so cool! I was thinking how fun it could be for me. I like helping people out. And now I love TOP! My favorite thing about TOP is the activities that we do. One day we were making covers, blankets, and toys for the dogs and cats at the shelter.”

a young woman posing for the camera“Wyman is important to me because I think it is good for me. I think it helps teenagers like me and helps inspire them in life. The difference Wyman has made in my life is it makes me happier. When I was in 5th grade, I was moody, gloomy, and cried. Since I’m in TOP it has helped me be a better person and helped with how I think about myself. It just makes me happy.”

“I think Wyman is important to our community. I think TOP is a great place and it is a great way to help people. I like to brag about Wyman! I tell other people all the things we do, and the things we get with TOP. I love to share the experience because I think everyone would really like it. That makes them want to start coming. It is a good way to make new friends.”

When Raegan gets older, she would like to be a teacher and felt inspired by her TOP facilitators. “Wyman staff teach and inspire. They show you new things about life and things you can do to help our community. I want to be a teacher because I think it would be a really good way to help the students and people from our community. I could probably teach them a little about TOP and what I used to do as a kid.”

Cambria Davis was part of the Teen Leadership Program (now Wyman Leaders) Class of 2013. Her English teacher at the time told her about the program. “I looked into it and applied. I remember lots of interviews, and we did an orientation at Compton-Drew downtown where we met everybody that was in our cohort. At the time I didn’t really know what it was, I just knew that it was a chance to do something different. I was excited for new experiences and new friends.”

“I did a lot in my six years that I was in the program. I did a lot of community service at the soup kitchen and crisis nursery, and there was a gala that I volunteered and spoke at. We did a service trip to Nashville where we helped build a house and meet people and hear their stories. That was one of the first opportunities where I actually got to see my help make a difference. We also toured Civil Rights history locations downtown and spend all afternoon with a Freedom Rider. That was an incredibly transformative experience.”

Cambria Davis
Wyman Leaders Class of 2013

“It’s an incredible program that helped make me the person I am today. Wyman was able to give me the broader experiences and perspectives that have shaped me as an adult.”

After graduating, Cambria decided to come back to Wyman as a counselor. “One of my favorite parts was at the end of the day where I’d get to talk to my campers and do activities within our cabin. It was really cool to be on the other side of it and have an appreciation for how important those people were. Getting to know the teens and hearing their life stories, that was really cool.

I was hoping that maybe I could have an experience with a camper where I could just kind of give back all the ways that Wyman and Wyman staff gave to me and shaped me along the way. I wanted to express how grateful I was to be a part of it, and maybe do that for somebody else.”

“It’s really an incredible program and shaped me as the person I am today. I can’t really say who I would be without that experience. I definitely appreciated that while I was in it, but I do appreciate it more now that I’m older. I’m from a small town and Wyman was able to give me the broader experiences and perspectives that have shaped me as an adult.”

Now Cambria is about to graduate from nursing school and can’t wait to have more time to spend helping others. “I’m discovering that nursing is what I really enjoy doing, but advocacy fills my cup. So I’m hoping I can find a way to combine both. I love that Wyman has an advocacy committee now. That’s so inspiring and I hope now that I’m graduating, I’ll have more time to get involved with things like that in my life.”

Doug Archibald, Jr
Wyman School Camper and Counselor, 2000 - 2003

“In 6th grade, being away from home is really scary. Emotionally that’s a big development to go away to a new place you’ve never been, spending the night in a cabin. You’re nervous about all that, and you feel proud of yourself when you make it through.”

In 2000, Doug Archibald was attending North Kirkwood Middle School and came to Wyman with his sixth grade school camp.

“We came out to camp and stayed in cabins, we had a schedule, we would do the ropes course and fishing and activities outdoors in the common area.

I remember the dining time vividly because we were supposed to only take as much food as you can eat so there’s not too much left over. They would weigh the leftovers at the end and we would be rewarded if no one wasted too much food.

The activities were heavily teamwork based. It was very much about supporting each other, being a team player, encouraging working together. Those elements were all there and encouraged by the Wyman counselors. Specifically on the ropes course they encouraged you to cheer everyone else on, and not say anything like, you’re going to fall!”

“In 6th grade, being away from home is really scary. Emotionally that’s a big development to go away to a new place you’ve never been, spending the night in a cabin. You’re thinking, ‘we’re in the wilderness!’ You’re nervous about all that, and you feel proud of yourself when you make it through.”

3 teens in a canoe on Lake DeVonne

“I also really liked the fishing when I was a participant there, I just loved the lake.”

When Doug was 14 and a freshman at Kirkwood High School, he came back as a counselor for the same program. “I really remember the ropes course as a counselor, because even then I was terrified and I was just trying to put on a brave face. All of my kids were just doing the course and cheering for me, like you can do it, Doug! but my legs were shaking.

I was just relieved that my campers liked me. It was really nice to go back and relive that experience, and hopefully be able to create an enjoyable time for these 6th graders, too. And being a counselor was my first time being responsible for others. I remember feeling good about myself when I came home and everything had gone well, everyone had stayed safe and had a great time.”

“I recently came back to St. Louis to visit my family and Wyman was just exactly as I remembered it. It’s so beautiful and coming back I really felt just how lucky I was to have had this experience. At the time I didn’t realize how much of a privilege it was, it was like a field trip or something. But now as an adult I know that’s not something everyone gets to do and I was so happy that the opportunity is still there and still going.

It’s amazing to know there are people who care and want to provide something like this. It’s hard being a young person, so having the opportunity to get away and connect with nature, do character building and step away from the pressures of school and everything that comes with being a teenager is so wonderful.”

Trinity was in middle school when she was first introduced to Wyman by faculty and staff at her school. “They said they had an opportunity that might work for me. I was afraid at first – the fear of the unknown. But it caught my attention.”

For Trinity, connecting with Wyman was one of those moments that forever changed her life. “Wyman has been one of the best experiences. There are moments when things come into your life and you know life will be different after—that’s Wyman.”

A young woman posing for the camera

Trinity
Wyman Leaders Class of 2020

“It’s hard to explain how big of an impact Wyman has made on my life. I’ve changed so much. The future is open – I’m not scared of it, but excited to try.”

A young woman sitting on a stool posing for the camera“I was a pretty good student before Wyman but it got harder throughout high school. Wyman has given me the confidence and knowledge to feel more secure and be more open to new opportunities. I’ve changed so much on the inside. Before, I was always scared. I used to always worry what other people are thinking about me and if they are judging me. Now I look around to see how others are feeling in the situation. I’m curious now, I want to see what else is out there and get out of my comfort zone. I’m always evolving. I believe that’s what life is.”

“I try my hardest, and my goals keep me motivated. I’m way more prepared for my next step because of Wyman. I’ve met people from all different backgrounds. But we help each other succeed. In Wyman, you make great connections with people because they’ve seen you at your most vulnerable.”

Trinity is the first in her family to attend college and is more prepared for this opportunity because of Wyman. “I always wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know how. Wyman helped me realize I can do this and opened up a whole new world for me. I’ve learned to speak up for myself to make things happen.” She is currently attending the University of Missouri St. Louis and plans to graduate next year.

“It’s hard to explain how big of an impact Wyman has made on my life. I’ve changed so much. The future is open – I’m not scared of it, but excited to try.”

Judy Cox
Wyman School Camper, 1959

“Beside the dining hall Mrs. Matheny set up a nature study corner. Whenever we found anything interesting like a strange or pretty flower, snake, or insect, we would put it in a jar and label it for other people to see. I donated a baby toad & peppermint leaves.”

Every morning after breakfast we’d rush to our cabins to get them spic & span. First came our beds. We’d take off the covers, shake them, & put them on again. Then came the bureau or shelf. Everything should have been off or neatly placed on them. Next the floors & closet had to be neat & the suitcases placed neatly under our beds.

While we were at our classes a group would check our cabins to see if they were neat enough to fly the cabin flag. They’d check if we did the beds right (with hospital corners) and if everything we in tip-top condition.

Our cabin flew our flag twice and had two honorable mentions. Only two cabins flew their flag all week.

Dining Hall Duty
One of our duties at Camp Wyman was being a server. We’d come in 15 minutes early & set the table. When everyone was seated we’d start getting the food. After everyone was finished eating we’d clear the table & bring in the dessert. Then as soon as everybody left we wipe the table and sweep under our table. Mrs. Matheeny [sic] would check to see if our tables were clean & excuse us if they were.

Square Dancing
Wednesday night the girls put on their dresses and we all square danced. We learned 2 new dances and danced about 6 all together.

The boys were surprised when Mr. Rose said they would have to serve the girls. Bull Chase came to serve me but dropped my soda & a cookie. The other boys were laughing at him and he was really getting ambarressed [sic]. A councilor [sic] gave him a napkin and asked him in a nice way to clean it up. He did, & I thanked him.

Astronomy
The regular astronomy night was too cloudy so we had it a few days later. Two telescopes were set up. One showed the moon & the other the North Star. It was very interesting to see the crates [sic] of the moon.

Nature Study
Beside the dining hall Mrs. Matheeny [sic] set up a nature study corner. Whenever we found anything interesting like a strange or pretty flower, snake, or insect, we would put it in a jar and label it for other people to see. Some people brought many things. I donated a baby toad & peppermint leaves. Some others are frogs, snakes, a fox, spider, unusual flowers, frogs’ eggs, and many odd insects.

Trampoline & Tetherball
Behind the dining hall were 2 trampolines. In free period we were able to use them. Also, by the chapel was a tetherball. In free period they were put to use too.

Hi, My name is Terry Richardson, I was a camper from about ‘85 till ‘88 and then I was a counselor from 88 to 91. Everybody calls me Radar, the name stuck. I, right after I became a counselor, I delivered the mail, those are my favorite memories. This is my son Gabriel.

[What did camp mean to you?] It meant a lot to me, because I was coming out of inner city. I was born and raised East St. Louis, and it meant a lot for me, it changed my life. Because I was middle kid of nine kids, so that meant coming from the inner city where you’re not expected to live past 16, so I got a chance to learn how to be outdoors, and got a chance to be outdoors, and get a different perspective-wise and, it changed my life personally. Because I came back every year after that, if I wouldn’t have come here, who knows what would have happened. It just changed my life totally.

Terry Richardson
CAMPER 1985 - 1988 STAFF 1988 - 1991

“Camp, meant a lot for me, it changed my life. I got a chance to learn how to be outdoors, and got a chance to be outdoors, and get a different perspective.”

Is there anything you would say to Frank Wyman who started Camp Wyman 100 years ago, if he were here today, : he made it so that there are opportunities that change a lot of people’s lives. I want to thank him, just a great opportunity to change my life, and I know a hundred people, or a million people out there, I bump into them all the time, all over the place, that you know it changed their life. People (under the radar?), people who were at camp, and it definitely changed a lot of people’s lives.

I see people all the time, it’s just like, you’re in the middle of somewhere, you don’t know anybody, but you know this one person from camp, it’s almost just the same as seeing family.

An old photograph of a small white buildling behind bushes

Amy Knese Widel
Wyman Staff 1996 - 2002

“The sheer joy you get from these young people, the friends you make and the peace of this beautiful place is worth every moment.”

“I don’t know life without Camp Wyman.”

“I was born in 1976 and my father was program director. That’s where he and my mom met, working at camp. We lived on site for about two years in one of the white houses behind the dining hall. I spent my early years traversing back and forth from that house to the dining hall, exploring every leaf and bug.

Fast forward to 1996. I was a year out from my Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and I decided to be an EDI camp counselor at the age of 19. The only other person I knew that was diabetic had just gone to work at Camp EDI, so I thought, ‘well ok, I guess I’ll just work there next summer’. I fell in love with Wyman. I came back the next 2 summers as a camp counselor and a program instructor.

I remember one of the other counselors saying something like, ‘With what you have to deal with, I don’t think you could be a counselor here all summer’. All I could think then was ‘challenge accepted’! I worked there the next two summers, all summer. And it was just unbelievable. It was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had, but one of the most rewarding and fun. You don’t sleep much, and the kids can be very challenging but at the same time, they know you’re there because you care about them.

I came back as a counselor for the RESPECT camp in 1997, which had sessions Monday through Friday. A lot of the kids at that camp were referred through division of family services. Some of them were in group homes or foster homes, and many of them had very traumatic pasts. It would make you very angry to hear about what they had been through, but it was comforting to know that you were supplying a safe place for them to have some fun.

As much as it can be physically and emotionally draining, the sheer joy you get from those kids, the friends you make and the peace of this beautiful place is worth every moment.

In 2000 I was hired on staff at Lion’s Den, which was then a Wyman property. I got to be “at camp” year-round while teaching school groups about water conservation, living history, ecology and leading team building and high ropes courses. Best job in the world!

Finally, I returned again in 2002 as counselor for the Camp EDI CITs. It was such a blast taking them on the first overnight canoe trip in EDI history.

The last time I came to Wyman was in 2016 for Dave Hillard’s retirement celebration. As soon as my car went through the entrance, I got that feeling. I feel such peace at Wyman. It is truly a life-changing place and I am blessed that it has always been part of my life!”

Trish Huynh, Wyman Leaders Class of 2018, is now a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and is working as a nurse.

She first got involved with Wyman in middle school when she was recommended for Wyman Leaders by her teacher. “I went to the interview on a whim. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it and ended up loving it. I thought it was something just to put on paper and ended up creating really good connections with everyone. Without Wyman, I don’t think I’d be as outgoing. They’ve helped me come out of my shell. Wyman has really prepared me for a successful future.”

Trish
Wyman Leaders Class of 2018

“My favorite part about Wyman Leaders is that they are a friend to you. They are someone you ask advice from, and they look out for you. It is professional but the foundation is friendship.”

Growing up, family was extremely important to Trish. “My mom is a hard worker and was at work most of the time, so I helped her raise my sisters. We all want the best for each other, and education and family are important to us. I used to do things for my mom, and I still want to, but I also want to do it for me. I chose my major because I want to.”

Trish was a first-generation college student and was thankful for the support of her Wyman coaches when it came time to apply for college. “When I was applying, I didn’t know anything. My Wyman coaches taught me interview skills and professionalism. The Wyman staff helped me find out about the Centennial Scholarship. They help you learn about scholarships and opportunities; they help you build your character as a person. They made me feel great, feel like I mean something, and I’m meant to go do great things in the world.”

“Wyman is important to me because they were there when I couldn’t come to my family. They helped me mentally, emotionally and educationally. They were there as a guide when I thought I didn’t have anybody.”

“My favorite part about Wyman Leaders is that they are a friend to you. They are someone you ask advice from, and they look out for you. It is professional but the foundation is friendship. And Wyman is just great in general. It makes a difference. Without it I wouldn’t be who I am. They are with you forever. They treat you like adults, they help you with your problems, and they help you with the choices you make.”

John & Karolyn Jones
CAMP COUNSELORS, 1970 - 1972

“I love working with counselors and I found I loved working with kids. And I found my profession. What I did for my entire life came true and Camp Wyman was the root of it all happening.”

Chip: I think my first memory was meeting my wife to be as a 15-year old wanting to try out, we both wanted to try out –

Karolyn: Counselor Training weekend.

Chip: Counselor Training. And we met. I invited her best friend to come and she invited Karolyn. And my best friend came and sat next to her and so I didn’t have anybody to talk to or do anything with but say hi to Karolyn. And you know how God works, he already knew this I think ahead of time, but there was that little sparkle and little did we know what was happening. But I found my wife. I found my wife and she found me in our first, and that was our first little spark. That was the spark that started it all. That was in 1970. April 10th. I remember that dare even more than our wedding date. Which gets me in trouble. But I remember that because it’s when that spark happened and to me that’s always been the special spot and we just think on and off over time about our walks and our things together talking and sharing and getting to know each other here at camp during that very first weekend of trying out to be a counselor.

Chip: We were wanting to be counselors, we both got selected, I got selected as a sophomore and she as a junior and Bill Kloppe, who was there for, like a pillar of Camp Wyman and Webster Groves, worked with me for three years. I got to be a counselor during sophomore, junior and senior year and I got so involved he let me come down each three weeks in the summer, I mean in the fall and in the spring, and he let me work with the entire program. And then he actually let me work with him all year long planning for Camp Wyman and doing all the work with him and became my mentor. And I didn’t know it at the time, but he mentored me and helped me work with all the planning and all the inventories and all the administration and the marketing and everything that went with it. And the second year I was here he let me start training counselors. And I remember telling some jokes while training and they laughed. And I thought, oh my gosh, I’m lovin this. I love working with counselors and I found I loved working with kids. And I found my profession. What I did for my entire life came true and Camp Wyman was the root of it all happening. Because I got to work with all of the kids particularly the boys because I was a guy, and I was working with the boy groups. And of course at night we’d play guitar and sing and dance and do all the outdoor activities and take all the hikes and things like that. But I got to just love working with the kids and just loved working with the counselors. So I’ve always been thankful for Bill Kloppe who didn’t only see what I didn’t see or know, and then helped me grow it for a few years. And just to give a little more credit, those sixth grade teachers that came to camp and stayed all week, well they would retire over the years and they’d come back and they’d feed us counselors at night, at ten at night they’d be bringing in whole meals. And I thought what dedication to the field and to this program and so Bill Kloppe just loved nature and loved being responsible to the earth and making it all good, and he eventually retired and went and worked at a national forest for a few years for fun. While I’m semi-retired and I’m back in teaching again. And the school I work with has outdoor ed camp. So kind of what goes around comes around. And my wife and I have been together for about 50 years now, because we met in ’70 and a little over 50. So Camp Wyman meant so so so much to us and to me in my lifetime. That’s the best of what I’d want to share

Karolyn: It was thrilling as a sixth-grader to come here.

This camp made me more social and helped me be able to be around a lot of people that I don’t know. The counselors here are so helpful, with mental health and so much more. I was having a breakdown and my counselor comforted me and made sure I was okay.

The activities are great. We had a trash bag fashion show to show how creative all of us campers are, we went zip lining and rock climbing which helped me face some of my height fears, and we also had career day where we went to get a tour of Goldfarb School of Nursing and St. Louis College of Pharmacy (UHSP). I really enjoyed touring there because I want to be a pediatrician.

Rionna
Wyman Leaders Class of 2026

“Being a part of Wyman Leaders is important because it teaches you a lot about yourself, life, opportunities, your community, and other people. Being a part of Wyman has changed me into a better version of myself.”

My experiences at camp have taught me about opportunities, jobs, life, and more. I have slowly overcome my fear of heights from the crate and zipline activities. I have made lots of new friends. I’m a shy person so making friends was kind of hard, but I got through it with the help of my camp counselors. I’m not really an outside person but being here at camp has showed me that there’s more to outside than just bugs.

Being a part of Wyman Leaders is important because it teaches you a lot about yourself, life, opportunities, your community, and other people. Being a part of Wyman has changed me into a better version of myself. I have overcome fears, some trauma, and lots of others. I have been better with my health. I’ve gotten help with finding coping mechanisms for my mental health and gotten help with keeping my health intact.

I am really enjoying my experience at Wyman and I can’t wait to come back next summer.

Clarence Robinson
Former Wyman Staff

“He believed in building up youth and kids loved him and respected him because he was a man of his word. His heart was huge, and he would do anything for you. Youth mattered to him and helping them be better people was his lifelong journey. Bear mattered in so many lives of youth and adults as well.”

Clarence “Bear” Robinson worked with Wyman for more than 15 years, leading young people through wilderness treks, the Teen Outreach Program, and many more experiences where they learned who they were and how they wanted to be in the world.

Claire Wyneken remembers him as, “the guy that always showed up – showed up when a teen needed someone to talk to or to remind them who they are. I remember when I first met Bear. He came to training right after retiring from the juvenile detention facility and lived right into his nickname – A Bear with a rough exterior, but warm and squishy on the inside. He had a mischievous, loving, and wise presence.”

Bear consistently provided support with logistics on Trek experiences for Wyman Leaders. Jason Rose recalls scouting together. “It was a lot of bonding time on the trail and setting up camp. He moved at his own pace, but always kept going. Later he became the logistics guy driving ‘Bear Force 1’ back and forth delivering food, gear, and water.”

Former Leader and staff member Danielle Washington also remembers, “It just felt like he was just our elder on the trips and we would listen to Bear. He would tell us these stories, and he just always knew how to make things connect and make sense.”

Jillian Rose recalled Bear as a calming presence for staff, too. “He took time to reach out and make me feel welcomed and supported during my first summer at camp. Our cabin was set to leave for a backpacking trip and he saw the fear in my eyes as we loaded up in the vans to head out; he told me that the trail was very muddy and that I should borrow his gaiters. I had no idea what gaiters were, but I nodded and had him show me how to wear them. The extra Snickers bars he slipped in my hand at our check ins also helped. When Burly and I got married, we immediately asked Bear to officiate the ceremony. We could think of no one better—someone who knew and loved us both and could incorporate wisdom, nature and spiritual-ness into our celebration.”

Bear was also an integral part of the recruitment efforts for Wyman in the early 2000s. Danielle still remembers Bear’s impact on her recruitment experience. “I remember Wyman staff coming to my school, and the one person that stuck out from that time is Bear. He’s really the reason that my sister and I came. We trusted him. His personality was just calm and he had this confidence about him.”

Another piece of Bear’s lasting legacy was recruiting staff members, like Jill Wider. Jill reveled in the deeper connection she developed with Bear while working together at Wyman. “He believed in building up youth, and kids loved him and respected him because he was a man of his word. His heart was huge, and he would do anything for you. Youth mattered to him and helping them be better people was his lifelong journey.

Once Bear has touched the chord in your life like he does, it is there forever and always. He always made you feel like you mattered in the world. At times we all may feel invisible to others around us, lonely in a crowded room of people. But with Bear at your side or even in the room, he made you feel valuable and loved.”

Kaelynn Declue’s first summer with Wyman Leaders was in 2015, when she was an eighth grader at Northwest Valley Middle School.

“When I started I was definitely worried, because no one I knew had done this program. I was from a small town in Jefferson County and had read about the camp but didn’t know exactly what it was for. My first two years of camp were basically just making all new friends. But we were all connected because everybody was on the same field. Everybody was nervous. So we all kind of had to jump over that hurdle together.”

One thing Kaelynn really enjoyed about her time with Wyman was the ‘challenge by choice’ mindset and opportunities to get out of her comfort zone. “Going through the program I learned that it’s ok to not feel comfortable. Every summer I was like ok, I’m going to come back a new person, and I did. Because they were challenging me in new ways; they were asking questions and doing things that make you really want to explore more.”

Kaelynn Declue
Wyman Leaders Class of 2019

“I’m still very grateful for the coaches and the staff, and all of the support that I had over the years. We built this bond and they still support me to this day. I would definitely say that their work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

The coaches and staff at Wyman also had a big impact on Kaelynn – and she remains in touch with many of them to this day. “I really liked that the counselors care about you. It’s very one on one, very personable. You become friends with the counselors and I’m so grateful for all of the support that I had over the years. We built this bond and they still support me to this day. I did my last FAFSA last year and I was still reaching out to somebody, like, ‘I know this is crazy but I need your help!’ And they were like, ‘Oh of course, I’m here for you.’ It’s just wonderful because a lot of them have moved on, but they still say, ‘You know what, I invested so much time in these students that I’m never going to stop.’ Even if they’re doing other things, they are still there for us. I’m still very grateful for the coaches and staff. I would definitely say that their work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

“I always wanted to go to college but I was not financially set for that. Through the college tours, Wyman introduced me to the idea of going to a bigger school than a community college. It was nice to travel to colleges and see them in person and interact with the staff there, and have the opportunity to think, ‘Ok I’m going to be this far away from my family; how big is the class size; are they keeping students after a year?’ all of those questions were really important to ask.”

This past spring, Kaelynn became the first in her family to graduate from a university. “I received the Monticello Scholarship and I also have the Centennial Scholarship through the Scholarship Foundation because of Wyman. I just graduated in May of 2023 from Lindenwood University with a degree in Criminal Justice, and I wouldn’t have gotten there without Wyman.”

“I feel like I gained a lot of friendships that are lifelong and I’m in touch with a lot of camp counselors. I just feel like once you start the program it never really ends. I feel even with the pandemic they were still making sure that we were all staying connected, and I am really grateful for that.”

Patty Stevens
WYMAN STAFF, 1990 - 2007

“The people at Wyman all fabulous, and they very much care about Wyman and the teens. I see updates and they’re just all crushing it. So I do believe we all got better from our experiences at Wyman and that joy is just getting spread all over the place. It makes me really happy and proud that I was able to be part of it.”

Patty Stevens first learned about Wyman while at Murray State University, studying secondary education. She attended a summer job fair, and nearly missed the Wyman table. “I didn’t have time to talk to everybody, and I was leaving. A friend of mine said, ‘Did you check out Kiwanis Camp Wyman? It would be the perfect job for you.’”

Patty ended up spending her summer in 1990 as a counselor for the 11- and 12-year-old campers. “It was fabulous. I met the most wonderful people and I just loved it, the kids were fantastic; it really touched my heart. And I learned that it’s not as easy to be a camp counselor as you might think. But it was fabulous.”

Patty came back the next summer as unit director for the Discoverers, the 8-9 year-old group. So many of her interactions with campers stick with her today.

“I remember the impact of their stories. I had it pretty easy growing up. And to hear the kids tell me their stories, it was really emotional and very challenging. It changed how I wanted to impact the world. I definitely internalized some of their trauma and wanted to help make a difference.”

In the summer of 1992, Patty became the Camp Director. “Straight out of college my first full time job was running summer camp.” Patty held this position for a couple of years, and then as with many Wyman staff, worked several different programs over the next few years. She was the first director for Family Connections, the family camp hosted at Wyman, and eventually took over Camp Caravan.

And when Wyman realized they needed to have a community presence and an office in the city, she was selected as director of the Community Connections Program. “I missed the camp part of it, but we needed to be a larger part of the communities where our families and kids lived. It was great to be physically in the neighborhoods; we had programs in the rec center, we had after school programming.”

Before she left Wyman, Patty was the Associate Director of Development, working as a grant writer. After her first departure, she also came back for one year in 2006 to work as the Director of Special Projects.

Patty has been grateful for her time and experiences at Wyman, especially during this period of immense change and explosion in programming for the organization.

“While in college, I thought, ‘I really want to make a difference in the lives of kids, but I’m not sure if teaching is exactly what I want to do.’ I wanted to help teens know how to take care of themselves, take care of the world, and to communicate. And come to find out, Wyman was really my path, and those things all applied very well there.

The people at Wyman all fabulous, and they very much care about Wyman and the teens. I see updates and they’re just all crushing it. So I do believe we all got better from our experiences at Wyman and that joy is just getting spread all over the place. It makes me really happy and proud that I was able to be part of it.”

For Kendrick Hooks, Wyman means opportunities – for growth, leadership, lifelong connections, community service and outreach, and teambuilding. He sees Wyman as a place to gain new perspectives, new outlooks on life, and an understanding of nature. “And I guess just a second home, you could say that would be the ultimate thing.”

Kendrick’s first year with Wyman was in 2008, when he was 13 and a middle schooler in the Hazelwood School District. “Back then, I was just trying to find who I was as a person,” says Kendrick, recalling when he first participated in Wyman’s Teen Outreach Program.

He recalls that his first year at Wyman was a bit rough because it was out of his comfort zone, but a Wyman coach persuaded him to stick it out. “He taught me to go back and keep doing this. Don’t give up.” The experience went so well that after participating in TOP, Kendrick joined Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program, now Wyman Leaders.

Kendrick Hooks
Wyman Leaders Class of 2013

“When I hear the word Wyman, I think of happy tears. I think of laughs, I think of overcoming obstacles, I think of a bunch of strong memories as both a teen and a former employee. And when I think of the word Wyman I think of family.”

Through his participation in Leaders, Kendrick became a Wyman Scholar at Missouri State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 2017. While at MSU, Kendrick also worked seasonally as a Wyman Coach on outdoor education trips, which helped him prepare for teaching. “I feel like Wyman has really opened up a door for me. You can give back. You can truly make an impact. You can really make a difference in somebody’s life.”

Receiving his Missouri State University scholarship was an honor for Kendrick. On his own, he thinks it would have been hard to afford college. “I really just thank God for Wyman giving me that scholarship, because my whole teaching career potentially couldn’t have happened. So many different things happened through Wyman and Missouri State.”

“It’s really hard to put into words how Wyman has made such a huge impact on me. It’s not just through the scholarship, but also as a person, as a human being. It’s been so intertwined with my own life.”

Since graduating from MSU, Kendrick has been working as a speech, debate, and theater teacher at Riverview Gardens High School. He hopes to teach until he is 60, and along the way wants to create a competitive theater league for high school students in the St. Louis area. “A big goal of mine is to create different performance opportunities for those across the St. Louis area, regardless of background or economic status – giving them the opportunity to perform and express themselves.”

As a teacher, Kendrick hopes he can nurture the same teambuilding, leadership, and conflict-resolution skills he learned in Wyman’s leadership program and be a strong Black male role model for his students. “I hope to be a successful teacher, and by successful I mean having successful programming and impacting young people wherever I go and wherever I teach.”

He remains involved with Wyman, sharing the lessons he learned with the teens in his life now. “Wyman will always be an integral part of my life, and I will always be a huge supporter of Wyman.”

ANITA QUINN-FLYE & KITA QUINN
CAMPERS, 1969 & 1978

“Don’t be afraid to get in there and get to know one another, and build up that teamwork. That’s something we all need in life as we go on. We have to learn to get along with everybody and this is a very good place to begin learning those skills.”

Kita: You know what I told my daughter, my daughter was just a counselor out here last week. And for whatever reason, the thing I remember most about Camp Wyman is the water. I don’t know why, but I guess it’s well water or something, and just the water was so fresh to me, and that was just one of the things I always remember about Camp Wyman.

Anita: I was telling my niece, that I didn’t think I would like camp, I wasn’t so sure about it. But I was like, I knew it was something everybody did every year. But it was one of the most impactful memories I’ve had, ever. I had such a good time with the exception of the ghost stories in the old cabins, and not going to the bathroom at night and walking in the morning like *this* trying to get there, but I enjoyed meeting the kids from other schools, which we had never done that before, and I enjoyed getting the maple syrup from the trees.

[This] was just me and nature, we were outside here in the field, it was either volleyball or badminton (I mean it was probably volleyball), but there was a dragonfly. I went up to get a hit and the dragonfly flew into my arm. Like into my arm. Like half of it was sticking out doing this. And I was like, ohhhhh! It was a memory! So they took me to first aid and pulled it out and bandaged it up. So I was like that’s enough, I’m not, that was a wrap on that.

But it was good. I was just telling her (Kita) walking around here today, that I never thought I’d see Camp Wyman again. I’ve held it in my memory all these years, and it feels really good to be out here again.

Kita: It’s different. My daughter was telling me how they have bathrooms in the cabins now. I was like, what? Bathrooms in the cabins? We had to like, that’s not even camping, that’s glamping! I still remember archery, that activity stuck out. And like she was saying the counselors were telling us ghost stories, that kept us inside the cabin.

My mother was mad at me because I was just boo-hooing when I got off the bus. And she was like, you’re just going back out there. Best time.

Kita: I noticed [the excitement] for sure with my kids, because I have four girls. And when it was time for the oldest one to go, I was just going oh you’re just going to love Camp Wyman! I went on and on. And then so then there’s six years between the oldest and the next three and they couldn’t wait. And so, they most definitely were looking forward to that. My third daughter’s a senior this year, and she was a counselor just this past week. She came home and she had the best time, she goes mom, I discovered I actually like kids! Haha! I was like that’s good.

Kita: I would say don’t be afraid to try stuff. Don’t worry about looking silly in front of people, you know what I mean. Just go for it. Do it. Even if you end up looking silly, it’s the fun part. And once you plant that seed about being adventurous, and hopefully that will carry you on through life. And you’ll try more and more things. I think that’s what I would impart.

Anita: The comradery. And not to be, and I think again from what I remember, the counselors did a great job of intermingling us. But the teamwork, don’t be afraid. At that age you’re kind of like, I’m staying with my friend, I don’t know those people. Just don’t be afraid to get in there and get to know one another and build up that teamwork, again that’s something we all need in life as we go on. We have to learn to get along with everybody and this is a very good place to begin learning those skills.

West County Journal, August 28, 1991 Article: Camp Wyman brings back memories

For many, camp is just a childhood memory. For 77-year-old Viola Haefner of Ellisville, though, it’s part of every summer.

Haefner has attended Camp Wyman in Eureka for the last seven years. “I usually go during the second week of September,” Haefner said.

On Sept. 9 Haefner will make her eighth trip to the camp. “I wouldn’t miss going,” she said. “We all have such a good time when we go to camp,”

During her week at the camp, Haefner and her fellow campers will hike, swim, attend sing-alongs and play a card game or two.

“If it’s too cool out or if it’s raining, we’ll stay in and play cards and talk,” she said. “We always have something going on.”

Viola Haefner
Camper, 1984 - 1990s

“It’s nice just to get away from it all. I like the quiet, and we keep busy doing fun things all the time while we’re there. I’ve always had a great time at camp, and I’m going to keep going as long as I can.”

But the activities are only part of the fun, Haefner said.

“Every year I room with Alice Burniski – we call ahead and make sure we get the same room,” Haefner said. Burniski, of Kirkwood, and Haefner met at Camp Wyman several years ago and have kept in touch with one another ever since.

“We call each other and send cards during the year,” Haefner said. “But we mostly see each other during camp – we’re both busy during the rest of the year, and I don’t drive as much as I used to.”

But driving isn’t a problem when it comes to getting to camp. “They come right to my apartment and pick me up,” Haefner said. “It makes it pretty easy to get there.”

Haefner – a retired clerk for Sears, Roebuck and Co. – said she looks forward to her week “away from it all.”

“It’s nice just to get away from it all,” she said. “I like the quiet, and we keep busy doing fun things all the time while we’re there.” And for Haefner at least, part of the attraction of the camp is its scenery.

“We went camp a few years ago in October, and the leaves were turning,” Haefner said. “It was just beautiful out there. It’s very pretty in September too, though.”

Haefner said she plans to keep penciling in her week at Camp Wyman for years to come. “I’ve always had a great time at camp, and I’m going to keep going as long as I can,” Haefner said. “I really do look forward to it.”

Andy Schmaeng
CAMPER, 1982 - 1986, STAFF 1986 - 1994

“You get so close to so many people so fast. And before you know it, it’s all over. I still always look back and think of those as my fondest times.”

My name is Andy Schmaeng, I was a camper here from 82 to 86 and then a staff member from 86 to 92. And then I came back in ‘93 for the end of the summer to help out and then was back again in 94

It [camp] gave me a sense of, there’s more than just me in the world, you know. There’s so much out there and so many people, and so many experiences. And you get so close to so many people so fast.

And before you know it, it’s all over. I still always look back and think of those as my fondest times. It was almost like a vacation! [Interviewer: Even when you were a staff member?] Yeah, yeah.

My summer experience has been really good – actually better than I expected. It’s definitely different than what I usually do at home, but here at Camp Wyman you do so much in one day it feels like two days already passed by. I do look forward to coming back to camp because of the nice and different experience I had. I find it amazing how y’all help.

I want to say thank you, and I appreciate all that you put into Wyman. My experience has been really fun having cabin mates that help me at my lowest and also my highs as an introvert and antisocial person. Camp Wyman has helped me gain the courage to open up and create new bonds. It made camp easier to get through because I wasn’t ready to be away from home for so long and far away. Singing camp songs and being able to enjoy others energy that I felt made me realize that getting to know new people can be hard but it’s worth it.

Alaya
Wyman Leaders Class of 2026

“Camp Wyman has helped me gain the courage to open up and create new bonds. Singing camp songs and being able to enjoy others energy made me realize that getting to know new people can be hard but it’s worth it.”

My experience has been great leading camp songs, doing so much in one day and all the activities we do including team bonding and getting to know others as in Zumi Zumi, Name Game, etc. My favorite camp songs are Little Red Wagon, Tarzan, Cat Dog Mouse, Good Morning the Little Bird Says, etc. Activities that we have done was volleyball, kickball, Build the Beast, etc. Also with it being summer time and it being hot outside being able to go swimming for block c and d or free time is very enjoyable.

Being a Wyman Leader is important because this program teaches kids to guide others in a respectful, nice and less controlling, bossy way. Wyman is important because it also allows teens to show their true colors and be their self. The program also challenges teens to come out of their comfort zone and try new things. While giving teens the freedom to live life to the fullest it also teaches them to be responsible, safe and stable both mentally and physically.

Keep Camp Wyman running for me and other kids to enjoy and to finally get the real experience of being outside!

Josiah Durham
PROGRAM FACILITATOR CAMP WYMAN EXPERIENCES

“Being able to teach new skills is the basis of Trek, and what made it so important for the Teen Leadership Program. I’m thrilled and honored to have been a part of it.”

I have more than a few memories from Wyman!

The ones that come to mind revolve around TLP (Teen Leadership Program) and Trek. I can’t remember their names, but it was the ladies during our trips to the Big Piney River. Most of our TLP teens had never been on a river, much less a clean river with great smallmouth fishing.

The Big Piney is considered one of the best in the state, and to be able to use my passion and knowledge to provide new experiences was amazing. We had one young lady from Afghanistan, a first generation immigrant who probably never imagined she would be standing in a river in Missouri catching fish, and yet there she was. She stood with me in the river for hours catching fish and trying to learn as much as she could.

Others, the smile on their face was as wide as any I had seen at camp the first time they hooked a fish. Being able to teach new skills, even one that may go unused for the rest of their lives, is the basis of Trek and what made it so important for the Teen Leadership Program. I’m thrilled and honored to have been a part of it.

Tina’s first encounter with Wyman happened while she was an undergraduate at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She attended a recreation fair and interviewed with every camp director, but when she spoke to Eddie Dillion about Camp Wyman, something was different. Tina remembers Eddie talked about the difference you make to children.  It caught her attention.

“She was amazing, and very professional. She was so driven to make things better for children and families. Private camps are all about tradition. When I talked to Eddie she was more dynamic about making a change for good, for children. That piqued my attention.”

So impressed with Eddie Dillon and her passion and devotion, Tina came to Wyman as a counselor that summer in 1971.

Tina Hilliard
Wyman Staff 1973 - 1980s

“In the 1980s we had to change the format. We elicited so much help from people who understood adolescence, leadership, economics, public health. We had to really learn and then revamp the program.”

As a camp counselor, Tina worked with the school camps and helped out with the senior citizen camp for older adults and Wyman’s Family Camp.

Then in 1973 Eddie Dillon and David Hilliard were trying to establish a camping program for inner-city preschoolers and needed a part-time director for the pilot program. Dave was impressed from the beginning with Tina’s natural ability to work with children, and she was hired in 1973 to develop the program.

Students from Washington University’s pre-school and what was then Kingdom House’s preschool (now LifeWise STL), came out to camp each Friday throughout the school year. Tina visited schools, met with directors, and developed the program. She gently introduced the kids to nature, developed vocabulary, and worked in collaboration with their regular teachers. “It wasn’t anything hectic or frantic, just very slow and explorative kind of things. Pre-schoolers and their teachers came out for a half day once a week weather permitting. The program lasted maybe a year or two and was before the early days of following through on the effectiveness or impacts of the program and doing data collection, finding out how important it was. But everyone loved it.”

During this time, Dave and Tina grew close and were married in 1975. Together they lived at camp until 1993.

By the late 1970s, Tina was noticing more and more staff members at Wyman with degrees in recreation and education and was inspired by her colleagues. She decided to officially transition into a career as a teacher, motivated by her desire to work more with students year-round.

Over her career, Tina taught elementary school for the Special School District in St. Louis County; at Northwest High School in House Springs; and in special education in the Rockwood School District. She retired in 2015.

Even while Tina was a full-time teacher, she was involved in camp operations – working on the senior citizen’s program and doing consulting work with Dave.

Tina remembers, when she first came to Wyman it was all about bringing kids from the city to camp. “We thought if they just get out into the fresh air for two weeks it will make an impact. We learned later on it would take more.”

“In the 1980s, we would make home visits and go to their homes, schools, or churches and we would say you can always take Wyman with you, you can do it wherever you are. But we realized, apparently you can’t.” She and Dave knew there were improvements to be made, but there weren’t any data or studies to reference at that time. “We had to change the format. We elicited so much help from people who understood adolescence, leadership, economics, public health. We had to really learn and then revamp the program.

While Dave gathered information, Tina worked hands-on with young people. “We needed the information, but we couldn’t wait for it. We had to keep moving and get data and research. We had good programs, and we really started doing more like sticking with families longer in the year and working directly in the communities.

It has been neat to see it all evolve over the years. You see the trend moving away from just camping, and now we’re working on leadership skills and improving school skills, their personal skills, and ability to communicate. We’re on the right path now to developing leaders.”

Dave Hilliard
PRESIDENT & CEO 1975 - 2016

“As I look back, I am prouder than ever. People have been with the organization 15, 20, 30 years and not one has ever gotten stuck in the old ways. While camp is a sacred and beautiful place, it’s not the heart. The people are.”

David Hilliard arrived at Wyman in 1964 as a camp counselor at the age of 16. He worked summers at Camp Wyman all through high school and college, but never envisioned a career in camping. Instead, Dave had decided to pursue dentistry while doing a commission in the Navy and was accepted to study at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He found himself with a six-month vacation and went to help Eddie Dillon at Camp Wyman, preparing the school camping program. He moved onto the grounds and began to see the camp in a new light, thinking “about the thousands of young lives that were so profoundly influenced in those very woods year after year. I decided I couldn’t give up all that – not for the Navy or for dentistry.”

Under Eddie’s tutelage, Dave became the Boys’ Program Director in 1971, and by 1972 Eddie had already created a transition plan during which she transferred directorship from herself to Dave. He became the Executive Director/President and CEO of Wyman in 1975. That same year he married Tina Shay, who also worked at Wyman.

Dave wasted no time continuing Wyman’s evolution of service to young people. He grew Wyman’s outdoor education programs, working with second generation founders of the outdoor education movement like Bill Kloppe. “We saw the power of outdoor learning to teach community building and natural sciences.” Wyman went from a location where school districts implemented their own curriculum to one that offered its own programming in team building, leadership, and science education.

Dave built up the outdoor educational programs and retreat and conference services of the organization to gain income and stabilize the business. This allowed camp to afford staff outside of the summer season, and allowed them to keep educators and innovators on staff year round.

“Camp really evolved. You put one plan into motion, see how it works, and change it when it doesn’t.”

“The camping experience was an enterprise in teaching the essential elements of citizenship and personal responsibility to greater good. The residential experience was a great form for teaching democratic principles. The world changed around us, and we embraced experiential evolution. You don’t have to let go of core principles but can’t pretend the world around you hasn’t changed. It should lead you to evolve and change without giving up your core values. The traditional camp experience changed to adventure programming and activities that could bring out individual character development in democratic group living.”

In the late 70s and early 80s social service in St. Louis was overwhelmed, with long lists of kids waiting for essential services. They began sending kids to camp just for one summer, and fewer were returning to Wyman. “The campers were given a respite experience rather than a wellness experience. So Wyman began to experiment with other ways to deliver programs. Could we figure out how to bring some of our programming to the community, in a low-cost way?” This thinking led to programs like Camp Caravan.

Then in the early 90s, the Wyman staff and board began to talk about how to be a part of larger support and experience, trying many different approaches like family camps, community-based programming, and focusing on different age groups. Wyman looked at the marketplace, and everyone else was positioning themselves from pre-k to the end of middle school. Almost no one was serving teenagers, a very important time in development.

“This was a huge culture change for Wyman and its relationships with the broader community. Instead of trying to push 3,000 kids through a system, we’ll take a few hundred kids a year. And build up the 5 or 6 hundred kids in the system. Not just the camp experience, but make sure they graduate from high school. How we measured success changed, too. It was no longer the numbers of kids served, but developmental metrics, like developing and maintaining social skills, and contributions. Things they didn’t even think about in the old days.” Once again, Wyman tried many different models while refining this new direction.

“We worked with the (social service) agency executives and helped create a partnership of agencies. For a period of about 10 years, we changed how these agencies worked with one another and how they did programs.”

Then in the early 2000s, Wyman received a significant grant from Coca-Cola to create the Coca-Cola afterschool club for kids – one curriculum delivered by all agencies and included the Teen Outreach Program (TOP). Coca-Cola was pleased and impressed with the outcomes in the afterschool club and came to Wyman when they started a national charity focusing on leadership camps for local teens.

Dave pulled out Wyman’s strategic plan, and Wyman and Coca-Cola partnered in its implementation.

“We took the deal, taught Coca-Cola how to implement our plan, and in turn they paid all operating expenses in St. Louis. We gained a lot of experience and learned how to scale with quality and continuity. Got a lot of time with national experts in youth development and evaluation. It was a huge opportunity that continues to pay dividends to this day.” When opportunity came to scale up TOP, it was money from this partnership that was used to replicate TOP across the country.

Wyman went through many evolutions during Dave’s tenure, and they are all a part of the process. “We didn’t anticipate each turn, but we were faithful to the mission. We should always have the courage to do what we need to, to be sure we’re fulfilling the mission not to maintain a particular paradigm.

You have a strategic plan, but you accept that the world is going to change, and you have to continually adapt along with it. That becomes part of the culture of the organization, and I feel like that’s what’s been achieved.

As I look back, I am prouder than ever. People have been with the organization 15, 20, 30 years and not one has ever gotten stuck in the old ways. While camp is a sacred and beautiful place, it’s not the heart. The people are.”

Dave remained Wyman’s President and CEO until his retirement at the end of 2016. Even in his retirement, Dave has remained involved with Wyman and the St. Louis nonprofit community.

When a teacher suggested Savannah “Sami” Martin apply for the Wyman leadership program, she and her family had reservations.
Sami did some research and agreed to give it a shot. That decision in seventh grade changed the entire trajectory of her life, she says.

Taking part in Wyman’s three- to four-week summer camps thrust her into situations that gave her the skills she needed to thrive. Her Wyman counselors walked with her through those turbulent teen years and remained by her side throughout her college career.

“I really would not be where I am without Wyman,” Sami says. “I never would have thought I could go to college — no one in my family did. I never thought I was smart enough to go to college so far away.”

Through Wyman, Sami says she got the support and guidance she needed when she needed it.

“At 12, I was looking for a friend, and — bam! — they gave me that. When I was in high school, I wanted something more than the opportunities my parents had, maybe go to community college. Wyman said, ‘That’s not a bad option, but that’s not the only option that you have,’” Sami recalls.

Savannah Martin
Wyman Leaders Class of 2013

“Wyman gave us all of these resources; resource after resource. There are so many of them. Being at Wyman, it really felt like they opened these doors for me that I didn’t even know were there.”

After graduating from MSU in 2016, she began teaching in the Union, Missouri School District. Today, she is still teaching in that school district near her hometown. “I’m here, still in the same grade level. If it’s possible I think I like it even more than I did before. I have just found joy in teaching every day since I started.” 

When she was younger, Sami thought college was something she could not afford. She remembers staff member Danielle physically putting the Missouri State scholarship application into her hands. “She said, you are filling this out right now. And I’m so thankful. Without that full ride scholarship, I don’t think I would have ever been able to become a teacher. I think my whole life has changed just from that one instance alone.”

Wyman also provided Sami the opportunity to bond with fellow campers and staff members through shared experiences. “Even though we’re all so different, we’re experiencing these things for the first time and I think that just makes you realize how similar people really are.”

Today, Sami is thankful for her scholarship at MSU and the time she can dedicate to her job rather than paying off college debt. “I can fully enjoy myself at work and contribute 100% of myself here…to give back to my community and…the kids in my classroom.”

When Sami thinks of Wyman now, she thinks of betterment. Betterment of yourself, and betterment of your understanding of the world outside of you. “A lot of kids don’t get an opportunity to step outside of the umbrella of their family at such a young age. The way that you learn about the world when you are away from your family, but are still around people that love you and want the best for you, is indescribable.”

“(Wyman) gave us all of these resources; resource after resource. There are so many of them. Being at Wyman, it really felt like they opened these doors for me that I didn’t even know were there.”

Sami’s advice for new students coming into Wyman programs is, “I would just really try to let them know that there is no progress without being uncomfortable. I think one of Wyman’s biggest things is that growth always happens outside of your comfort zone. And that’s something that they used to say any time they would challenge us. It’s so uncomfortable to put yourself out there and to live in a cabin with people you don’t know. It’s also uncomfortable to put yourself in a position to be told no for a scholarship or for an application to something. But you miss one hundred percent of the chances that you don’t try for. So, while it’s difficult, it’s just beyond worth it. There’s just no bad outcome. Just go.

Regardless of what you choose, you will succeed in it.”

Mary Kausch
WYMAN SUPPORTER, 1977 - Today

“I’ve been so proud of the whole evolution of Wyman. This 125-year-old facility started to give young people the opportunity to experience something besides their day to day and learn that there is more for people. You get to see that there are opportunities and how to envision what those opportunities are. To create a path, and a future – because that’s exactly what I did.”

When Mary Kausch was in high school at Webster in 1977, she started participating in the outdoor education program, STREAM. The program was the brainchild of Hank Schaeffermeyer and involved a partnership with Dave Hilliard and Wyman.

“We did a lot of things out at Greensfelder and Rockwoods Reservation, like the ropes courses and climbing tower. Each weekend was something very different that we did as a group, pulling together. Now that I look back on it, it was really a leadership development process. It was about relationships and equipping each other for that whole experience. Who stepped up to be the leader, how do we all complement each other. Nobody could do anything on their own.

Through that, we were able to come out to Camp Wyman for a week. That was my first introduction to Wyman and actually experiencing camp. It really opened my eyes to what happened at camp, the power of the camp experience, the power of the experiential process. It’s what that launched me to do what I do all the way up until today – I started my business as a result of it.

I never lost that love of camp after being there as a camp counselor in one of the cabins. It was very instrumental in the developing of my business model.

I got my bachelor’s degree in HR, but after working in corporate America for a few years I ended up quitting and went in hot pursuit of using the experiential processes in training and development – everything I learned in camp and being on these ropes courses, to pull those learnings and apply them to training in my business.

In 1997 I came back to Wyman to learn under Dave Knobbe at Lions Den. He taught me that experiential component, how to facilitate, how to use the activities and translate it all into corporate America. Then when Wyman got funding for camp Coca-Cola, I was contracted to create HR policies and practices for the organization. And after that I continued to bring corporate groups to Wyman with my company.

Wyman programs work. I believe the programming helps people find self-awareness, build skill sets, and as they’re doing that, have confidence. I was a kid that didn’t think I would ever be able to scale a wall. Oh my gosh that’s scary, can I do that? Teens who go through this programming, they are transformed. If they really take it to heart, really immerse themselves in the experience, Wyman teens will approach decisions and the future in a much more informed way.

I’ve been so proud of the whole evolution of Wyman. This 125-year-old facility in Eureka, Missouri that started to give young people the opportunity to experience something besides their day to day and learn that there is more for people. You get to see that there are opportunities and how to envision what those opportunities are. To really create a path, and a future, because that’s exactly what I did.

Bryan Capers started with Wyman in 2011 doing a practicum with Hazelwood East Middle School as a TOP facilitator. In 2012, he returned as Post-Secondary Access Manager, and then became Director of the Teen Leadership Program from 2015 until 2017. Bryan then left for a few years to gain experience in higher education and came back in 2019 as the Director of Wyman Leaders. In 2021, he transitioned into a new role on the National Network team as Director of Partner Services, focusing on youth leadership and advocacy.

“Wyman is a lot of opportunity, it’s always changing and evolving. I’ve been fortunate to be part of so many different programs, and I think one of my favorite things to do is collaborate across departments.”

“Camp is really just setting a foundation and building trust. And I would say we do the same thing with staff – we build a foundation of trust and we learn our strengths, our triggers, our weaknesses, our areas of growth. We utilize all of the things that we know about each other and challenge each other to be the best. Young people do the same thing, right?

Bryan Capers
WYMAN STAFF, 2011 - 2023

“One of my favorite things about Wyman is it’s not about us, it’s about young people. When we center them in all the things that we do, everything will play itself out the way it needs to and we’re at our best.”

With Wyman, they learn a great deal of responsibility early on so when they go on to post-secondary, they’re not worried about conflict resolution; they’ve done that. As 8th graders, living in communal spaces with other people who may not look like them, go to different schools, and might have different belief systems – they understand and value and respect each other. I think that’s phenomenal. When you think and look back, like wow, our program is really awesome.

You just have to give young people opportunity, and they amaze you. I love that.”

Bryan knows he’s grown a lot, too. “I’m from New York City so we don’t really see raccoons and deer; so I was really nervous at camp, to the point where I was like, I am not doing night duty. But I learned to appreciate nature and the same things that we want for young people – to go out into spaces where they may not necessarily be comfortable, but challenge themselves. Challenge themselves to move beyond. It seems minor but it has a huge impact on how you show up for yourself and young people.”

“I had the opportunity to help refine the gala and its strategy, that was probably one of my favorite moments at Wyman. I noticed, we have this event for young people, why are they not the highlight and center of attention? We added spotlights and had young people hosting the gala, giving speeches, and they were at the tables. We think about the value that we place on young people and I think that was a really incredible moment for Wyman to reshape and rebrand who we are. Seeing young people feel like they matter and this is their space, I think that was one of the most important transitions that we’ve had in connecting them to the direct work in the community. They got the chance to advocate for themselves, to make connections, and network with folks. We need to be doing more of that and putting young people at the forefront of the work that we do.

We give them autonomy to be, and I think that’s probably one of the most powerful things we can do as adults. Not make decisions for young people but really help them and coach them through making healthy decisions.”

In 2023, Bryan transitioned to a new opportunity outside of Wyman but he is still deeply involved with Wyman’s Youth Leadership Council, an initiative that is close to his heart. “One of my favorite things about Wyman is it’s not about us, it’s about young people. When we center them in all the things that we do, everything will play itself out the way it needs to and we’re at our best.”

Webster Groves School Camps
Wyman Parter, 1948 - Present

“Here everything we do is educationally oriented. Learning at camp is also fun, with the result that children understand better and remember longer, than if they culled the same information from a textbook.”

1967 Article, “Learning at Camp Can Be Fun, Pupils Find”

The blare of reveille broke the still gray dawn of the Ozark foothills and a wave of excited sixth-graders burst from their cabins, into the chilly October morning. 

It was Friday and the 111 pupils from Lockwood and Schall schools in the Webster Groves School District were ending their week-long stay at Camp Wyman, nestled in a grassy hollow north of Eureka. 

“A week here in the outdoors does wonders for these kids,” William L. Kloppe, director of the school camp. Kloppe started the outdoor education program int eh Webster Groves School District in 1950. The camp is held for all sixth-graders in the fall and spring of each year. 

“For some of them, this is the first time away from home,” he said, “the first time they have ever explored a cave or stomped in the woods or caught a snake or any of the hundreds of things you can do at a camp.

“Many of these kids have been at summer camp but summer camps are for play. Here everything we do is educationally oriented,” he said. Learning at camp is also fun, with the result that children understand better and remember longer, than if they culled the same information from a textbook, he said. 

“We don’t have any particular philosophy. Our hope is that by exposing the kids to new experiences, their curiosity will carry them from one thing to another.” 

Inside a large dining hall the children were eating breakfast, the occasion of their first lessons of the day. The subjects: meteorology, business, banking and geology. 

Evelyn Wuarpa, a foreign student from Ghana, gave the weather report. “The low last night was 56 and the high yesterday was 80. It will be fair with a chance of showers today.” She and eight other pupils from her cabin had recorded that information earlier at the camp weather station. The station contained a high-and-low thermometer, a hygrometer for measuring humidity, a barometer to detect weather changes, a weather vane for wind direction and a weather flag – blue that day, for rain.

By relating the information from the instruments, Kloppe explained, the children were exposed to more than just raw data. For example, if the hygrometer detected a high degree of water in the air, the children were told that they might feel uncomfortable. “If there’s a lot of water in the air, the water in our bodies is going to h ave a harder time evaporating and cooling us. Therefore we become hotter and more uncomfortable.” 

John Simons and Stephan Lilley, who had been up before reveille figuring a sales report from the camp trading post and deducting the amounts spent from each child’s checking account, gave a financial report. “Sales for Thursday!” blurted Lilley. “Two hundred and fifty-nine jawbreakers, 120 slowpokes, 130 tootsie rolls, 240 chocolate kisses,” and so on, through every piece of candy. 

“There were 84 five-cent prizes and seven three-cent prizes,” said Simons, referring to bits of paper that were given for correctly identifying mystery birds and items at the nature lodge, and which could be exchanged for candy at the post. 

The children bough candy with mimeographed checks from checkbooks they made themselves. Each child deposited 50 cents at the camp bank on Monday and from that account purchased goods. No check could be written for more than six cents and no more than that amount in candy could be purchased daily. 

Dennis Snodgrass, Michael Long and Thomas Bowers were given prizes for finding and correctly identifying the most fossils for the week.

Across the camp, Jack C. Woodhead, an educational adviser with the Missouri Department of Conservation, was explaining natural resources.

“Resources are the supplies of all the things around us,” he said, “The forest is a resource that gives food and protection to animals. Even dead leaves are useful. They act like a sponge and store water for insects, birds and tiny animals. Poison ivy, which you might think is bad, is good food to the deer.” 

In the nature lodge, where plants and animals, alive and dead, are displayed, another class was preparing to learn. Others were getting lessons in mathematics. 

And that is how it had been since they awoke Monday. By climbing the nearby ridges and stomping the forest, by crawling into caves and climbing atop a fire tower, by seeing and smelling and touching – and then recording – the children had learned things that might have seemed distant and cold in a textbook. 

“It was just great,” said one girl, who had wept from fright and homesickness the first day. “I wish we weren’t going home. Last night at the campfire was just great, the stars and the animals and the woods.”

PRevious Stories

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Margaret Dillon Goodwin was born in 1949 to Edmonia ‘Eddie’ Beal Dillon and Melvin ‘Adj’ Dillon, two of Camp Wyman’s longest serving Executive Directors. “I grew up at Wyman and felt very lucky most of the time. I was in the dining room as an infant and toddler, sleeping, napping or chatting at lunch or dinner with a dining hall full of people. I have pictures of me at the old program office in a play pen and around the flagpole with campers. I went to ACA meetings and was in the back of board meetings or United Way presentations.

I was surrounded by loving and caring people with few harsh words. I was lucky and felt that that was how the world was and should be. People in the Camp Wyman world pitched in and worked for the good of the group and each other. Everyone belonged. I felt cherished and felt like I was the center of my parents and the Wyman world, but everybody was cherished and their thoughts and feelings respected.”

“I grew up folding mailings on the Lemay house dining room table in grade school in the winter or eying potatoes or sorting silverware in the dining hall or folding towels in the laundry. I was there to give, contribute and help like everyone. Wyman’s goal was to work to make things better, to work together and learn from each other and enjoy being part of a team working for the common good. I was engaged as part of the team finding the good in every situation, appreciating the work of others and their gifts, doing for others, and always working hard. I felt lucky to be there and be part of the community.

Margaret Goodwin
Wyman Supporter, 1949 - Present

“People in the Camp Wyman world pitched in and worked for the good of the group and each other. Everyone belonged. I felt cherished and felt like I was the center of my parents and the Wyman world, but everybody was cherished and their thoughts and feelings respected.”

For many kids, camp was their two weeks that they could be themselves; it was a place of possibilities and happiness. Wyman became a very special place where people could grow and care and explore. It was a wonderful atmosphere for kids and for staff, whether it was in the kitchen or by the campfire.

There was emphasis on camping and the outdoors as a place to be explored and respected. There were so many people from different faiths and different backgrounds, and it really was a mixture of so many different kinds of people and different economic groups. I now realize what exposure I had to so many things.”

“The integration of Wyman was a big change, first with staff and then campers. But my father’s style was based on the principle of empowerment and everybody matters. He always believed in the fact that if people had information and that you presented it correctly, and people listened, that change was always possible.

It was a big deal and not a done deal that my mother was made the Executive Director after my dad died. It was scary for me and a big surprise that there was any question about my mother being given the job as director. But Mom took the job and ran. She was open but determined.

I am so amazed by how Wyman has grown and so admire the programs that have developed. Camp Wyman and the Wyman Center has touched so many lives. The Tillerys, the Dillons, the Hilliards and now Claire.  Wyman and the St Louis community is so lucky to have had their leadership through the years touching so many lives and changing them for the better.”

Steve Melton
WEBSTER GROVES CAMPER, 1963

“The whole point of advancing through the ranks of education at Edgar Road was to make it to Camp Wyman, a whole week away from the parents out in the woods. There would be hikes, campfires under the stars, archery, marksmanship. There were snakes, wildlife, and ghost stories told in dark cabins by counselors.”

Camp Wyman, circa 1963. The highlight of my career at Edgar Road Elementary in Webster Groves. From the first day starting fourth grade, all we heard about was Camp Wyman. The whole point of advancing through the ranks of education at Edgar Road was to make it to the end of sixth grade and make it to Camp Wyman, a whole week away from the parents out in the woods. There would be hikes, campfires under the stars while we studied the major constellations, archery with real bows and arrows, marksmanship with real BB rifles. There were snakes and other fascinating reptiles and wildlife. And ghost stories told in dark cabins by counselors. Pretty heady stuff for sixth grade, suburban kids.

Soon enough we were all in the school parking lot saying goodbye to throngs of parents, relatives, and friends. Then, we were pulling into the parking area in front of the chow hall at the camp. There were about a dozen large cabins running along the far side of a big field that occupied the middle of the camp. We collected our stuff and trudged to our assigned cabins. I was in cabin #2, along with a bunch of guys that had been in my third-grade class and Cub Scout pack at Goodall. It was a great reunion.

I don’t know how I ended up doing this. But I sang everyone to sleep at night. Not that I was a great vocalist. I just knew all the lyrics to the popular songs on the radio. I took requests every night and sang until everyone fell asleep.

We went on a rather long trail hike one day headed up by one of the local nature experts. First thing we saw was a scorpion. He even spotted a timber rattler lurking just off the trail. Later, someone spotted an absolutely huge blacksnake, crawling across the field. It was the biggest snake I had ever seen. Even given the fact that I was seeing it through a child’s eyes, it could have easily been seven feet long. Someone rounded it up and put it in the abandoned pool. Every day we went down to take a look at it. One day it just disappeared. It was easily large enough to get out on its own. So it did.

During chow the first evening, awards were given out for the day’s activities. Cleanest cabin, most helpful camper, best leaf collection, most knowledgeable astronomer etc. The main thing I remember is a camper being awarded a really cool white feather for hitting a bull’s eye on the archery range. I just had to have one for myself. It took me all afternoon and only fifty arrows to earn my white feather. One girl actually managed to shoot an arrow through a power line that was easily thirty feet above the target. The arrow just hung there all week.

I don’t remember our counselor’s name. But the guy was a great storyteller. He told this story about an ancient warrior who set out on a quest to learn the secret of how to make the world’s finest battle sword. The time at camp flew by. Back in class we were assigned to make a scrapbook of our camping experience. My mother still has that scrapbook, she gets it out every few years and we always talk about that week at Camp Wyman.

Jonel Harris remembers being nervous and excited as he applied to join Wyman Leaders “I remember the night before my Wyman essay was due, re-reading and re-writing. I remember being really nervous and really excited about getting into Wyman because it was a big deal. It was easy for me to be a leader at school, to be noticed and seen in those aspects. But now I was about to be a leader with people who are all like that.”

“Being in the room with other leaders was refreshing, exciting and intimidating at the same time. It was the moment that I started to learn that the world is big enough for all types of different leaders and all types of people who come from many different backgrounds. That’s where my Wyman journey started.”

Jonel has a lot of great memories from Wyman Leaders but remembers the service projects and the relationships he built as being some of the most memorable experiences. “On our college tours we did a service project and it was probably one of the best times I’ve had in Wyman. I loved doing our service projects and being able to branch out and do different things that we aren’t doing for ourselves but for others.”

Jonel Harris
WYMAN LEADERS, CLASS OF 2019 CAMP STAFF, 2022

“When I started Wyman, I felt like I had to be this big person who made a difference. As time has gone on, I realized that I don’t have to be the only leader, and I don’t have to be the biggest leader. If I’m changing one small life at a time or changing a couple of lives then I’m doing what I want to do.”

“I remember being really close to the staff and to my camp counselors. I remember looking up to the Wyman staff and thinking they’re like the older siblings I always wanted.” Those relationships were so impactful that Jonel has returned as a camp counselor. “Now that I’m a counselor, I had a teen tell me ‘you’re like the big brother I always wanted.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I know the feeling!’ It felt nice to be like, oh gosh, that was me. Getting the opportunity to be Wyman staff after having been a Wyman teen is a humbling experience. I’m so grateful for it, because it’s one of those experiences that happen once in a lifetime – each session is different from the last. Each group of kids are different from each other. It definitely is one of those moments that I’ll cherish forever.”

“I feel like I evolve every year. When I started Wyman, I felt like I had to be the leader, I felt like I had to be this big person who made a difference. As time has gone on, I realized that I don’t have to be the only leader and I don’t have to be the biggest leader. If I’m changing one life at a time or changing a couple of lives then I’m doing what I want to do. I don’t have to change the whole world, but by changing my little world, changing those lives and connecting with those people, I’m doing what I always wanted to do.

I would explain Wyman as a place of leadership, growth, and acceptance. Because those are all key things that surround my Wyman story. Leadership not just with other people, but within yourself. Growth because you know you grow when you’re here; you don’t just go three weeks without cellular service to not have any spiritual growth. And acceptance because this is the place where I definitely grew in accepting who I am as a person. Wyman Leaders is one of those really fun and great experiences that changes and shapes you into who you are.”

 

Kim Wright Stewart
Former camper and staff, 1970s - 1980s

“I didn’t connect the dots with this as a kid, but as I got older I thought, gosh, camp was powerful. For 11 days we were all living together, there wasn’t this separation that you experienced in the rest of the world. It was such a gift.”

I grew up in South City, St. Louis in the late 1970s. I started going to Camp Wyman in the summer when I was about 9 until I was 18.

I remember Dave (Hilliard) taking us on hayrides, campfires in the big field, talent show nights, the camp songs, and the dining hall. Most of the kids were from the city, and these weren’t things we did normally. Camp was like a break from all the business of living in the city.

I was like, 11 days? Can I stay longer? Sometimes there was an opening, and I would go back for another 11 days. I just loved it; it was my happy place. I wanted to live there forever.

I loved when I was 13 or 14 and got to go up to the cabins in the woods at Morning Star, that felt like the biggest thing ever. And when I was 15, there was a program where you had different jobs during the camp session and learned job skills like how to do a resume or fill out an application and do interviews. I learned how to apply for my first job that summer at camp.

Our hugs and tears when we left our friends at the bus, I remember those things really vividly. Because you bond really fast at camp. You’re living together, you’re sharing meals, and everyone’s having the same experience. Camp was full of experiences that weren’t part of my normal life. It opened me up to so many different possibilities that I wouldn’t have even considered growing up in the city and realizing that the world was bigger than my concrete neighborhood.

When I was 19, I came back as a staff member for my final summer. We did the Sunship Earth Program, and that’s when I met Claire (Wyneken). It was a middle school program where fifth and sixth graders came out for a five-day science class. We had stations set up at different areas and each had a different focus like learning about photosynthesis, or what kinds of things grow in rocky terrain. They had passports and items that needed to get stamped. It was very interactive.

I still remember all the counselors I had as a camper – especially Kathy, the counselor in the photo with me, I just adored her. I remember the community. Camp was so great for this instant community, and I loved that.

I didn’t connect the dots with this as a kid, but as I got older I thought, gosh, camp was powerful. For 11 days we were all living together, there wasn’t this separation that you experienced in the rest of the world. It was such a gift to be living with all kinds of different people.

It really bothered my grandfather that we went to camp with Black kids. He and my mom had a heated argument about it, and my mom stood her ground and called him out. That’s hard to do, but me seeing that in her was so powerful; my mom defending our experience and friendships.

As I’ve thought about my own story, I’ve had so many Black female teachers and role models. And I know I have friends who would say, ‘I’ve never had a Black teacher.’ My camp counselor Kathy, her investment in us that summer, in teaching us skills, that was pretty powerful and I carried that with me for years. All of those things shaped me, and I’ve carried those things with me. Wyman was a unique experience for so many reasons, and how amazing that I got the honor and the privilege of spending my summers there.

Jaylen was introduced to Wyman as a student when he was nominated by his school to join what is now Wyman Leaders. “When you learn about Wyman, you’re instantly hit with ‘leadership’ and ‘camp’. As a young person hearing about the programs, that combination is pretty exciting. Looking back from this perspective of what I’ve learned, it wasn’t just about the camp songs and hiking. It was how Wyman used that location to build young people like myself through a really intentional social and emotional lens. It’s this unique combo that allows Wyman to make a real difference for so many young people in St. Louis and across the country.”

When Jaylen joined Wyman Leaders, he was balancing not only school but his business as well, which he started when he was 12 years old. His experience in Wyman Leaders helped him leave his comfort zone and learn how to establish relationships which has helped him in business spaces. “With Wyman, there is a requirement to step out of the comfort zone and talk to people and understand how to build relationships. So I learned through Wyman Leaders how to go out and approach people; how to have a conversation; how to get to know someone – and really care about getting to know them. As I went beyond Wyman Leaders and into business spaces, one of the most important things we can do as entrepreneurs, as leaders is to be able to establish relationships by stepping outside of my comfort zone to start a conversation.”

Jaylen Bledsoe
Wyman Leaders Alum, 2016 Incoming Board Chair

“Looking back from this perspective of what I’ve learned, it wasn’t just about the camp songs and hiking. It was how Wyman used that location to build young people like myself through a really intentional social and emotional lens.”

In 2021, Jaylen was elected to the Board of Trustees and during his time on the Board has served on multiple committees and is one of the co-founders of Wyman’s Young Professionals Network. “I think for me it really comes down to Wyman has been an incredible part of my life and an incredible part of many of my friends lives and their development as adults who can give back to their community. Wyman is a family, and most importantly Wyman is sticky. Whether you’re serving on the board, on the staff, or as a camp counselor you’re going to come back to Wyman because of the impact that it’s had on you and your family.”

group of young people outside

Today, at the age of 25, Jaylen D. Bledsoe serves as the Chairman of the Bledsoe Collective, Inc. and the Managing Director of Flare Partners. Through his work with Flare Partners, Jaylen has played a pivotal role in driving over $4B in new client revenue and overseeing more than $10B in client P&Ls. Their esteemed client roster boasts names like AT&T, Ford Motor Company, Steve Harvey, Jordin Sparks, and NBCUniversal. In addition to this, Jaylen has been a member of AT&T’s Supplier Diversity Board, provided advice to White House officials during President Obama’s Administration on economic policies that impact small businesses, and held board positions with several non-profit organizations. His prior board service includes the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club, the Biome School, Multitasking Hearts Corp, Breach, Jordin Sparks’ The M.A.D. Girls, Inc., and, notably, as the former Board Chair of the National Youth Rights Association.

Reanell
Wyman Leaders Class of 2026

“Wyman is a fun and active, creative, interactive learning place.”

After a successful final year of middle school, Reanell is excited to head into high school this fall. “My grades were good, I knew and liked all my teachers, they liked me, I had friends, it went pretty well.”

He first learned about Wyman through the TOP program at his school, and is already enjoying being a member of Wyman Leaders. “Yes, it’s very fun. Made some new friends, met some new people. Yeah. It’s more fun than I thought it was going to be.”

“Everybody’s cool, chill and pretty nice. I like everybody.”

The biggest change Reanell has noticed since joining Wyman Leaders is, “I know a little bit more about myself. Like what type of learner I am.”

He was also excited to spend his first summer out at camp this year. “It was fun, chill, active place. It’s real active because we do a lot of moving and a lot of physical activities. You have fun, you laugh, you play, it’s fun. Just fun.”

“I am thinking on what I want to do after high school. I know I want to go to college, but I don’t know if it’s for engineering or culinary school because I like cooking and I like building things. I don’t know what I really want to go to college for yet.”

Reanell has advice for anyone thinking about joining Wyman. “I would probably say, I know what they’re thinking about it, because I was hesitant, too. But now that I get to know everybody and see the type of stuff we do here, I enjoy it. So I would tell them, I know you’re worried and maybe you think it’s not for you, but it’s fun and you’ll learn new stuff about yourself and other people.

“I’ll never forget that rainy January day in 1997 when I rolled up the Wyman drive to my new home up on the hillside. Little did I know then how important and valuable Wyman would become.

While I only worked with Wyman for 3 years, Wyman remained a constant in my life. My 9-year career as a teacher began through meeting serving the students and teaching from Chesterfield Day School that attended Camp Wyman for their fall outdoor ed week. As a science teacher at the school, I continued to take my students to Lion’s Den for outdoor education.

I also made important connections through my time at Wyman running treks for the Chaddock School. I made many good friends, and my housemates and I shared many fun times in the house up on the hill. Two of them eventually got married at Camp Wyman. Looking back, I had no idea that I would start Vertical Voyages or become a tree climber and eventually an arborist. Life is a mystery, sometimes hard, sometimes glorious and wonderful, one might say a grand adventure.

Jon Richard
Wyman Staff, 1993 - 1996

“I asked the students what was the hardest part, and many said it was scary to lean back and trust the rope. But once they committed through initial discomfort, the rest of the rappel was actually quite enjoyable. ‘The scariest moment is right before you start’. So a true lesson that we all can learn from.”

I’d like to share a story from the summer of 2022 as it encapsulates why I do what I do and also aligns with what Wyman is all about. This summer we rappelled at Greens Cave for the Trek program. Anyone who has seen or experienced this rappel knows it’s exposed and exhilarating. Frankly, it’s probably not the best first rappel, but it is what it is and most campers truly enjoy the experience. I recall working with one girl in particular. As she approached the stance at the edge she was obviously unnerved, as she leaned back to the edge the resistance and fear grew to the point of panic and. A few tears. I told her that she didn’t have to rappel if it was too much, but she was determined and managed to muster up the courage to stay engaged and descend 110’ to the base.

When I returned to walk the next group up the girl was smiling and asked if she could do it again! After the experience, I asked the students what was the hardest part, and many said it was very scary to lean back and trust the rope. But they confessed that once they committed through initial discomfort and committed to leaning back, the rest of the rappel was actually not scary and quite enjoyable. This was the perfect opportunity to relate what they experience to everyday life: Initially new things are scary. It reminded me of the Steven King quote, ‘The scariest moment is right before you start’. So a true lesson that we all can learn from.

In appreciation for Camp Wyman and the good things Wyman provides to today’s youth, Jon Richard

Karina Arango
Wyman Leaders Class of 2011, Wyman Partner since 2021

“My mom would say, ‘education is key. And I thought, well I want to go to college. But I had no idea how. I had the mission, but I didn’t have the vision of how to get there. Wyman was there every step along the way, they listened to my goals, and introduced me to other programs.”

A 2011 graduate of Wyman Leaders, Karina Arango remains connected to Wyman through her work and her personal relationships. “Through Wyman, I learned so much. It really impacted my years going into high school, during high school, and afterwards. And the folks that I met there, I’m still very much connected to. Each summer we’d spend a lot of time outdoors and through that developed leadership and community. It was impactful and really eye opening. I learned so much about myself and I did a lot of things I have never done: I’d never gone camping before Wyman, I’d never been away from my family for more than a week at a time. And the challenges were met with opportunities to really develop myself as a leader.”

“I gained a lot of confidence in understanding the delicate balance of comfort, of risk, and where there’s a challenge there’s actually an opportunity. I gained confidence in myself enough to take the risk even when the reward wasn’t what I was anticipating.

The summer that impacted me the most at Wyman was my third summer. There were a lot of things I was holding at the time – as a student, with my family, and with immigration policies shifting and impacting the household I was in. That summer I did not want to go to Wyman, but I remember speaking with my counselor from the year before and they were really supportive. I still remember being overwhelmed, but having the space and time to be with Wyman was just what I needed.

In particular I remember how Allison (Williams) told me, simply put, I know that you’re going to go far. At the time, as a teenager, I’m like ok, but also wow. Someone really believes in me. Someone really wants that for me as much as I want it for myself. That’s one of the many moments at Wyman that impacted me for the rest of my life. It was one of my first moments with Wyman where I was like wow, I feel really seen and supported.

Wyman presented me with opportunities I thought I would never have in my entire life. Since I was little, my mom would say, ‘education is key.’ And I thought, well I want to go to college. But I had no idea how. I had the mission, but I didn’t have the vision of how to get there. Wyman was there every step along the way, they listened to my goals, and introduced me to other programs.”

One of those organizations Wyman connected Karina to was the Scholarship Foundation. “There was a financial literacy course that Wyman provided during summer camp, and there was a follow up workshop where The Foundation presented on college preparation and introduced their services. During my senior year of high school, I applied to receive funding from the Scholarship Foundation.” Now, Karina works as the Advocacy Director at the Scholarship Foundation.

“I was attracted to this position because the role encompasses my lived experiences as a student with Wyman and the Scholarship Foundation, but also because the way the Foundation is evolving alongside and with partners in the community and in the region, and leading advocacy efforts in higher education.

This work is important to me because I was a student who once had a lot of ideas and goals, but didn’t know how to get there. Organizations like Wyman and the Scholarship Foundation provided avenues and opportunities for me to build confidence and gain skills, and to also be in spaces where community is welcome – all communities of many different worlds. Essentially being there alongside people is really important, and I want to help continue working alongside folks just like who I once was.”

After many years away, Carol Ross’s memories of Camp Wyman in Eureka, that “home away from home,” remained freshly imprinted in her mind.

Ross remembers her first ride on the bus which took her away from her parents for two weeks. At age 6, she admits to being a little frightened. But soon her fears were put to rest as she began to experience all the fun things the camp had to offer: camping in the woods, singing around the campfire and making friends.

As one of 10 children, Ross said her family didn’t have much money. She shared a bedroom with four sisters. And sometimes she felt lost in the group, she said.

But at Camp Wyman, Ross said she had the opportunity to try new things and to excel in them.

“Camp Wyman was a source of self-confidence for me,” Ross said. “I remember that I learned how to swim that first year, and it was wonderful. By the next year, I got every award in swimming. I really got good at it.”

Carol Ross
Camper & Counselor, 1960s

“The camp friends that I made in those two short weeks made me realize that friends can be found anywhere, no matter how short of a time that you spend together.”

Ross continued to spend the next fire summers at Camp Wyman. “It was literally the highlight of my summer,” she said. “I was packed weeks before I was suppose to go.”

As she got older, Ross’ camp experiences changed. She remembers rock climbing and three-day campouts.

“I also remember that they taught us to make our own sleeping bag,” she said. “They gave us a tarp, blanket and sheet for our bedroll. We didn’t have all the equipment they have now.”

Ross recalled that the dining hall was at the center of the camp. A big bell in front of it would ring throughout the camp signaling the change of activities. It also would ring when it was time to call the campers for meals or when it was time for them to gather in front of the dining hall for the raising and lowering of the flag.

After her years as a camper, Ross returned later as a camp counselor. She remembers the sadness she felt at summer’s end when the sessions were over. But she also remembers the words of David Hilliard, former executive director of the camp, spoke to the counselors before they said their last goodbyes.

“He said, ‘Consider this your home away from home. You’re always welcome here,’” Ross recalled. And I knew that was true. I would always be welcome there.”

Deantra Shae Darough
Wyman Leaders Class of 2013

“Wyman offers so many opportunities for those who aren’t able to come across those options on their own. Wyman will give you the tools to succeed, and they will open your eyes to a lot more. They will push you out of your comfort zone. All for the benefit of you.”

Shae entered Wyman’s Leadership program in 2008. In 2019, she graduated from her master’s program and began exploring all the career opportunities available to her, seeking out one that matches her aspirations and desires – not settling for anything less.

Like many over the past year, her career was directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shae pivoted immediately, working through a series of jobs before landing in her current position as a human resource specialist. Her flexibility has been a huge asset in navigating the past two years.

Shae credits Wyman with helping her develop this mindset. She recalls that it was through experiences at camp that she become much more open-minded. “Wyman helped me be more flexible. I was so stubborn, so set in my ways. I have to make compromises every so often, and I’m ok with doing that.”

The staff and her fellow participants were also a huge source of support for Shae. “The thing I can’t stress enough is the support system that Wyman offers. Whether it’s from the camp counselors, other participants, or the admin team, there’s a lot of advice, a lot of wisdom that they can offer.”

“Wyman offers so many opportunities for those who aren’t able to come across those options on their own. Wyman will give you the tools to succeed, and they will open your eyes to a lot more. They will push you out of your comfort zone. All for the benefit of you. Because how can you grow if you’re comfortable? You have to be uncomfortable to grow. And that’s what Wyman will do for you.”

While attending Missouri State University, Shae’s scholarship helped her keep her focus on classes, rather than how to fund her education. “That was one thing I didn’t have to worry about at all, figuring out how I was going to pay for school.”

In 2019, Shae had already recognized her desire to impact the lives of others, and that remains one of her goals. “I just always wanted to help people.” Shae is confident that her current job is a great step along that path and has already opened her eyes to new opportunities. “I like to be in those support roles where I can help people complete their goals and get where they need to be.”

“I’m glad I stuck with it and I’m still sticking with it. They’ve helped mold me into the person I am today, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

“I remember the whole two weeks. Because of this experience, I attended camp twice afterwards and encouraged my son to go camping whenever possible.

I learned how to do crafts that I still do and the camp friends that I made in those two short weeks made me realize that friends can be found anywhere no matter how short of a time that you spend together. I also learned how to swim-going from beginner to swimmer those two weeks.

Gloria J. Thomas
(Gloria Jean Hayes)”

Gloria J. Thomas
Wyman Camper, 1961 - 1963

“The camp friends that I made in those two short weeks made me realize that friends can be found anywhere, no matter how short of a time that you spend together.”

Jill Pankers Berni
Webster Groves camper and Counselor, 1961 & 1966

“Monday we had astronomy and I saw Saturn. Tuesday we had a cookout. Wednesday was dance night. Thursday we had cartoons and skits. I did the commercial. Friday we had the closing campfire.”

Camp Wyman was a great experience for me. I attended as a sixth grader in 1961 from Avery School. Then again in 1966 or 1967 as a counselor from Webster Groves High School. I still have my Camp Wyman Scrapbook and from it are my reflections both as a camper and as a counselor. I print them here in their original form:

Sept. 24, 1961): Today we played ball and elected officers. I am the first aider. For supper we had hamburgers, corn, potato chips. I also poured the milk.
(Later) Today we went through a brief session in each of the activities. My girls are really sweet. The food is the same. Our cabin is 9-Tower Grove.

Sept. 25: Today for breakfast we had bacon & eggs, toast, oranges, corn flakes, and hot chocolate. For lunch we had green beans, ham, potatoes, coleslaw, and milk. We went for a hike and I caught a purple bug will green legs and a grasshopper. Our next period was arts and crafts. We are now going to archery. I hit the target 3 times but one fell off. The other one was on the black ring and the other one was on the outside ring. For supper we had spaghetti salad and milk. After that we had astronomy.
(Later) Our breakfast was different-we had cereal, oranges, and French Toast. We were at Rockwoods until noon. After lunch the girls went to crafts and I wrote letters and rested a little in the cabin. Then we hiked up to the fire tower and back to camp. Our cabin was waiter’s for supper. The food was the same and so was the evening program.

Sept. 26: For breakfast we had french toast and tang, hot chocolate and rice chex. For lunch we had roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peas. I have seen the water tower and in free time I got 10 buckeyes. For supper we went on a cookout and we had hot dogs, punch, carrot and celery sticks, bananas, chocolate, marshmallows, gram crackers. After that we played games and sang. I didn’t get to go to Indian Cave because I was first aider and when I went to get my kit they told me they would wait. When I got back they were gone. Yours forever, Jill  P.S.  We also raised the flag.

Sept. 27: “Dear Diary: For breakfast we had wheat chex, and more good food. Since I didn’t get to go to Indian Cave and the Fire Tower, I stopped at the fire tower on the way to the farm. After we went to the farm we had lunch. Then I went to archery and crafts. Then we had supper and then got ready for the dance. Mark McReynolds asked me for the first dance.

Sept.28: “Dear Diary: Today we had breakfast and then met on the chapel porch. Mr. Downs the principal of Lockwood took us to hunt for fossils. We were to look for three kinds. After that he said we could look for frogs. I caught the first frog in my whole life that day. Then we had lunch, we had rest hour and then met in front of the dining hall. We hiked to St. Peters Sandstone. I carved my name and then we went to forestry. We went to a place on a hill and he drilled a piece of wood that looked like a pencil. We got back and ate dinner and had our evening program.

Sept. 30: Today we packed and moped most all morning. It sure was terrible to have to leave. Yours forever, Jill (there is a picture drawn on the page of a stick figure girl crying a puddle of tears!)

Teresa Steinkamp was first introduced to Wyman as a graduate practicum student for the 5-Star After School Program.

“I still remember meeting Allison (Williams) to interview with her, and the rest is history. The after-school program was a different way for me to explore what education looked like, and I learned a lot from the experience. I worked with Christina (Donald) and Crystal (Smith) at Stephens Middle school, and it was definitely a good learning experience. I learned a lot about me, both what I’m capable of and in some ways the things that I was not so excited about.

I don’t know that I would have made it through that practicum without the support of Allison and others with whom I was able to discuss and process challenges. It certainly speaks to the power of connection, and making sure that you have someone that you can navigate those hard moments with. It all comes down to the amazing people who work at the organization.

Teresa Steinkamp
Former Wyman Practicum Student, Wyman Partner since 2009

“Relationships are integral to the work that we do at the Scholarship Foundation, and critical to all aspects of our programming. It’s very clear to me that Wyman hast hat same focus; it’s obvious how much effort goes into programming and support for Wyman teens.”

I really believe that my experience with Wyman set an important foundation for why relationships are so important. It’s not just a transaction, it’s not just me coming in and being physically present; it’s about investing in others as a person and being willing to listen and engage.”

Now, Teresa is Director of Advising at the Scholarship Foundation and has been heavily involved in the New Era Scholarship partnership with Wyman. “We’ve done a number of different workshops and supports with a variety of different age groups. In the summer we do programming with the rising high school seniors on financial aid and writing essays.

We also do some support with the Summer Bridge Program at Wyman, for the students that are either entering their first year of college or returning for their second year. And one of my favorite things has been the joint campus visits to colleges across Missouri.”

“At the Scholarship Foundation, we look for partners who show up in their work with the same sort of authenticity that our own staff demonstrates. Relationships are integral to the work that we do at the Scholarship Foundation, and critical to all aspects of our programming. It has always been very clear to me that Wyman has that same focus, and that relationships are key to a lot of the work Wyman does. It’s obvious how much effort goes into programming and support for Wyman teens.

Wyman does such a tremendous job in fostering relationships with the young folks in their programming and helping them create a pathway for themselves. So I think the benefit to our partnership is that there’s this foundational development happening for years leading up to senior year of high school.

Particularly with our Wyman partnerships, we see all of the support that goes into persistence. Oftentimes we know that there’s ongoing support and we know that, if we’re not connecting with a student, there is likely someone from Wyman who is.”

Faith Sandler
Executive Director, The Scholarship Foundation, Wyman Partner since 2009

“At the Scholarship Foundation and at Wyman, I think the most important thing that we do is say to young people and their families, you belong and you’re worth it. And we do that best together.”

Faith Sandler’s first connection with Wyman occurred as a young person growing up in the St. Louis area. “Long before and into graduate school, I was active in outdoor education. I was a staff member in a program called Project STREAM (St. Louis Regional Experiential Adventure Movement), which was a really thoughtful version of an experiential outdoor educational program. It created opportunities for people to encounter challenges and find a way to overcome them, or by group process find a way around, over or through that obstacle.

I went to a summer program in 8th grade and then I worked as an instructor in high school and college, and then as a leader for a year or two while I was in graduate school here in St. Louis. I would have been on the campus of Wyman in Eureka when I was a late teen, or in my early 20s doing hiking and camping and ropes course work with young people. We stayed at Camp Wyman, and many of the same people that staffed it also staffed or supported Wyman. We also worked a lot with Bill Kloppe, who was like a grandfather to all of us. He was the naturalist, the hearty soul who knew how to live in the woods.”

Today, Faith’s Wyman connection has grown even deeper through her role as the Executive Director of the Scholarship Foundation, a position she has held since 1989. “The Scholarship Foundation exists for the primary purpose of fortifying democracy, however imperiled it may be. It is not about our students, it is about a broader mission of all students, and in particular the students who, by race or class are priced out of policy, out of higher education.

Our close, strategic relationship with Wyman would have begun around 2009 when a colleague and I started St. Louis Graduates (pronounced ‘grad-you-ates’), which was a collaborative of community organizations and funders working towards boosting college completion in the St. Louis region.”

Since then, Wyman and the Scholarship Foundation have partnered together on numerous postsecondary access programs, including the New Era Scholarship. “The current partnership entails participation in essay writing, FAFSA completion, curriculum planning, application planning and decisions,” says Sandler. “We do that in tandem; we bring our skills to the table and work together to assist young people. It includes the opportunity to see them on their campuses and support them when they’re encountering challenges staying in school or with academic or personal success. It includes access to paid internships that The Scholarship Foundation provides, including research and advocacy work in essential public policy issues that affect students.”

Early on both organizations recognized a shared common mission of empowering young people in the St. Louis area. “At the Scholarship Foundation, we are looking for partners with a clear mission that focuses squarely on those who are disadvantaged by the current educational and economic systems that influence their lives. We’re looking for partners who understand this as a racial and economic equity issue – and who are in a constant learning mode.

We’re looking for people who are going to show up so we can count on our partners, and we are looking for complimentary skill sets. So all of that has made Wyman really the best of our partners.

I think the most important thing that we do is say to these young people and their families, you belong and you’re worth it. And we do that best together.”

In Loving Memory of DeVonne Wilson

In the summer of 1995 DeVonne was working with the Walbridge Elementary School Community Education Center, partnering with Wyman in the Family Connection Program. She started working closely with Program Director, Patty Clemons (now Stevens), who quickly asked DeVonne if she would want to work at Wyman. DeVonne interviewed, and that summer started her journey at Wyman as a Program Instructor with Family Connections.

She continued to support the families she had helped to recruit into the program.  She began working with Camp Caravan, bringing day camps to communities across St. Louis and East St. Louis and teaching local leaders to run the camps in future years.

From there, DeVonne’s path through Wyman reads like the recent history of the organization itself. “I have pretty much done just about everything. You name it, I’ve done it here.” In 1998, she became the Program Director for Family Connections and started looking deeper into the needs of the communities Wyman served. “We did a huge community survey and engaged the parents, students, and community partners. It was a great opportunity and I learned so much through that process. We knew we wanted to engage the community and really try to understand what their needs were. So often organizations come in and just decide they’re going to do what they want to do. That’s not what Wyman wanted to do. We wanted to ask what do you need, what are the gaps in the community? A big part of the answer was nothing existed specifically for teens.

DeVonne Wilson
Wyman Staff 1995 - 2022

“When I think back about my time, my first love has always been direct service and working directly with young people. I have truly enjoyed watching young people grow up, watching them really find their voices, understand who they are and then sometimes just come back and tell us that.”

We were working with Cornerstone Consulting at the time, and they said, ‘We see the need is teens, we have a program called Teen Outreach Program (TOP), you all should look at it and see what you think.’ So we did, and Christina Donald and Cortez Bernard went to training in Texas to bring TOP back to the Near South Side neighborhood.”  DeVonne then led TOP clubs in the Near South Side for more than a decade.

While adding TOP to Wyman’s roster, DeVonne also led and worked with many programs, including TREATY, Coca-Cola Kids Club, Summer Adventures, Teen Town, Teen Leadership Program (now Wyman Leaders), and community events including Halloween parties, community-service learning projects and Community Fun Fest.  DeVonne also directed the first in-school implementation of TOP at Brittany Woods Middle School.  She then became Director of School-Based Programs, “overseeing all of our school-based services in the St. Louis area: Ferguson-Florissant, Normandy Schools Collaborative, and University City, in middle school and high school.”

In that role, she and her Wyman colleagues started working on yet another innovative new program. “We were working very closely with Dr. Joe Allen, who created the Teen Connection Project in collaboration with Wyman. We started leading the pilot lessons with our Near Southside TOP teens. That helped us realize that middle school was probably not the population that would excel in the program. We then started working with the high schoolers in Near Southside and they loved it.”

In 2021, DeVonne was promoted to the role of Senior VP of Programs.  “I have appreciated the opportunity to help shape these programs. I do think Dave (Hilliard), Claire (Wyneken), Allison (Williams) and Joe Miller, all those people I have spent a lot of time with, really have shaped who I am. I was young, I was in my early 20s when I started working in Wyman and now, I’m in my 50s. I do feel like I had the opportunity to have a lot of voice and support and have shaped the direction of Wyman. I always say I feel like I grew up here, had a chance to move, grow and develop and have had a journey here.

When I really think back about my time, I am leaning into my new role as VP of Programs, but my first love has always been direct service and working directly with young people. I have truly enjoyed watching young people grow up, watching them really find their voices, understand who they are and then sometimes just come back and tell us that. Come back and say, hey, I remember how impactful this program was. I have worked with hundreds of young people over the course of my time here and I see them all the time, they’re adults now.

Christina (Donald), Danielle (Washington) and I went to dinner one evening. We walked in and the server was like, ‘I know you. You were my TOP teacher.’ He kept coming back up to the table and just talking about how much TOP meant to him, how much he got from it, and how he loved community service. And it was such a highlight of our evening to have him just continue to come over with small little anecdotal stuff that happened during his time.

I love having that opportunity to see their progression, to see them grow up and see them find their voices and really start exploring who they are and what’s important to them.”

______

On November 22, 2022, this world lost a very special human being when DeVonne’s life was suddenly ended.   Our dear friend and colleague was with Wyman for over 20 years. Her expertise, dedication, and compassion touched the lives of countless teens. She was a mentor, teacher, mother, wife, colleague, leader, and friend. The world is a better place, Wyman is a better organization, and lives have been forever changed because of her.

Her expertise is reflected in Wyman’s programs, a legacy that will carry on for future generations. Together, we move forward with the example DeVonne has set forever in our hearts and minds.

DeVonne always had a special place in her heart for camp.  She loved bringing families and young people into nature and out to camp, and knew that experiences at camp built community and relationships in a powerful way.  We are dedicating “Lake DeVonne” at Camp Wyman in honor of her legacy, including a special seating area for gathering and connecting, as DeVonne so naturally did.

 

Jean & Maureen Leonard
Wyman Campers, circa 1960

“Oh I have so many wonderful memories of Camp Wyman. By the time I left here, my cohort that came every year, by that time we knew this camp backward and forward, not only that, we knew ten miles around it as well.”

Marueen: I thought I owned the camp, because I was a very mature 10 year old. Oh I have so many wonderful memories of Camp Wyman. By the time I left here, my cohort that came every year, it was the same group, by that time we knew this camp backward and forward, not only that, knew ten miles around it as well. And could go anywhere, they would let us go anywhere because we were champion hikers, yay!  

We still sing the camp songs. We have 11 brothers and sisters, Jeanie and I have, well there’s 11 in our family, all of us get together once a year, and we try to remember, we taught all of our children, as well as all of the other women, and now all of our grandchildren, “do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie ‘em in a knot, can you tie ‘em in a bow? Can you throw ‘em over your shoulders like a continental soldier, do your ears hang low?” And many many many many more. 

Rick Freemann said he will never forget his experiences at Camp Wyman.

“I had been in camp about four or five days – this was in the summer of 1958 – and they had told us to stay away from the shed by the creek because there were a lot of copperheads there,” Freeman said. “Well, me and a friend were frogging near there, in the creek, when a frog flew by me. I turned around to tell the guy behind me, ‘Here comes one,’ when I saw a copperhead coming my way.

I took off running toward the football field, but every time I looked down, the snake was still with me. I ran around the field – spastically, I imagine – until a counselor tackled me. Then I found out why the snake was able to keep up – his fangs were caught in the cuff of my pants. While I’d dragged him around, I’d trampled him to death.”

Freemann, now 43, said he was shaken up over the incident, but soon was able to laugh about it. Now, it is one of the cherished memories of his childhood.

Rick Freemann
Camper, 1958

“[Camp] helped instill some more confidence in me, in my ability to handle myself. I think it helped me become more confident.”

Fremann said his two visits to the camp, when he was 10 and 11, helped him through a difficult period in his life.

“My dad died when I was real little. Then, in January of 1958, my mother had passed away,” he said. “My mother was a nurse at City Hospital, and the nurses at the hospital got together and sent me to camp that summer. The second year, my grandmother sent me.”

While there were plenty of fun activities, such as swimming, hiking, crafts and sports, at Camp Wyman there also were lessons in life, Freeman said.

“It helped instill some more confidence in me, in my ability to handle myself,” he said. I think it helped me become more independent.”
For the most part, thought, the camp was simply entertaining.

“They’d have activities at night, like ‘Capture the Flag,’” he said. “You’d hide your flag on one hill, and the other side would hide its flag on another hill. It was really neat – there’d be 200 kids out in the woods.”

Fremann, an electrical inspector for the county Department of Public Works, said he recently got back in touch with Camp Wyman by chance.

“I’ve helped solicit sponsors for the camp since last year, when they rediscovered me while I was doing an inspection at the camp,” he said.

“When I went back to the camp, I found out I’d become a legend. Everybody has heard the snake story.”

Camp Wyman is a worthwhile experience for a young person, Fremann said.

“It’s helped a lot of people over the years,” he said. “It helps kids who normally wouldn’t get out to the country. It gives them a new experience.”

 

Andrew Smith
Wyman Staff, 2011 - 2023

“I love the positivity, the way that Wyman cares about its young people and I felt that. It’s cool to come to work where you’re having fun, and you’re making an impact at the same time.”

Andrew “Doc” Smith first joined Wyman in 2011. “I was in the social work program at UMSL and went to a job fair and saw Wyman’s table. The way they explained the summer camp and the amount of fun that the teens had as well as the staff, it sounded like something I really wanted to do.”

Andrew joined Wyman as a Group Leader at camp that first summer. “I worked with the young people in the cabins – singing camp songs, eating camp food, and sleeping in the cabins. While it was the first time the young people were doing this stuff, it was also my first time doing it as well.

The supervision team, from the director of the program at the time to everybody else, created an amazing atmosphere and environment to be a part of. I think Wyman does a really good job of bringing in staff that is compassionate and who really care. And I don’t think you get that in every organization.

I knew I wanted to stick around with the organization a little bit more, so the next summer I applied for a different part of the program and did the college tours. It was cool to be a part of that experience – acclimating young people to universities and institutions, getting a chance to learn about what they want to do after high school, getting that chance to have conversations with them on the bus, in the dorms, at lunch, stuff like that.

I enjoyed it so much I did two more summers of Wyman Leaders and it was probably the best experience I ever had working for an organization. I love the positivity and the way that Wyman cares about its young people. It’s cool to come to work where you’re having fun, and you’re making an impact at the same time.”

In between his work at camp, Andrew also completed his social work practicum with the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), facilitating TOP at Normandy High School for two years. “I got a chance to see a different program and a different side of Wyman. And then right out of grad school (also at UMSL) I worked full time with TOP for a couple of years. And then of course I came back in 2021 as the High School Transition Manager for the Wyman Leaders team. Just knowing the organization and the culture that I would be going back to; I couldn’t pass up that opportunity to come back.” Andrew continued in his role on the Wyman Leaders team until the summer of 2023.

“I’m so indebted to Wyman because it gave me that foundation as a professional to learn how to communicate and work with other people. Because before that, I’ll be honest, I was pretty introverted. And we say that we do that for young people, but it really did that for me as a professional.

I’m really grateful for those experiences and opportunities to be able to get out of my comfort zone. It’s been a pleasure to see the evolution of not only Wyman but myself within Wyman.

At the core Wyman builds strong relationships with young people, staff, and partners, and from there we’re able to make an impact. I think that’s the one thing that I learned from Wyman, all the experiences I’ve had, is that no matter what you do in life, those relationships will matter. Building trust, letting people know that you’re there for the long haul, that you won’t give up.”

Picking blackberries in the hills

Representing my cabin in the “Miss Camp Wyman” contest

Red Cross swim tests

Getting milk of magnesia from the nurse

Playing Capture the Flag

Eating braunschweiger for the first time

Listening to the wonderful stories told by the camp director

Having a wonderful time

Barbara Felder
Camper, 1950 - 1951

An outside scene where a female camp counselor wearing a hat chats with two campers wearing tie-dye shirts.

Jill Wider
Wyman Staff, 2005 - Present

“It’s just been a great place to grow as a person, a great place to get to know other people, to be out in nature, to laugh. It’s been a great experience for me, I just love it.”

“My first experience with Wyman was when my son came out for a kindergarten experience, and I loved it right then. The place was beautiful, and once I experienced Wyman I thought, boy I need to work here. One day a good friend of mine, Bear (Clarence Robinson) called me and said, you need to apply here. So I did and I’ve never stopped loving it. It’s just been a great place to grow as a person, a great place to get to know other people, to be out in nature, to laugh. It’s been a great experience for me, I just love it.

Claire (Wyneken) and Allison (Williams) were two of my trainers. Man when you get trained by Claire and Allison for two weeks straight, you get the best training ever. I mean it was amazing, they just were so cool, and everybody after that, too. I feel like I was trained by the best, it was spot on.

My first role was as an Outdoor Education Specialist, and I also worked summer camps, doing arts and crafts and the high ropes courses. And then through the years they needed an assistant up in the offices to help organize the groups, verify what they wanted to eat and what they wanted to do. So I worked in the Admin building. I also got to help Allison organize for TOP and take supplies to their locations at all the schools. TOP is such a great program and it was just starting, and it was amazing to be able to be a part of that and to help out in any way I could. And now I’m flex staff again. I know every nook and cranny of that place. I started working here and I never wanted to stop.”

Jill particularly loved the magic of the Arts and Crafts Building. “We had scheduled art time during the day, but then campers could come at the end of the day just for free time. They’d all come back and I’m like whoa, I have way too many people in here. but never turned them away. because art is life. it’s a way to communicate, and the building was just a comforting and happy place to be in.

A counselor belays a climber on a rope while another camper watches next to her.

My kids all went to Wyman for their Rockwood 6th grade camp experience, and my daughter even came as a college student with her sorority. Wyman means so much to us that I’ve had one granddaughter’s baptism there, in the dining hall. We’ve had two birthday parties there for two grand kids; so they think it’s their camp too.

Being a part of Wyman is like you wear it; it becomes part of you. It’s just a great place and it’s never one thing. It’s always growing and becoming; becoming more and better and helping so many people.

There’s always somebody who knows who Wyman is. Like ‘Oh you went to Wyman? Oh, did you know so and so? Oh I worked at Wyman when I was a kid.’ Everybody everywhere in this state knows what Wyman is and we’re respected for so many things. We put on a good program because we care. We absolutely care about everything we do; we are passionate, and we love it so much.

I believe so much in the intrinsic worth of all the programs Wyman has. Its reach is powerful, and it is a part of me like blood in my veins. I’m proud to be a part of everything Wyman is and where it will continue to go into the future.”

While my tenure at Camp Wyman (1958 &1959) was far shorter than I would have wished, the two summers I was able to spend there were the source of some of my fondest high school memories.

I was a mere 15 years old when I somehow convinced “Adj” Dillon, Dave “Bugs” Roach, and Neil Koetzer that I could be of some distinct value to the summer program for which they were soliciting staff. If memory serves me correctly, I discovered Camp Wyman through a high school chum who had worked there the previous summer and whose parents had been active in the Kiwanis organization. He and I were officially titled as “Program Aides”.

I soon learned that a “Program Aide” did everything for everybody anytime and anyplace. I helped stage activities, made costumes for evening programs, ran errands around the Program office, filled in for counselors and other staffers on their days off, and generally did almost everything there was to do in camp at least once a session in order to help with staff coverage.

Jerry Watkins
Camp Staff, 1958 - 1959

“Whenever a curious camper would ask, ‘But where are the snakes?”, we would reply with ‘Don’t worry, the snakes are safe.’ And indeed they were because we not only had no snakes collected, we hadn’t for even a moment ever considered implementing such a foolhardy fantasy.”

I dug and hauled clay from the creek to the Craft House so the kids could do modeling projects. I did police duty at the Pool to make sure no kids skirted the mandatory shower upon entering. I oiled the Dining Hall floors in the evenings after dinner with a huge dust mop (was that stuff really oil?). I worked in the kitchen running the dishwasher until I broke enough dishes that Eddie directed me to the Program Director’s office so I could help the fellows down there for a while.

I also worked in the Pioneer Village after dark several times to partially refill a large hole in the ground. The activity of ‘diggin’ was added in an endeavor to stem the tide of firewood production which was beginning to stack up at an alarming rate. Well, initially “diggin’” was only received with limited interest until some clever staffer designated a site as “Camp Wyman’s Future Snakepit”. Needless to say, enthusiasm erupted. And although no one ever actually saw any snakes stored for future installation in the “Official Pit”, vague and untraceable rumors of yet to be displayed new specimen acquisitions continually flamed through every cabin. Whenever a curious camper would ask “But where are the snakes?”, we would reply with “Don’t worry, the snakes are safe.” And indeed they were too because we not only had no snakes collected, we hadn’t for even a moment ever even considered implementing such a foolhardy fantasy.

And, each time a group of focused but inquisitive wee lads would seek to pause from their frantic task of dirt removal to yell up from the hole to ask, “When are we going to ‘put the snakes in’?”, our standard staff response was inevitably “When it’s deep enough”. Then to the predictable follow-up query of “Is it deep enough yet?”, naturally our response had to be “No, but you’re getting’ close!”. This renewal of purpose would result in an immediate explosive eruption of mother earth that would have rivaled that of Mount St. Helen. So at last it was time for a solution to be applied to this evolving date with destiny between camper and counselor. And a simple one it was, too. And one which came to mean for me a multitude of midnight missions which targeted a very large, very deep and very empty hole in the ground on the outskirts of a certain Pioneer Village. My assignment? “Surreptitious Snakepit Soil Supplementation”. The object? “To just hold ‘em close!”. I loved every minute of it, too!

The longer I dwell on some of these memories, the more I regret not better recording the events and emotions of these two brief but wonderful summers. I suppose it has something to do with the difference in one’s outlook on life at the age of 15 compared to 50. Nevertheless, Camp Wyman will always remain a positive reflection of my teenage years.

Jason Brown
YLC Member, Wyman Leaders Class of 2024

“Wyman has taught me to take life for what it is and not dwell on moments where I’m not my best self. But in the same breath Wyman has taught me how to be my best self. There’s always room for growth. And there’s always room to help yourself and others.”

Jason’s first exposure to Wyman was in middle school when a Wyman Leaders coach came to speak about the program. “I was so interested in it; it really intrigued me.” These days he is thankful that Wyman Leaders has been a part of his high school journey and personal growth. “I would say I was naïve before Wyman. I have my moments now, but I’ve grown a lot. Since getting involved in Wyman Leaders, I have become more creative and proactive about life and everything that comes with it.

Wyman has taught me to take life for what it is and not dwell on moments where I’m not my best self. But in the same breath Wyman has taught me how to be my best self. And be the person that I have on a pedestal in my head. Wyman has also taught me to never settle, because things are working, everything can always be better. I think that’s the best lesson that Wyman has taught me. Like there’s always room for growth. And there’s always room to help yourself or others.”

Jason’s coaches have also impacted his perspective on college and how he will achieve success. “Wyman has changed my viewpoint on college. It’s not that I didn’t want to go before, I just wasn’t very interested. But after participating in virtual college tours and learning about what I want to do, I want to go even more. When I think about my future, the one thing I think about is success in what I want to do. Wyman has really helped me with that.”

When Jason speaks about Wyman, there is one word that continually comes up for him: family. “Wyman Leaders is an education program, but it’s more like a family. They have made it clear they’re going to be there with you for a long time. No matter what. The Wyman coaches are like your mentors. They know where you’re coming from, and they’re very open to listening to what you have to say. It’s something that you can’t put into words, but it’s so positive. It’s family.”

Three young men play basketball on an outdoor courtJason is also grateful for the opportunity to participate in the formation of Wyman’s Youth Leadership Council. “I saw it as an opportunity to expand in a sense. It forced me to mature and see what the real world is. Every day isn’t just sunshine and rainbows, and it gives me a voice to state my opinion and help others state theirs.”

“This youth adult partnership means a lot to me; it just shows that maturity doesn’t go by age. And it can be taught. I see this partnership benefiting Wyman by opening doors and also being the standard. It shows other organizations and companies that yes, there might be young people that don’t know what we’re doing and yes, we might just be teens, but all it takes is a little bit of guidance and patience and you’ll get groups like YLC and create never before seen progress.”

Counselor – Marge Fox

Overnight Hikes – Synchronized swimming

Kangaroo Court sessions

Barefoot in creek seeking pebbles

Being selected as best cabin. Flew flag.

Flag raising in AM

Securing colors nightly

Singing around campfire

Being selected to be “fly chaser” at head table at mealtimes

Morning jaunt to “outhouse”

Morning jaunt to wash up, teeth brushing, etc.

Marian Mills
Wyman Camper, 1935

Image of a rustic, stone and wooden archway over a roadway. The text on the archway reads "Kiwanis Camp Wyman"

Denise Washington
Wyman Participant Parent, 2002 - 2016

“By the time Arielle was selected for the program, I had no doubt. I had seen the effects on Danielle and Cherelle, and there was no discussion. I’m happy they all went an had these experiences.”

Denise Washington has been connected with Wyman since 2002 through her daughters Cherelle, Danielle and Arielle – all of whom are graduates of what is now the Wyman Leaders program and current or former staff members. “I’ve been their mama through it all! And I always come to camp activities.” Oh, and it’s also where she started eating toasted raviolis. “That’s the only reason I come!”

Denise remembers some of her first thoughts about sending her daughters Danielle and Cherelle to camp, as members of the brand-new Camp Coca-Cola. “They needed something to take their minds off losing their dad. I know they didn’t want to leave, but for me the biggest thing was they had each other. If it was just one, I don’t think I would have let them go.

I think that when Danielle and Cherelle first went to camp, what had happened with their dad was still very new and I think camp helped them get through the grief somewhat. I’m sure the program helped them a lot, and for me, I didn’t have to do it by myself; I had Wyman on my side.”

By the time her daughter Arielle was selected for the program in 2008, the hesitation was gone. “Arielle was told, you are going out to camp! I had no doubt. I had seen the effects on Danielle and Cherelle, and there was no discussion. I’m happy they all went and had these impactful experiences.

At camp they got to see different backgrounds, different ethnicities, try different foods. And they all came out of their shells a little bit more. I think the biggest thing for me is that after camp, they weren’t shy and they were so much more communicative. Wyman definitely brought them out a whole lot – now they’re extremely outgoing and talk to everyone.”

Denise also remembers the Wyman staff and support she received. “Early on Dave (Hilliard) and I talked a lot, and Claire, she reaches out all the time. Early on I remember I talked to Annie (Phillips), Jelly Bean (Jillian Rose), and Allison (Williams) a lot. Everybody just sort of gravitated towards Danielle and Cherelle and gave us all a lot of support. It put me at ease. For Danielle and Cherelle, it was their first time ever going anywhere away from me and the Wyman staff assured me that my babies were going to be ok.

So yeah, Wyman has always been so supportive. I’ve seen a lot of kids through camp. It’s like they say Wyman is a big family.”

Cherelle first became involved with Wyman in 2002, when she participated in Camp Coca-Cola (now Wyman Leaders). “I started with Wyman in 2002 and completed the program in 2006. My sister Danielle and I were in eighth grade and we were selected to talk to some folks from Wyman. They told us about this camp, Camp Coca-Cola – a 28-day residential camp and said we would be great fits to go.

Our dad had just passed recently, and I remember they talked to us and to our mom about us going. We were excited, but also nervous because we had never been away from our mom for that long. We were never ‘outdoors people’, I don’t even remember playing outside at that time. The idea of camp was scary, but we also knew we were going to be challenging ourselves. I feel like I will never forget ‘challenge by choice’! It was a challenge, but we knew we were going to get something out of it.

My sister and I were in camp together, but we were in different cabins and it was really our first time being individuals. Camp was also the first time I worked in a group, and with folks that had different viewpoints and perspectives from me. That was probably the first time that I really had to compromise in my life, making decisions with 7 or 8 other girls.

A headshot of a young woman with short curly hair smiles at the camera.

Cherelle Washington
Wyman Leaders Class of 2006, Camp Counselor 2006 - 2007

“It just takes one caring adult to change everything for your life. Some of our campers will still say, ‘I used to tell you everything. And that meant the world to me that I had this one person that you knew truly cared about you as a person.’”

We made our truest friendships with our camp folk. They see you at your best, they see you at your worst, when you’re most vulnerable, when you’re being your own true self. And you trust them with everything. After you spend 28 days with somebody, they know you better than you know yourself.

A group of high school aged men and women group together and smile at the camera.

I worked for camp for two summers after that, and I’ve just really stayed connected to Wyman since then. I donate when I can, go to the galas when I can, and volunteer when I can. I’ve done a few interview sessions with new campers as they come in, and a couple years ago we went to camp to clean up. I want to give back to the organization because I believe in its mission and all the great work that people were able to do after they left.

I don’t think we experienced this, because we can talk to our mom about anything, but a lot of our peers didn’t feel comfortable talking about certain things with their family, or maybe they didn’t feel like they would be heard. But those things are important. I remember this to this day, it just takes one caring adult to change everything for your life. Some of our campers that I had years ago will still say, ‘I used to tell you everything. And that meant the world to me that I had this one person that you knew truly cared about you as a person.’

I think that’s the piece that helps people persist through the program too, to stay for as long as some of us have stayed and even after. I haven’t worked for Wyman for so long but I’m still very much connected.

A young woman with braided hair, wearing a blue shirt, smiles to the camera in front of a yellow background.

Danielle Washington
Wyman Leaders Class of 2006, Wyman Staff, 2011 - 2022

“I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with Wyman over all these years. Even as I moved and transitioned in the organization, students could still reach out to me; they are comfortable and see me as somebody they can call.”

“I was first introduced to Wyman back in 2002 as a 7th grader along with my twin sister, Cherelle. Our principal and teachers were trying to convince a group of us to go for it. That was also the year our dad passed away. My mom thought it would be a great experience for us to connect, get out of the house, and help us move through that process. We were in the first class of Camp Coca-Cola, the program that later became Wyman Leaders.

I remember writing my mom so much that first summer, like come get us, this is not for me! They had us singing camp songs, like what is this place. But I left wanting to see those people again, I couldn’t wait until next summer. I thought, ok maybe there’s something to this.

Cherelle and I were super shy and quiet, and I think we needed the experience at that moment to meet new people and to meet our people. I still talk to many of the folks I went through the program with. I always say Wyman came to me at the right time, when I needed it in my life.”

After camp, Wyman was still there for both Danielle and her sister. “I’m first generation and had no idea about the process of going to college. What does that even look like? Where do you start? We didn’t know what we were doing half the time, especially with financial aid. And our mom wanted to help but there was a lot she didn’t know about how to help us and support us at that moment. I really relied so much on my Wyman coach to guide us through that process.”

After graduating from Mizzou, Danielle went to graduate school and earned a masters in social work. “I remember Allison (Williams) and Annie (Philipps) writing my letters of recommendation and helping me. It’s on Annie that I’m a social worker and that I even found the field.” Danielle kept in touch with her former mentors, and in 2011 Wyman came calling again. She came back to work as a Program Assistant for the camp, and immediately after that summer she was hired to a new Wyman program supporting young people after high school graduation.

“I was hired as Persistence Manager and tasked with building Wyman’s persistence program. I remember feeling like ‘I cannot do this.’ It just felt so huge, to develop and create this program. But the people at Wyman always pushed me, encouraged me, and told me you are in this space for a reason. I learned so much in that work role and grew as a professional in that space.”

As Danielle continued to grow her career, she moved through roles in Wyman until her final position as Senior Director of Programs in 2022. “I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with Wyman over all these years. I value that direct work with students so much, and that’s where I get energized. Even as I moved and transitioned in the organization, students could still reach out to me; they are comfortable and see me as somebody they can call.

The teens are just so amazing. They may not know it yet, but we know they are. They all come in with different paths, different journeys that we’re not aware of, but that does not change the potential of their path. I feel like they already have the skills, the abilities, everything they need to be great, but sometimes not everybody around them or the environment they grow in acknowledges or pulls the greatness out of them. So our teens are already great, they’re already amazing when they show up to us. But maybe they don’t know yet. That’s who we serve.”

Arielle started in Wyman the summer before her 8th grade year, as a member of the Wyman Leaders Program. She went on to spend two summers as a camp counselor with Leaders, and now works full time with Wyman as a TOP Specialist in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

“Wyman Leaders helped me become the person I am today. I was super shy and reserved, and now I’m much more open. I just think overall that Wyman has helped me grow in so many different ways and become the person I am today. And college – I did that thanks to Wyman. In 2018, I graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in child and family development.

I feel like Wyman has done so much for me, and I feel like those who have gone through Wyman can always give back. It’s a way to give people the same opportunity I had when I was in Wyman.”

Arielle Washington
TOP Specialist, Wyman Leaders Class of 2014

“Sixth grade is the time when you’re still trying to figure out life, figure out who you are. Every day it’s a challenge, but a good challenge. In TOP, we’re helping them realize, ‘Ok we can actually get through this, we know how to get through this.'”

“Working with 6th graders in TOP is amazing. 6th grade is the time when you’re still trying to figure out life, figure out who you are. Every day it’s a challenge, but a good challenge. In TOP, we’re helping them realize, ‘Ok we can actually get through this, we know how to get through this.’ I feel like they look forward to seeing us and enjoy talking and working on social emotional learning. I’m teaching communication; I’m facilitating conversations. I’m giving them work to complete, but we can have conversations about different things. In middle school, they’re still figuring out life, figuring out who they are, what they want to do, what’s important – why it’s important. It’s like a relief – they have a classroom where they can relax.

Wyman’s not just a camp. Our teens are learning leadership skills, teamwork, social emotional skills. We’re building relationships and connections. And the adults here support you in anything that you want to do in life.”

Kristine Raterman
SVP, Donor Engagement & Communications, Wyman Staff since 2003

“We are developing the next generation of leaders, caregivers, teachers, policy makers, innovators, entrepreneurs. They are going to shape how our community is moving forward. So, it’s not just a service to a young person and their family, it is a service to all of us.”

Kristine first started with Wyman in June of 2003. “I knew about Wyman back in the early 2000s. A former boss of mine came to work out here and gave me a call to say there was an opportunity with the organization. I interviewed and took the position.”

When Kristine first started at Wyman, what is now the Wyman Leaders Program was just starting, and in her job on the development team she helped that program take off.  In 2014, Kristine had the opportunity to work on other things. “I went and did those things for four years, and then in 2018 I was at the United Way for a meeting where I ran into someone I knew from Wyman. They mentioned my old position was coming open again. Claire and I ended up connecting, and here I am!”

Kristine has always enjoyed working with young people, so returning to Wyman made sense. “Claire is amazing to work with, I thought her vision was great. And I wanted to get back to working with young people. That has always been where I most enjoyed doing my work. My first job out of college was in health care with Girls Incorporated in North City. I started with young people and did some fundraising in health care. Then I came to Wyman and saw the work being done and the longevity of the impact, and just the incredibly smart individuals that were here.”

“I think so many of the folks at Wyman would echo the sentiment that this work is not what I do, it’s who I am. You don’t get that everywhere you work. So, to get an opportunity to come back and work with and for young people and with a group of individuals that I just have the highest respect for, it was just a great opportunity.”

“I think the work that I’m most proud of has come recently, and that’s been more perspective, learning and growth for myself in the space of DEI. I’m also proud of choosing to be a champion for Community Centric Fundraising at Wyman and the difference that that can make. We are striving to be more inclusive and intentional in our fundraising, and while that can be risky it’s never scared me before. I am proud of us for taking the step.”

“At Wyman, yes, we are directly serving teens. But we are also serving the community. We are developing the next generation of leaders, caregivers, teachers, policy makers, innovators, entrepreneurs. They are going to shape how are community is moving forward. So, it’s not just a service to a young person and their family, it is a service to all of us. It is a service to community.”

The year was 1952, my school was offering children two weeks at Camp Wyman for $16.00. We had until Monday to let the teachers know if we could attend, so we could get our physical for camp. I remember running all the way home to ask if I could go. My parents said they would love for me to go to Camp Wyman, but we didn’t have the $16.00 dollars. I come from a big family & we just couldn’t afford it.

All week-end I prayed & prayed to God to help me find a way to go to Camp Wyman. In between my prayers, I would dream of what Camp Wyman must be like, beautiful trees, camp fires, learning to swim and making new friends.

Monday morning arrived with no answer to my prayers. I went to school and the teacher asked us to write a story about what we did over the week-end, So I did! I brought my story up to the teacher & received a gold star.

Phyllis Murray
Camper, 1952

“So off to Camp Wyman I went for two weeks. It was everything I dreamed it would be, beautiful trees, camp fires, swimming lessons, my first bee sting, making new friends, camp songs, trail walks & making crafts for everyone in my family.”

The teacher left the classroom. A few minutes later the teacher opened the classroom door & asked me to come out in the hall. I remember thinking, “what have I done this time?” My teacher was standing with two other teachers smiling. They handed me a paper to receive my physical for camp. They hugged me & said Have a wonderful time at Camp Wyman!

Just remembering this story makes my heart pound with joy. God had answered my prayers. How close I felt to him then & every day since. My mother told me that three wonderful teachers payed my way.

So off to Camp Wyman I went for two weeks. It was everything I dreamed it would be, beautiful trees, camp fires, swimming lessons, my first bee sting, making new friends, camp songs, trail walks & making crafts for every one in my family. All of the camp counselors were very nice.

That was almost 40 years ago, but remembering my two weeks at Camp Wyman seems like yesterday. I had a wonderful time at Camp Wyman.

Melody Tolentino
Camper, Counselor and Nurse 1957 - 1972

“I figured I came every summer from age 7 to age 22. That’s 15 years of my life where I knew I was loved, I had a voice and my opinion counted. It built my self esteem and convinced me that I could go on to college and then further my education to receive a Master’s in education in 1995.”

I started going to Camp Wyman in 1957 at the age of 7.  Camp Wyman literally saved my life.  I was the middle child of 7 with 3 older sisters and 3 younger brothers.  My 3 older sister were mostly gone from the home leaving me to care for 3 younger brothers.  We were not a dirt poor family but we were poor. My mother thought as there were no girls in the house and no girls in the neighborhood she would send me somewhere where there were young girls my age. Best thing she had ever done for me.

I loved going to Camp Wyman every summer for 2 weeks. I felt worthy, listened to, given responsibility, I was trusted by the other 7 girls in my cabin and by the camp counselor. I did what I said I was going to. I gained trust each year. I had to learn that from camp.

I looked forward throughout the year until summer came.  I went 8 years in a row, working my way up cabin row until I reached Cabin 16. The kids in Cabin 16 were the oldest and most looked up to. After that, I was too old to be a camper any longer at Camp Wyman. I then went to Sherwood Forest and trained to be a counselor myself to be able to work at Camp Wyman.  I graduated from Leadership Training and the next summer Eddie hired me to be a camp counselor. That was all I wanted to do.  Help little kids to do things on their own and be independent and have fun. Build a camper’s confidence and self esteem.

We worked on crafts projects at the Craft House, Swimming in the old pool and then the new pool was built, we hiked, we sang, we played, we did cookouts, we had campfires every night.  We’d go on overnights in sleeping bags, we made ourselves out of sheets and old itchy wool blankets. We would pack our food that we were going to prepare after meeting and deciding what we wanted to make for lunch and cook for dinner, and snack time.

My brothers also attended boy sessions camp and I think they loved it as much as I did.  The food was the best ever. We had 3 meals a day everyday and it was so good. Adj Dillon was the Director when I first started going to camp then Eddie Dillion became the Director.  I worked with Eddie off and on for years helping her do her endless tasks.  She was such a special unique individual who I looked up to with the greatest respect.  She was a woman doing a man’s job and doing it so well. She was loved by everyone.  I learned respect and how to treat different colored skinned people with the respect they deserved.

I had been bullied at school because I didn’t look the same as the other white kids because I have brown eyes, dark hair and dark skin.  My Father was Filipino and when he spoke his English was broken.  The neighborhood our father moved us to was many miles out of town to a home with no indoor plumbing, no running water, and away from the friends I made until I was 5 years old. The only time I was treated as an equal was at Camp Wyman because we were all different colors and we came from different parts of St. Louis and surrounding areas.  It was special, certainly touched my heart.  I went on after being a cabin counselor one summer for 4 weeks as the Camp Nurse.  A dream came true for me. 

Camp Wyman staff made you feel like you were the most important person at the camp not by favoritism but through caring, listening, helping, loving, involving yourself in activities that you never had tried, we learned to cook, set the table, wash up after yourself.  Life skills being taught by others not your parents that were either too much working or not the types of people who cared.  The majority of campers loved coming back to Camp Wyman because it was fun and extremely safe. The counselors (many just a few years older than the younger kids being sent to camp) kept it under control. I met many of my life long friends at Camp Wyman and keep in touch with them still today at almost age 74. I figured I came every summer from age 7 to age 22.  That’s 15 years of my life where I knew I was loved, I had a voice and my opinion counted.  It built my self esteem and convinced me that I could go on to college and then further my education to receive a Master’s in Education graduation in 1995.

My life is immensely better because of the life values I learned at Camp Wyman from the Dillons, mentors (counselors & staff) all had our backs from the minute we arrived to the last minute getting on the bus to leave to return home and start dreaming about returning next year. 

In the 1950-51 school year (I believe it was spring of ‘51), I was in the first group of sixth graders who attended Camp Wyman during the school year with my sixth grade class from Hudson School in Rock Hill (MO) which was part of the Webster Groves School District.

Our teacher was Mrs. Corinne Bellows and we, as a class, prepared for weeks for this experience, so that we could make the most of our days at Camp Wyman. We studied astronomy so that we could appreciate the stars at night at camp. We made checkbooks so that we could use them to write checks at the canteen for our purchases.

Mr. Bill Kloppe was the person who personally worked to establish that program for the sixth graders in the Webster district.

Anne Ward Sabbert
Camper, 1951, Counselor, 1955 - 1957

“That summer, I had a cabin group of 6-year-olds from the city of St. Louis. They were darling kids and taught us (the teenagers who worked with them) so much!”

Later when I was a student at Webster Groves High School, I was a counselor for a group of Bristol School Sixth Graders, during the ‘55-’56 school year (my junior year) and then I was employed as a counselor by Camp Wyman for the summer program in 1957, the year that I graduated from high school.

That summer, I had a cabin group of 6 year-olds from the city of St. Louis. It was definitely my favorite summer job of all time! They were darling kids and taught us (the teenagers who worked with them) so much!

I particularly remember one little girl, with the “camp name” Checkers, who had leg braces on both legs, but who insisted on climbing to the top of the Rockwoods Fire Tower at the conclusion of our hike from camp, which included sleeping out under the stars. What an inspiration she was!

Of course I, too, have many memories of Adj, Eddie, and Margaret Dillon and the commitment which they had to the camp.

Dr. Joseph Allen
Hugh P. Kelly Professor of Psychology, UVA, Wyman Collaborator Since 2005

“When we started developing the Teen Connection Project, it made great sense to reach out to Wyman because they’re great with teen outreach. Wyman was super enthusiastic, and it was kind of a dream from the perspective of a program developer.”

Joe Allen is a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Virginia who has worked in adolescent development his entire career. “Adolescence is a place where you want to prevent problems. There’s all kinds of capacity for growth and development. It’s a unique point in life to think about jumping in to solve and prevent a range of social and mental health problems,” he says.

Joe’s relationship with Wyman began when the organization first acquired the Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®). She was concerned about the kids that got noticed a bit less in school – the ones that didn’t get disciplinary referrals, but they also weren’t the stars, they’re just kind of moving through unnoticed. She started this as a program for them and said we should get them volunteering and doing outreach in their community.

I came on (in 1991), helping to do a rigorous, randomized, full scientific trial of the program. In 1996 we got data showing that this program was doing something amazing that nobody’s ever done. US News and World Report had it as one of their cover page stories, as one of 13 silver bullets to fix the world and described it as the most effective deterrent to teen pregnancy yet developed at the time.”

“We were also looking to see what the active ingredients of the program were, and it turned out it was volunteering. What ended up mattering was that the teenagers felt like they had input in choosing what kind of volunteer work they did.”

As TOP grew more popular and successful, it needed a home with an organization that was focused on this curriculum. “At that point it got picked up by Wyman, and that turned out to be the perfect home for it.”

In the 2010s another collaboration opportunity arose. Joe had been working on the Connection Project (now the Teen Connection Project® (TCP®)) in about 2010, studying peer relationships and the importance of finding ‘your group.’ “The people with whom you feel safe enough to let their guard down.

People often underestimate how important peer relationships are in adolescence. It turns out that our peer relationships are probably the most important things in our lives. Social relationships are crucial, and adolescence is where kids are really starting to form them.”

“When we started developing the program, it made great sense to reach out to Wyman because they’re great with teen outreach. Wyman was super enthusiastic, and it was kind of a dream from the perspective of a program developer.”

“They had done such a remarkably good job with the Teen Outreach Program and they were willing to take a chance, to devote staff time not knowing if anything will come of it. It was a perfect match for us.”

Over the years Joe has been thankful for Wyman and the organization’s partnership. “You don’t get a chance to work with an organization and people like this very often, so you’re just incredibly thankful when it comes along.”

I was a Washington University art student at the time, and during my 1945 and 1946 summer I was a Camp Wyman counselor. My cabin was out near the end of the row because I was assigned eight eleven year-old girls. Eleven year-old girls are great to work with – they were happy, energetic and receptive. We planned many a good campfire program.

The camp fires on Sunday evenings were sweet endings to busy, activity-filled weeks. The short hike up the hill behind the recreation/library hall ended at the campfire sire, and the dancing flames, the community singing and the general feeling of comradery was good for camper and counselor alike.

We were all summoned to meals by the ringing of a huge bell down by the “rec” hall which could be heard throughout the camp. Before we entered the dining hall we assembled on the lawn outside and a counselor would lead some community singing; lively renditions of camp song favorites such as “Alouette”, “Johnny Verbeck”, “Bingo”, “Skinna-ma-rinky-dink”, “Tell Me Why”, “Lindy Lou”, “I’m a Camper”, and others. Every morning began with the ritual of raising the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance before we filed in for breakfast.

Wilma McArthy
Camp Counselor, 1945 - 1946

“Each week there was the counselor’s night-off. Counselors of alternating cabins would go, as a group, driving into Pacific, Missouri to the little theater to view the weekly western film. We always looked forward to quietly leaving camp after ‘lights out’ and seeing the corny old flicks.”

Campers and counselors were given nicknames at the start of each session; “handles” were inspired by some incident or the likes or dislikes of the camper at that time… some memorable ones were “Pickles,” “Peaches”, “Doll Face”, “Dusty”, “Tally”, “Jo-Jo”, “Moon Baby”, etc.

The days of the all-too-short sessions were filled with activities; handicrafts, archery, hiking, swimming, theme programs such as “Indian Night”, cook-outs, camp-outs, overnight hikes, etc. A favorite hike was the mile high climb up the trail behind the dining hall to the ranger’s fire tower (Long since dismantled and removed). There were well over 100 steps to the look-out cabin at the top of the fire tower, but the glorious breeze on a hot day and the wonderful 360-degree view made the climb worthwhile.

After every hike through the woods campers and counselors would take a community shower scrubbing down with Fels Naptha Soap to get rid of occasional ticks or the possibility of poison-ivy rash.

Each week there was the counselor’s “night-off”. Counselors of alternating cabins would go, as a group, driving into Pacific, Missouri to the little theater to view the weekly western film. We always looked forward to quietly leaving camp after “lights out” and seeing the “corny” old “flicks”. After the show we drove back to “Steiny’s” roadhouse or inn for hamburgers and cokes, and danced to juke box music. One of the popular tunes for jitterbugging on the shiny hardwood dance floor was the revised version of “Josephine”.

Counselors who were left to “man the camp” until their turn for “night-out” often amused themselves with pranks such as short-sheeting beds, switching dresser drawers, and running the camp director’s pajama bottoms up the flagpole. The camp director was a very big, stout man, and what a sight his PJs flapping in the wind was the next morning!

These were harmless jokes, I believe they’re considered part of camping life, but counselors could always expect a retaliation and being “out done” by newer and more “diabolical” tricks when their turn came to go to town for the evening.

Counselors often gravitated toward the activities of their own interests or expertise. Some preferred to supervise the overnight sleep-ou8ts, some acted as pool life guards, others liked to handle the archery or fishing activities. As I was an art student, I was often assigned the handicraft sessions. The craft house was centrally located up behind the camp infirmary, and was usually pretty well supplied with materials to make woven construction paper belts, beaded and feathered head bands, rag pot holders, rafia stitched envelope purses, and other items that could be put together in one or two craft sessions.

Those were delightful summers for me. The counselors didn’t make much money, but it was a gratifying experience to help those underprivileged youngsters, and we always went home with a prety “sun tan” from all the outdoor work, and a new perspective on our own more affluent circumstances.

I have visited Camp Wyman several times since; there are new improvements, but much is still the same. Thank goodness for the Kiwanis Club and other contributing organizations that keep Camp Wyman going strong to help inner city youth in building their own memories! Every college student should spend a summer or two serving as a camp counselor. It’s a real growth experience!

Christina Donald
Senior Vice President of Program and Advocacy, Wyman Staff Since 2000

“When you think about working with young people, it’s about having a connection, a relationship, and trust. That goes both ways. I think it’s the core of what makes or breaks an experience for young people and the success of a program.”

Working with Wyman wasn’t an immediate sell for Christina Donald. “My good friend DeVonne Wilson worked for Wyman and kept trying to get me to work here after she had been with the organization for a couple of years. I kept refusing her because all I knew about Wyman at the time was camp. We were roommates and I would see her come home all muddy and exhausted and I was like girl, why do I want to go work at Wyman? I am not getting in a cave.”

And DeVonne was like ‘No, we have a city office now, we’re doing work in the community. We have a position open that I think you’ll like doing after school and summer programs for kids in the Clinton-Peabody area.’ So I went for an interview, it was a great interview, and I started in the Program Director role.”

At the time Wyman was starting a collaborative day camp for summer programming with two social service agencies in the area, Guardian Angel and Kingdom House. “My first job was to get this camp off the ground. And I was just like, ok, jump right in there! The program served 240 young people, ages 6 -12 at the time for 8 weeks in the summer. It was a blast, it was crazy and chaotic at times, but we quickly built some real long-lasting friendships with organizations and families.

It is the thing that hooked me with Wyman. Outside of the fact that Wyman is just a wonderful organization, it took on a project of that magnitude in the community. We were embedded and really became a part of the community – we knew the families, we knew the kids, we knew all the folks who were working across all the different social service agencies. My own children were small at the time so I brought them to work with me and they attended the summer camp. It just really became this large family and communal experience that was invaluable to me.”

Around 2005 Wyman shifted its focus to teens, and Christina started working as the Director of the School Camp Program. She then left Wyman for a period of time, but “I have air quotations around ‘left Wyman’ because I stayed on as a trainer for the Teen Outreach Program. Then around 2008, Allison called me and said, ‘We’re going to do another program with St. Louis public schools, Department of Parks and Recreation and Arches,’ and she asked me to come back and be a part of the leadership team. I did and worked implementing TOP across 5 area middle schools in the St. Louis public school system.

Christina then worked with the National Network until June of 2021 when she transitioned into herrole leading Wyman’s advocacy work. “I think one of the best things we’ve ever done as an organization was invest in research and learning. To make sure that we’re looking at the data, we’re looking at the trends, we’re understanding the needs of our young people so that we can help support and meet those needs. Which is why adding the Youth Leadership Council is so important to that work.

When you think about working with young people, it’s about having a connection, a relationship, and trust. And that goes both ways – when an adult sees them as a full person. I think that’s important for young people, and to have that connection back to adults and peers. I think it’s the core of what makes or breaks an experience for young people and the success of a program.”

The time I spent as a staffer at Camp Wyman was one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences of my life. And that is quite a statement considering I have taught Public School Music for 30 years. Camp Wyman was the only place I’ve ever been homesick to see!

I was a counselor three summers; 1945, ‘46 and ‘47. I was 18 and a college freshman. I became a counselor at the urging of a friend, Dot Pillman (Dr. Pillman) whom I met my freshman year at Harris Teacher’s College in 1945. During the time I was counselor, I had cabins 7, 9, and 5 (the fragrant one). The counselors each had 8 campers but the last year I had nine.

“Adj” and Eddie Dillon were the leaders and they were excellent. The counselors were great and the remembered comraderie brings a warm flood of memories, even now. I recall we counselors all had nicknames to avoid campers who might want to follow us home. The campers also had nicknames they selected. My name was “Mike” and “Dickie Bird” and I shared the fun of song leader.

I shall never forget the pool, and sun-bathing during our off hours at rest time after lunch. The sun wasn’t so vicious then!

Mary Hoeppner
Camp Counselor, 1945 - 1947

“Counselors relieved the cooks once or twice during the summer and I got to be one of the cooks. The Dining Hall was a beautiful place.”

Counselors relieved the cooks once or twice during the summer and I got to be one of the cooks. The Dining Hall was a beautiful place. We served our cabin campers family style. Counselors ate what the campers did, except we had iced tea with fresh-picked mint that grew outside the dining hall kitchen.

The late night snacks, the look-out tower. Steal the Flag, winning the clean cabin flag, the wash house (ivory soap never smelled so good) and Circus Night – a big night I got to be Ringmaster and the campers provided the acts they created themselves.

Another Counselor and I got our campers together complete with bedrolls and cooking gear and took off for a couple days to ‘rough it’. I killed a rattlesnake half-way down the trail. The campers and I skinned the snake, cured the hide and made a belt out of it. I still have it. We did the work at the Craft House where “Ginger” helped us.

When it rained we gathered our 8 campers under a poncho (like a hen and her chicks) and inched our way to the Dining Hall for games and singing.

Most of all I remember those campers.

Please forgive the length of this letter; I couldn’t quit. I love Camp Wyman.

Joelly Funez
YLC Member, Wyman Leaders Class of 2023

“My Wyman coaches have always helped keep me on my feet and make sure I’m getting everything done. They communicate with me, give me a space where I feel comfortable to talk about my life, along with academics, my future – really anything.”

Joelly’s participation in Wyman has been part of her learning, growth, and goal-setting since 7th grade, when her English teacher recommended she apply for Wyman Leaders. “Before Wyman, I would give up fast. I wasn’t as worried about my education. My first impression was this isn’t going to be easy. But I felt that I was going to learn a lot about myself while I was in the program.”

Since joining Wyman, Joelly has become more social and assertive, able to ask for help if needed. “Wyman has prepared me for a successful future and pushes me to be even better. An area of growth that I’ve had in Wyman has definitely been confidence. I’ve absolutely become more confident, vulnerable and open.”

Besides her favorite Wyman experiences out at camp, Joelly has also valued the strong connections she’s built with her coaches. “My Wyman coaches have always helped me with things like time management, which I am still struggling with. But now I am able to recognize when I am not prioritizing things that should be put first. They keep me on my feet and make sure I’m getting everything done. They communicate with me, they give me a space where I feel comfortable to talk about things that are going on with my life, along with academics, my future, and really anything.

A Wyman coach isn’t just a coach for academics, but also mental health.”

Joelly has expanded her impact even further by becoming one of the founding members of Wyman’s Youth Leadership Council (YLC). She decided to join because, “I felt like this was something important, something that could change the future of Wyman and hopefully St. Louis as a whole. It’s a chance to advocate for change.”

“In YLC the adults step back and allow us to create a plan on our own, obviously with their help and experience, but they allow us to speak, create ideas and pursue those ideas,” she added.

“As we are in a youth and adult partnership, we’re learning how to speak with other adults who might not be familiar with hearing from a young person.”

It’s also been a space for Joelly to grow and explore new advocacy projects and topics that perhaps she hadn’t experienced before. “We’ve discussed some topics that maybe I didn’t fully agree with or wasn’t knowledgeable about. But I see how it affects some of my peers or people around me. I’ve become more open to advocating for that change that may not affect me, or that I may not agree with in the beginning.”

Joelly just graduated from Oakville High School, and is preparing to attend Missouri State University in the fall.

An August, 1941 feature story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch showcasing the experience of a Wyman counselor.

Don Denham
Camper, 1955 - 1959

“Camp Wyman opened the doors and welcomed me. What more do you need? No matter who you were, you’d have respect and love at camp.”

Don Denham attended camp at Wyman for two weeks each summer from 1955 through 1959. He was only 7 when he first came to Wyman, younger than the 8 – 12 year-old boys that attended at the time. But an exception was made for Don to come along with his brother who was just 13 months older than him.

“Everyone met at Soldiers Memorial on Saturday and came in on the bus. We would come in and sit in the old rec hall on benches. They would call out the counselor assignments, and that was it. Camp started.” The youngest campers stayed in Cabin 1, the oldest in Cabin 16. After receiving their assignments, the campers would head to the laundry to receive their camp clothes.

In the 1950s, Don recalls, there were 3 spots around Camp Wyman for campfires. The Wash house was just a big, open room, with toilets on one side and sinks on the other. There was a craft house in the woods, and a Trading Post at the Rec Hall. And, “there were two pools, one on the hill that was spring fed, which was where the only showers in the camp were, and another newer one.”

“My brother and I didn’t bring money, things like that to camp. We didn’t have much anyways,” says Don. “I was a boy who had a difficult childhood, and the counselors were positive role models who pointed me in the right direction.

Camp Wyman opened the doors and welcomed me. What more do you need? Nobody asked questions about you, family, school, home. You got to camp, and they asked, What’s your camp name? Who do you want to be? Having the camp name was a big part of leaving all the hard stuff from home behind. Also, when I came to camp my school was segregated, but Wyman was integrated. I remember everyone was treated just the same. No matter who you were, you’d have respect and love at camp.”

Don’s favorite thing to do while at camp was visit the fire tower. Those experiences stuck with him so much that Don still researches these historical features and their locations. Another favorite experience was during his final year while heading out for an overnight camp out. “We got lost and it got dark, and our counselor said we’ll just stop and have to spend the night where we are. The next morning, it was just woods. Our counselor said, ‘let’s all be quiet and listen for trucks on 66.’ We headed towards them, found a road, and followed it back to camp. Though it could have been scary, no one freaked out, no one panicked, and we stayed together.”

Don has managed to maintain connections to Wyman through the years. Both of his children went to 6th grade school camp at Wyman through the Kirkwood school district in the 1980s. In the 90s he returned to camp and helped put a new roof on the old jail office and in the 2000s he interviewed 7th graders for camp Coca-Cola.

Don is now a deacon in the Catholic Church. Among other things, he has worked in hospital ministry since 1985 and did prison ministry at the city workhouse for 22 years, until it was closed in 2021.

MeMe became involved with Wyman during a pivotal time in her adolescence – when the choices she was facing would affect the rest of her life. “My Wyman coaches encouraged me to determine who I wanted to be and the future I wanted to create. I became independent, learned how to be a servant leader, and found my voice. So much of the confidence I possess today I got from my summers at camp.”

One of MeMe’s favorite parts of being involved with Wyman was having access to experiences she wouldn’t have otherwise had. “I was able to meet new people, experience the outdoors, and be exposed to a diverse group of peers. Wyman also provided me with the resources I needed to prepare for college – and supported me throughout my entire journey at the University of Dayton, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.”

The support from Wyman staff throughout the year was another impactful aspect of the program for Meme. “Having Wyman staff meet at our school bi-weekly/monthly helped keep me on track, even when I wasn’t as motivated to do it for myself. I still feel very supported and connected to the Wyman staff, not just as counselors and mentors, but as colleagues and friends,” Harris said.

Ametra Harris
Wyman Leaders Class of 2010

“I was able to meet new people, experience the outdoors, and be exposed to a diverse group of peers. Wyman also provided me with the resources I needed to prepare for college – and supported me throughout my entire journey at the University of Dayton.”

More than anything, though, Wyman is where MeMe met people who have become her lifelong friends. “My relationships with my peers have evolved over the years, but whenever I cross paths with another alum, we know we are part of the same family. Wyman staff are committed to supporting teens as they learn to navigate this world, and their support doesn’t end when you graduate from the program. Even now, more than 10 years after graduating, I still feel very connected to Wyman.”

A young woman with her hair in a side pony tail smiles directly at the camera.“I know to never be afraid or feel that I am alone because I know my Wyman family would be there for additional assistance, even in my adult life, when needed. With them I never felt judged, and I knew it was a safe space for me to learn and grow.” 

Meme believes programs like Wyman Leaders matter. “In our city, children don’t always have the abilities and the resources to articulate what they need to grow and be successful, but advocates like Wyman make that possible. Being surrounded by such a positive network at one of the most influential times in your life can really make a positive difference.” 

She continued, “St. Louis is fortunate to have so many programs offered by Wyman, and I know that Wyman has had such a great impact on me. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without it.”

MeMe is currently an engineer at Turner Construction- and is giving back to current Wyman teens. “I know first-hand what the partnership of Wyman donors has meant for me, and I know what it takes to continue these programs for teens today. While I don’t know if I’ll ever match the investment Wyman made in me, as long as I have the capacity to do so, I will donate so those who come after me can experience all that Wyman has to offer.”

“Wyman helped me find my voice. They taught me to be comfortable and confident no matter where I am, and to advocate for others.”

Tom Engelhardt
Counselor, 1947

“I really learned to accept people for who they were and help them out if we could. I learned to be open to them and their viewpoints, and adjusting to human relationships and nature.”

Tom Engelhardt had heard plenty about Camp Wyman before he ever arrived. His older brother, Don, had been a camp counselor, and he attended Saint Louis University High School where Wyman staff member Charlie Conway was his algebra teacher. Charlie wouldn’t bring up camp during class, but Tom says it maybe came up once or twice after school hours. Everyone must have made Wyman sound pretty good because when asked if his brother’s experiences and stories made him want to experience Wyman too, Tom replied with an enthusiastic, “Oh, you’re darn right!”

Tom’s first summer at camp was in 1947, when he was 16. Tom was assigned Cabin 15 and got to spend the days working with his brother and fellow counselor Dave Roach. “The campers were all underprivileged kids that came from around downtown St. Louis and the south side. They were good kids and we really enjoyed them and tried to teach them all different things.”

He remembers coming out to camp on the Wyman bus. “We’d all get picked up in front of our houses or some local place with our bags for the summer sessions, and then when the bus got full and everyone was aboard, we drove out to camp Wyman and took our places in whatever cabin we had been assigned.

We had a meeting in the St. Louis area about how to handle campers and issues, that sort of thing. They gave us instruction, especially how to handle any problems.

Adj told us in one of these training sessions about not hollering. Adj said if you holler at kids all the time they’ll eventually get used to it and not pay attention to what you’re saying. So if you could counsel them in a quieter voice, the kids would accept that more than if you just hollered at them and said, ‘Don’t do that!’” These lessons came home with Tom, as well. “In my own family, my wife and I had rules to never holler at the kids, never shout. If you wanted to correct them or show them a better way to do things you could do it quietly, and in a soft voice.”

These experiences also helped Tom to understand other people. “I really learned to accept people for who they were and help them out if we could, be open to them and their viewpoints, and adjusting to human relationships and nature and those sorts of things.”

The camping experience wasn’t just exciting for campers, it was a new experience for the staff as well. “Adj and his wife Eddie would take the counselors out in the woods, sleep overnight out there, before the campers arrived from the city and sleep in their cabins. So we got a little taste of sleeping in the outdoors, cooking over an open fire before the campers even arrived.”

Tom continued to come back to Wyman for the many staff reunions held at camp by Adj and Eddie Dillon. His daughter Christina remembers attending these events with counselors and their families. “I remember them being really crowded and really loud, lots of people laughing, a lot of kids, and all of the counselors were happy to see each other. I remember Eddie being really quiet, but there was a line of people waiting to see her.”

“To have the wife and kids come along and meet those other counselors, people that you worked with years before, it was always fun to see them again.” Says Tom. “There are always such good people out there at Wyman.”

Tom went on to work as the editorial cartoonist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1962 until his retirement in 1997. During that time he created the logo used for promoting the 75th anniversary of Wyman.

Jillian Rose started with Wyman in 2003 while she was a sophomore in college, working as a Group Leader at camp and spending 28 days with each session of teens. After graduating from school, she worked for a few years as a foster care case manager in southern Illinois, but in 2007 was offered a new position at Wyman as Assistant Camp Director for the summer. That same fall, Jillian applied for the full-time Program Manager position for TLP (now Wyman Leaders), a position she held until 2012 when she went back to school for her Master of Social Work. Jillian returned to Wyman once again on the National Network Team, where she is now

Jillian’s first summer with Wyman at Camp Coca-Cola was instant appreciation. “I had grown up going to girl scout camp then worked at girl scout camp in high school, so summer camp was always a very special thing to me. I absolutely believe in the magic of summer camp and everything that comes out of it.

When I got to Wyman for that first summer it immediately felt like, oh yeah, this is summer camp. I had never worked with teens before, so that was initially kind of terrifying. But that first summer, working with these young people was the first thing I fell in love with. I realized teens are awesome! They are just in this amazing part of their lives where you can really dig in with them and have meaningful conversations and really learn and grow.”

Jillian Rose
Senior Director, Programs, Staff since 2003

“I fell in love with Wyman’s mission. At the end of the day Wyman’s heart and Wyman’s mission is serving teens and that’s really what I’m in it for. And I get to do it with great people.”

Jillian remembers one powerful Trek experience that she had with Wyman Leaders. “We’re trying to get to our basecamp and one of the teens was really struggling. So the other teens are rallying behind her, literally pushing her up this mountain. They have their hands on her backpack and the whole time she’s just like, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this.’ We finally get up to base camp, and that night we debrief about how the day went. At this camper’s turn to speak, she’s like, ‘You know I realized I kept saying I can’t do it, but really I just didn’t want to. And I think that means I really can do it, I just have to get out of my head when I don’t want to do something, and then I can do it.’

And to me that was the switch, and you could see the aha moment happening for a lot of the teens. Sometimes we’re in these situations where you feel like you really can’t do something, but maybe you just need to get out of your head and push through it.  That was exciting to see and she was just so proud of herself. As she should have been, it was really hard.”

These experiences, connections, and the ‘Wyman magic’ Jillian saw early on made her view the organization as something special. “Even in my work in the National Network, we bring to our trainings and to our work with our partners that same ‘Wyman magic’, that camp magic. I work with my partners in a very relationship focused way because I know that’s going to help support their young people. We model our trainings after how we interact with young people and our staff here in the summer. We’re doing ice breakers, team builders and providing structured opportunities for debrief and reflection. We hear from people across the country that it sets our trainings and our program supports apart because that connection really is at the heart of how we operate and what we do.”

Sandra Weaver
Camper, 1949

“It was probably my most memorable time with the beautiful countryside, trees, and activities.”

My mother had also been a camper and raised in No. St. Louis City. I was one of the inner-city kids.

To experience the outdoors with nothing but bricks & city flats it was probably my most memorable time with the beautiful countryside, trees, activities etc. I went on from this 7th grade trip to go to Sherwood Forrest Camp 1 month each summer through high-school. I’ll always remember Miss Berry (7th grade) and be thankful to her for sponsoring us.

Since in the Hazelwood [School District,] in 1989 I also had the opportunity to be at Camp Wyman again as the Camp Nurse for our 6th graders and if possible was even more excited than the kids. It still has the beautiful magic.

“Wyman did good.”

When Demesha King, a Wyman Leaders graduate, talks with other alumni, that’s what they always say. “Wyman did good with all of us and gave us the opportunity to experience new environments and grow with each other.”

It was her own transformational experience with the program that made her want to return as a member of the Wyman team in 2022 as a Practicum Student and Camp Counselor.

“When I first started the program, I know I was very closed off. I was smart in school, but I wasn’t sure how to find my voice. I was scared to talk; I just did my work and that was it. I wasn’t sure how to navigate the world or express my emotions or how to say anything. Looking back from then to now…it’s a huge difference.”

Demesha King
Practicum Student & Counselor, Wyman Leaders Class of 2012

“When I first started the program, I know I was very closed off. I was smart in school, but I wasn’t sure how to find my voice. I wasn’t sure how to navigate the world or express my emotions. Looking back from then to now… it’s a huge difference.”

Demesha graduated from Wyman in 2012 and pursued a degree in Social Work at UMSL. “Wyman played an important role in helping me find my path – challenging and supporting me as I grew and helping me access the resources I needed to reach my goals.”

“I feel like Wyman always brings out the best in people. When you first come to Wyman, it’s a transition from being a kid to being a young adult. And it’s challenging to have all of these emotional, physical, and mental developments. But Wyman knows what they’re doing. It’s not a surprise to me when someone comes to Wyman and they’re introverted – and they come out with a voice.”

“If I talk to others about Wyman, I tell them it’s needed. Wyman gave me so many skills and helped me identify values that are important to me. This past summer as a Camp Counselor, it was important for me to create the same experience I had, and to make sure the campers had a successful summer. I wanted them to understand what I know: it’s worth the challenge. I don’t know where I would be if I had not come to Wyman.”

“Wyman is family. It’s not like a regular camp or a regular program in my opinion. They are integrated into your lives to a point where this is like my family.”

Lawanda Klauser
Camper, 1947 - 1950

“Going back to the city after Wyman, I became a big shot. If you remember the Little Rascals, that’s what I became and we were the Little Rascals of the neighborhood. I showed them things that I had learned out here, and took them back to the neighborhood.”

Video Transcript:

I’m Lawanda, Turner now, I was Lawanda Klauser. I was born in 1939, was in Camp Wyman in 1947 I believe. And this place, what I remember the most was the food. I didn’t realize until I was older, I was suffering from malnutrition. I was very skinny, and didn’t know all the food in the world’s available until I sat in the dining room. And it was so funny! Because all the little hungry kids, they let us have all the food we wanted. And to think, that we could get another gallon of milk, was just… I did go back, and bring, an 8 year old, a gallon full of milk to a table, which I had never seen. And they said well you can have all the food you want out here. And I said what? And I ate like a hog. I ate so much, I gained weight after that. But it was like the beginning of a life so different than I knew. And to think that children are still coming here today.

Anyways, Dottie was the director of camp, somebody named Dottie, was my counselor out here. And she bragged on me like nobody else did. I learned to swim because of her. She said, we should call her tadpole. Well I’d already chosen my camp name, and it was Lani. I thought, if I hadn’t called myself Lani, I could have called myself Tadpole. Because she called, that was like a great gift of her saying, she’s like a tadpole! And I just walked around with the spirit that, I was a Tadpole. I didn’t realize that tadpoles turned into frogs until much later, and I think I’d asked Dottie one time, “Am I ever going to be a frog?” Because I came for years in a row here.

I did get a visitor once, my mother and stepfather came, and that was when the old pool was up here. And they seen, and that was probably the only time my family ever seen me swim was here. I’m overwhelmed out here. I’ve been back since then. I have come down and drove in when I visited when my children came. I don’t think there’s a place on earth that could have been more inspiring to me, as here. Going back to the city after here, I became a big shot. If you remember the, Little Rascals, that’s what I became, and we were the Little Rascals of the neighborhood and I showed them things that I had learned out here, and took them back to the neighborhood and showed them that. So everybody was waiting for me when I came back because I’d just been gone. I told them, most of the kids in my neighborhood didn’t get to go, so this was such an awesome experience for me to bring back to the neighborhood, and tell them all the things that we did.

Anthony was happy to be back in the classroom at University City High School after a year through his computer screen in 2020-2021. “School went pretty good, it was better than when we were all virtual. I enjoy being back at school.”

He’s been especially enjoying his science and history classes. “With science, we get to learn about things like nature and we get to do cool experiments. And history, I like learning about the past and things about our nation, and other countries and their cultures.”

Anthony first learned about Wyman when he was a student at Brittany Woods Middle School and participated in the Teen Outreach Program (TOP). After that, he was excited to join Wyman Leaders and participate in his first camp experience at Wyman last summer.

Anthony
Wyman Leaders Class of 2026

“Wyman is a way teens can connect with other teens. And doing community service and things like learning about yourself, things that you’re going through in middle school. I would describe Wyman as a fun place to be, and it’s really cool.”

“I’ve been outside and around nature more. I liked seeing the woods and the view from the pavilion.”

Some of his favorite activities at Wyman so far have been the zip line and leadership classes. “I liked how fast we were going on the zip line. You could see everything while you were doing it. In the leadership classes, we learn how to be a leader and connect with the other campers.”

“Wyman is a way teens can connect with other teens. And doing community service and things like learning about yourself, things that you’re going through in middle school. I would describe Wyman as a fun place to be, and it’s really cool.”

Anthony is excited to continue on his Wyman journey throughout high school, and is already planning for his future. He plans to go to college and is currently interested in studying engineering and business.

Liz Matheny
Outdoor Education & School Camps, 1960s - 1980s

“For this week, all this land around you, this several hundred acres is your textbook. To read it, you have to go out and use all those sense you have – smell, sight, hearing and feeling.”

Liz (also know as Betty) Matheny was an early environmental activist and educator. During the 1960s she taught sixth-graders at Avery School in the Webster Groves School District. She was also the lead teacher working on the district’s Outdoor Education Program. For four weeks in the fall and four weeks in the spring, every sixth-grade pupil in the district (640 students in 1969), attended camp at Wyman with her.

Together, Liz Matheny, Bill Kloppe, and Dr. George W. Brown, Superintendent of Schools for Webster Groves, wrote “Aids for Nature Interpretation” in 1967 based on activities created at Wyman. “The activities outlined have been developed within a school camp framework consisting of 6th graders, 15-20 in a group, for a scheduled nature activity session of approximately one hour, two or three times during their week’s stay at the camp. The area used is Camp Wyman, Eureka, Missouri, covering 80 acres and adjacent to a county park and state conservation area.”

Liz was also a big part of the program to plant seedlings at Camp Wyman every year. She helped to  devise an anti-erosion planting program based on types, numbers and placement of trees. Every year during this program, campers planted about one thousand seedlings of various kinds including pines, nut trees, ornamentals, thicket trees, and hardwoods. Ex-campers commonly returned to stop by and see “their trees”. Dave Hilliard remembers that “Campers, under the eye of Liz, were responsible for planting all the trees behind the shop, the lower pavilion, above the basketball court, and along road coming into camp.”

While out at Wyman’s Eureka camp, Liz reminded students, “For this week, all this land around you, this several hundred acres is your textbook. To read it, you have to go out and use all those senses you have – smell, sight, hearing and feeling.”

Missy Maness has been a part of Wyman since seventh-grade when she joined Wyman Leaders. Missy graduated from high school in 2019 and has remained involved through Wyman Leaders’ persistence – and is now a member of the new Youth Leadership Council (YLC).

“My first impression in seventh grade was that this organization is amazing, and I knew it would change my life. I had to be a part of it.”

Her impactful experience with Wyman Leaders led her to joining YLC. “I just love Wyman, so the moment Tiny Tunes (Bryan Capers) asked if I wanted to join YLC I absolutely loved the idea. I wanted to make a change but I also wanted to let the youth know that they have a place at the table for impacting policies and decision making. We are the next generation and our voice matters.”

Since joining Wyman, Missy has seen the greatest growth in her confidence. “I used to be really shy and terrified of public speaking, but now I am more than happy to speak in public because what I have to say matters. ‘Challenge by choice’, is a Wyman quote that’s really stuck with me. It’s helped me realize ‘Am I too afraid to do this, or is it just slightly outside my comfort zone?’”

Missy Maness
YLC Member, Wyman Leaders Class of 2019

“Eventually it will be our generation in the seats of our government. We need to know how it works in order to pursue new ideas that will ehlp better the communities. It affects me, it affects my loved ones, it affects every single person around me.”

Pushing through those challenges has also allowed Missy to see herself as resilient. “Of all the challenges I’ve faced so far, I’ve been able to overcome them. I know I can power through even the roughest times.”

Now, participating in YLC for Missy has been life-changing. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of higher ups within our community and our state legislature. But also, the impact that the Youth Leadership Council has made on my life. It has let me me take a step back and realize that I do deserve a place at the table to speak and my voice will be heard.

Eventually it will be our generation in the seats of our government, and we need to know how it works in order to pursue new ideas that will help better the communities. It affects me, it affects my loved ones, it affects every single person around me.

I see the YLC benefiting me by learning how to get a seat at the table, but also being able to pass that along to others. This group is important for Wyman because it’s a major steppingstone for youth being involved in decisions that are being made for them.”

Missy is now poised to graduate from SLU in 2024, and wants everyone to know how important and empowering an experience like this can be. “I believe that everybody should be participating in this kind of youth-adult partnership and policy changing. Each person’s opinion is valuable and needs to be taken into consideration.”

 

Rich Bourgeois
wyman Camper, 1944 - 1948

“When I first came out here I had a disability, what they call St. Vitus Dance [Sydenham chorea] and I had very little control over my nerves. The 4 years that I was at Camp Wyman helped a lot, and I learned to manage it.”

My name’s Rich Bourgeois, I went to camp here from 1944 to 1948. I have a lot of memories. We had a campfire, which was at, I guess where the pavilion is now in the campgrounds, and that was all like half walls, which were seats. You sat around this campfire. This campfire was built up about six or eight foot tall, and then we had a cable that ran up to the cabins, into the tree. They would ignite a rag with kerosene on that cable, and that cable the fire would come down to the campfire, and the campfire would just explode. And it would just, the kids would just go fanatic over it, really nice.

I learned a lot of things. When first came out here I was, I guess you would say, a disability. I had what they call St. Vitus Dance. At the time I came to camp here, it was mostly handicapped children. And I had very little control over my body, my nerves. After the 4 years that I was at Camp Wyman, I was cured of my St. Vitus Dance, and the main thing was to have your mind occupied at all times. That helped a lot, so they did a lot for me, the Kiwanis, and I guess at that time it was the United Fund.

Gabriela started with Wyman as a practicum student in 2018. “My first impression of Wyman was that everyone was super welcoming, and that for Wyman as a whole organization, it’s all about relationships – with the adults and staff as well as the teens.”

The strong connections she made prompted her to immediately apply for a full-time position working with the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

“I loved doing that, and I just love TOP in general because it’s a really great program. I’m so passionate about working with teens, and to be able to do that direct work is just exactly what I wanted. I love group work, and I love individual work, and it had everything that I could have wanted from a first job out of grad school.”

Since then, she’s worked within both TOP and Teen Connection Project (TCP), and in the summer of 2022 moved into her current role as the Director of TOP.

Gabriela Bronstein
Director, TOP, Wyman Staff Since 2018

“I really see myself as a support to teens. I’m just there as an assistant to help them grow; to help them think through things and figure out who they are, and to figure out how they can use these skills now and into the future.”

“I love the organization and I love what I do. I just really love the students. I love hearing what they have to say, having deep conversations with them, and really helping them be able to explore their own thoughts and identity. We’re able to have conversations that they might not be able to have elsewhere.

What sets Wyman apart is the relationships. We view the student as a whole person, and we want to support students in any way that we can. By being in the school building, being a partner we’re really one with the school. Not all partner organizations get to do that. But this is where we work, we know the schools. We’re here every single day so students can always come talk to someone. I think that’s a great part of Wyman.”

In her current role, Gabriela also gets to see how much Wyman does within the community. “We provide evidence-based programs that we know work and have positive outcomes for students. By Wyman being a part of the community, it expands opportunities for teens across the St. Louis area. And provides them with new experiences and support in the moment and in the future as well.

I really see myself as a support to people, and a support to teens. I’m there as an assistant to help them grow. I’m there to help them think through things and figure out who they are and what they want to think about and how they can use these skills now and in the future.

I have a lot of love for the organization and teens and the staff I work with. I would say Wyman has helped me grow as an individual, both professionally and personally. It’s just really supportive and relationship based, which makes the work culture a place you enjoy showing up to every single day. If you feel good, you know that you’re going to show up in a good place when you’re facilitating with students.”

Nannette Anthony
Wyman Counselor, 1940s

“The Dillon philosophy of small group living was the greatest social change during my eight years at camp. It also contributed the most to relationships, and self-esteem became as important as country space and fresh air living.”

I was a counselor in the 40s and watched Wyman develop into a true outdoor environment.

In 1940 camp looked like a turn-of-the-century resort with picturesque, white-painted cabins in a row, linked by a cement sidewalk to hold back the muddy hillside. The children thrived in the out-of-doors. The camp inspired donors, volunteers and leaders to give over 100% in their efforts to help the needy children, and the spirit of giving became the heart of Camp Wyman.

Morning and afternoon campers lined up behind signs to choose activities individually. Some of these activities were Pets (play with white mice), hikes to the cave or to the fire tower, crafts, fire building (and cooking potatoes in the ashes). The campers found security in a non-threatening environment of no busy streets by day and only stars and insect songs at night. Adj (Adjutant) Dillon, a school principal in winter, was my camp leader in the 40s decade.

The Dillon philosophy of small group living was the greatest social change during my eight years at camp. It also contributed the most to relationships, and self-esteem became as important as country space and fresh air living.

Here is where our children developed self-discipline. Instead of individual choices for activities, the cabin of eight campers now moved as a family. They chose activities together, worked and played together. They learned the fun of being a contributing part of a unit; the counselors learned just as much. Dillon’s encouragement sent many a counselor on to higher education.

The counselors learned more from Eddie, a practicing social worker, as they prepared at training sessions. She emphasized how camp was an extraordinary opportunity since it put children in a positive 24-hour environment with good role models.

Camp was always adventure. Campers were encouraged to sleep out under the stars after creating their own campsite, but one time the sleepout group was caught in a torrential thunderstorm. Extra staff had to hike up the hill to rescue the little campers as they literally slid down the flash flooded gulch, rushed them to the hot showers of the swim pool for a 3 am cleanup and dry out! Another time a group returned at high noon from a hike to find their exit blocked by a huge rattlesnake coiled in the sun. Their girl counselor, Mike, carefully chose a large rock, threw it mightily and killed the varmint!

Counselors were nurtured, too. The democratic spirit made lifelong friends, and most staff returned yearly. Rest Hour alternated leader’s care; substitute counselors gave each leader a half day off a week. Night snacks were a big favorite where the discussions were almost more favored than the food. Once a session we enjoyed Counselors’ Night Out where the Dillons drove us to a neighboring small town and all cheered the cowboy movie, chomped the popcorn and then devoured fast food at Steiny’s.

During her final semesters at UMSL, Kristin was searching for a practicum to finish out her social work degree. A fellow grad assistant who had worked with Wyman introduced her to the organization. “She was like, ‘Oh I love Wyman, I really love their cause and what they’re doing.’

Kristin immediately hit it off with her interviewer, and ended up spending two semesters with Wyman as a practicum student. After that, she was hired as an admin for the Wyman Leaders program, and in 2019 transitioned into her current role as a persistence coach.

“Through all of these positions, I’m learning about Wyman. I got to know the program, the mission, and the ins and outs of what we do.”

“I feel like it’s been a full circle of me knowing what Wyman is and what we do as a whole. When new people come on they’re like, what does Wyman do? And I’m like, how much time do you have?”

Kristin Wheeler
Wyman Leaders Persistence Coach, Staff since 2018

“I was a first generation college student, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was just digging in the dark trying to figure it out on my own. I’m really excited to now be in this role and be able to do this for these students – because I went through the same thing.”

Kristin didn’t initially see social work as her career path, but now couldn’t be happier about the work she does. “I always had a really strong desire for the persistence side because I had such a rocky road when I was going through college. I was a first generation college student, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t know what scholarships to apply for, or that I had to apply for FAFSA every year. I was just digging in the dark trying to figure it out on my own. I’m really excited to now be in this role and be able to do this for these students – because I went through the same thing.”

Kristin sees the impact of her work constantly in the successes of her students, and is proud of the relationships she has with them. “It’s not just about coaching for school or college, It’s personal too, because maybe they don’t have a support system that they can just chat with about what’s going on in their lives. For them, I am one of those supports and I want to make sure I’m there for them.”

She also sees her role in persistence at Wyman as a unique opportunity. “College access is a big deal for a lot of organizations, let’s get these students to college! Then they get there and it’s like, good luck! But there are still a lot of obstacles. I hope my impact is that I’m supporting them from that point. My hope is that they graduate with a degree that gets them somewhere beyond the life that they are used to. I want them to know that is possible. You matter, your education matters.”

Tim Kjellesvik
Wyman Staff 2002 - 2018

“The teens get that you actually care about them and you know them. you’re not just the after-school person that is going to be there for the semester. For a lot of our students, that’s so important and rare in their life.”

Tim Kjellesvik worked his way through a lot of positions within Wyman over his 16 years on staff. He was hired in 2002 as the Associate Summer Camp Director and a few years later became its Program Director. When the Teen Leadership Program (now Wyman Leaders) was developed in 2010, he became Director and about six years later transitioned to Director of Special Projects, working in east St. Louis on several contracts with the United Way. His last role was in 2018, with Wyman’s Wrap Around Services in the Normandy Schools Collaborative.

Tim saw a lot of programming evolution in his time with Wyman. “The last summer of the historic Camp Wyman happened under my directorship in 2004.That was a really bittersweet summer because we didn’t have any inkling until the very end that that program was going to end. It was definitely bittersweet to see something that had been around for so long come to an end, but those changes brought in a lot of capacities and opportunities for the young people we served, including resources around college access and persistence.”

That new level of persistence was one of the biggest benefits during Tim’s time with the organization. “The teens get that you actually care about them and you know them. You’re not just the after-school person that is going to be there for the semester. For a lot of our students, that’s so important and rare in their life.

You can be very real with students when you build that time and show up day after day after day.”

After the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014, Tim and the Wyman staff stepped up to provide service to the young people in that community. “Me and a couple other Teen Leadership Program Directors went up to Ferguson and we picked up about 15 of our TLP kids because their schools were shut down. We wanted to provide them a safe engaging place while they couldn’t do anything else, instead of being shut up at their homes – and not knowing if they would have been in danger being at home. So, we brought them out to camp. I think we did that for two or three days until they got the school situation figured out.”

As Wyman continues to evolve in its service to young people, Tim knows that its roots as a camp and utilizing a camping experience will always be at the heart of the organization. “When kids are in that environment, they learn to take and navigate responsibility and they learn to navigate social situations. When you’re building relationships in that context, those relationships are so much more meaningful than most other points in their lives. And I think that’s kind of the heart of what Wyman will always be.”

An August, 1940 feature story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch showcasing the experience of a Wyman camper.

Leila Brown
YLC Member, Wyman Leaders Class of 2024

“You can’t support the youth if you don’t know what they want. Or if you don’t listen to them. It’s important for young people to know that your opinion isn’t just an opinion. You can turn that opinion into action.”

Leila has been involved with Wyman since seventh grade at Ferguson Middle, where the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) was being offered. “I had a pretty good impression of Wyman because of all the things we were doing in TOP. After that, my mom was really adamant about me joining Wyman Leaders because it was a college preparatory program. I was hesitant because I was shy and you had to write an essay and interview, but overall I knew it would be something beneficial to me.”

Now, Leila has been participating in Wyman Leaders for several years and credits the experience with becoming a more confident individual.  “As a result of being with Wyman, I have become more socially confident. I have moved around a lot in my life, and because of that it was nice to have Wyman and see the same people in the same events for an extended period of time. And you really have no choice but to get to know these people!”

In addition to participating in TOP and Wyman Leaders, Leila is also a founding member of the Youth Leadership Council (YLC). “I decided to join YLC because I know that I have the capacity to make a difference in the world. There are so many injustices and it would feel strange for me not to do anything about them.

In YLC, we’ve participated in trainings and met with legislators, which I never thought I would do, but it’s so cool that I got to do that. I’ve had so many eye-opening experiences and I think it’s important for me to do this work right now and as I progress in my life.”

“You can’t support the youth if you don’t know what they want. Or if you don’t listen to them. It’s important for young people to know that your opinion isn’t just an opinion. You can turn that opinion into action.”

Leila is now utilizing Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program (MOCAP) to finish their high school coursework. “When I graduate high school next year, I want to either pursue psychology or environmental studies. I want to either try to benefit the environment or understand how the environment affects people. I want my career to revolve around people and how their minds work.”

During their time with Wyman, Leila has found their voice and is grateful for all of the experiences over the years. “I think what makes me is my experiences. I like to be really grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the impact that they have had on me.”

I’m Art Korn. I was here first as a counselor in 1939, back when we had both boys and girls in camp at the same time. And then in 1942 I returned as an assistant maintenance engineer. And the first vivid recollection was the fire, when the mess hall, dining hall burned down in 1939. And a number of the counselors responded, they all tried to put out the fire, they tried to drag out anything that was salvageable, or moveable. And my friend Carl Schlesser had his hand burned on a hot timber. And after we got all this stuff out, we had no place to use it. And one of the things we had, was an excess of applesauce. In the (execution?) sized cans. Well Mrs. Hawkins who ran the laundry at the time, couldn’t see that go to waste. And the cooks couldn’t stand it either. So we moved back up one of the hollows and Mrs. Hawkins threw it in a copper kettle. And we dumped all that applesauce in that kettle, got the necessary spices and sugar, and we made apple butter. We had apple butter coming out of our ears when it was all over, but we saved everything. But, a lot of great memories, a lot of great people that I met there. Family, staff, counselors.

Art Korn
Former Counselor, 1939 Assistant Maintenance engineer, 1942

“The first vivid recollection was the fire, when the mess hall, dining hall burned down in 1939. And a number of the counselors responded, they all tried to put out the fire, they tried to drag out anything that was salvageable, or moveable.”

Bill Kloppe
Outdoor Education and School Camps, 1948 - 1977

“This experience helps children gain social maturity. But most important of all, we think by the time the sixth graders have finished their week here, they’ve slowed down from a run to a walk and are looking at their environment through new eyes and with new understanding.”

William “Bill” Kloppe was an educator who worked for decades in the Webster Groves School District, as both a physical and outdoor education instructor. In 1948 he was the Director of Outdoor Education for the school district and began collaborating with Wyman to develop a licensed school curriculum of nature study. This project would become the Outdoor Education Program, a mainstay of Wyman, Webster Groves, and many other area St. Louis School districts for the next 75 years.

During the first season of the Outdoor Education Program, sixty children came for two weeks in the spring. The Webster Groves School District brought out entire classes at a time, including teachers, to stay on site for a week. Kloppe would organize conservationists, astronomists, geologists and other experts to come out and talk to the students. As described in a newspaper article at the time, “Rather than having classrooms, the pupils are taken on short hikes and the expert points out living examples for his lecture.”

According to Kloppe, one of the added benefits of the camping trip is that for many children it’s the first time they’re away from home, their first experience at group living with others of their age, the first time they have as much responsibility for their own and others’ welfare.

“We feel all of these things help children gain social maturity. But most important of all, we think by the time the sixth graders have finished their week here, they’ve slowed down from a run to a walk and are looking at their environment through new eyes and with new understanding.” said Kloppe.

It has since been used by many of the other major school districts in the St. Louis area, and has been duplicated with similar programs in Ladue, Parkway, Kirkwood, and other school districts. In the late 1960s, Kloppe mentioned in an interview that Clayton and University City School Districts also have had similar programs for many years and the Lindbergh District recently initiated one.

In 1967, Kloppe, along with George W. Brown (superintendent) and Liz Matheny published a Manual of Nature Activities in Outdoor Education and School Camping for Webster Groves, Missouri, a copy of which resides in the Wyman Archives. It includes guides and activities on topics like forest ecology, plant and animal identification, and on-trail activities for increasing awareness and appreciation of our outdoor environment.

Bill Kloppe directed and managed the program until his retirement in 1977. That same year, the weather station he had installed years ago at Camp Wyman was dedicated to him. It still sits on the north hill behind the dining hall.

Alexis has been involved with Wyman since she was 12 years old, starting as a participant in TOP and Wyman Leaders. “Throughout my trajectory in Wyman I was offered a full ride scholarship to Missouri State University, and while I was there I ended up working summers for Wyman doing postsecondary tours and some internship work. Any way that I could find to squeeze myself in Wyman’s nooks and crannies and help out young people and the organization’s mission, was something I was super passionate about in college. When I graduated in 2019, I was offered a full-time position at Wyman as a High School Support Coach on the Wyman Leaders team and then I transitioned to my current position as a Persistence Coach in the summer of 2021.”

She notes that her involvement with Wyman changed her life in middle school. “I am a child of a deaf and disabled adult, so the primary language we spoke in our household was sign language. I didn’t really know myself outside of helping my mom. Wyman gave me a place to let go of those responsibilities and really be able to accept childhood for what it is, be able to have fun, release all my worries, and develop into who I am.”

Alexis Creamer
Persistence Coach and Wyman Leaders Class of 2014

“I didn’t really know myself outside of helping my mom. Wyman gave me a place to let go of those responsibilities and really be able to accept childhood for what it is, be able to have fun, release all my worries, and develop into who I am.”

Before Wyman, Alexis says she was a quiet, shy teenager. “It really helped me to find my voice and helped me discover that advocacy was something I was super passionate about – because I was already doing it for my mom on a daily basis. I felt so thankful to be part of a program that accepted me and gave me a wider range of opportunities that I would have never had.”

That first summer at camp, Alexis remembers being pretty scared at first. “But I had such a great counselor – Nutty-Buddy. She was the sweetest and helped me to dive into my confidence that first year. I think what really stuck out to me was how she tried to make us feel comfortable. She knew that we were in an uncomfortable environment, that for a lot of us this was something we’ve never seen. So she made sure that we got to know each other and wrote down our norms for our cabin. Her ability to make us feel like we were home, even though we weren’t was something that stood out.”

“The more that I came to camp, the more I also did community service and internships. I felt so passionate about making sure that other people had the same experience that I had. That other young people who come from situations that are really difficult know that that’s not all that there is to life. And there are people who are helping you and are willing to help you see the other side of it. And I think it just lit this fire in me and so it was like, no matter where I go, I am going to be a voice for people and I’m going to create spaces where they can come together and lean on each other and grow. And I had to come back and work at Wyman. Because being around young people is something that feels really amazing. They just have the whole world in their hands, and sometimes they don’t even know it because of their circumstance. And you can be the person that helps them see that.”

Sue Depigian
Camper, 1940 - 1944

“I remember talking my cousin Charlotte into signing up for all day hikes if I promised (which promise I rarely kept) to sign up for crafts the next day. Come to think of it, Charlotte still hates walking and I still hate crafts.”

Sue Depigian – memories of Camp Wyman:

White cabins
Blackberries

Capture the Flag

The lookout tower, up the hill, behind the dining room

The mysterious and tree-lined road that was at the foot of the lookout tower. (I always wanted to walk down that road. I wonder, every now and then, where it led.)

P.M. camp fires singing Adge’s favorite songs

Learning to swim

Ticks in my hair

Tooth powder

The cave with the imprint on the wall of the indian maiden with long hair

Cabins 12-16 (are the numbers correct?) with a bridge in front, and at last being able to stay in them. These cabins were for the “older” campers (ages 10 to 12, or so)

Cabin inspection (and not passing some very often)

Talking my cousin Charlotte into signing up for all day hikes if I promised (which promise I rarely kept) to sign up for crafts the next day. (Come to think of it, Charlotte still hates walking and I still hate crafts.)

Turning in ration stamps

Growing too old to return

Debeaux Bowman first came to Wyman with the Webster Groves School District. “Back then they did camp with elementary schools, as the kids were leaving fifth grade before they went into middle school. Camp Wyman was the first time I ever went to a sleep away camp. I loved everything about it. I loved being there with my friends and I loved having the high school counselors; it makes you feel really cool when you’re a kid and you have teenage friends. And all of the activities were so fun.

As a camper, I learned that I was capable of a lot. We did so many different things at camp, and it was really good to feel all of those different accomplishments.  It was like ‘wow, these are all interesting, cool things I’m learning, and I’m growing,’ and there was this, ‘I can do anything’ sort of a feeling.”

Debeaux then returned to Wyman as a counselor in high school during their senior year. “I was helping with the sixth graders. I really enjoyed the counselors when I was at camp and so I wanted to be that counselor for a new generation of kids.” That year, the cabin Debeaux oversaw experienced a fire – an experience that had a strong effect on them. “At the time it was very scary, but going through that really solidified my bond with those campers, and really showed me that I’m as strong as I thought I was. It definitely shaped me into the person that I am today.”

Debeaux Bowman
Former Webster Groves Camper and Counselor, Wyman Staff since 2022

“My goal is to make sure that everyone enjoys the outdoors and feels comfortable out there. I want them to feel like they can be a part of our natural world, and then also that feeling that they can do anything they put their minds to.”

Now Debeaux is back again, working as a program facilitator. “And I’m having an absolutely great time.

When I graduated from college this past May, a Wyman job posting popped up right at the top of my screen. I wasn’t really searching for a job at that point, but in that moment thought, ‘I can’t not apply for this job! This is such a perfect opportunity for me, and I can’t imagine doing anything else now.’ I love the team that we have at Wyman. It’s a really good group, a really good environment, and I’m loving the people.”

As a program facilitator, Debeaux works directly with campers and other groups who come out to Wyman and enjoys helping them connect to nature and their community. “My goal is to make sure that everyone enjoys the outdoors and feels comfortable out there. I want them to feel like they can be a part of our natural world, and then also that feeling that they can do anything they put their minds to. Whatever they want, they can achieve.

You get so much from interacting with the world outdoors and camp has such a sense of community and support. I think that is so important. Not everyone comes from a background where they have such a great support system. Being somewhere where you’re just unconditionally loved and supported by other campers and the counselors can really boost their confidence and show them that they can do anything. They have all of these people in their corner that are rooting for them.”

Greater St. Louis Kiwanis Clubs
Wyman Supporters since the 1940s

From the 1940s – 1970s, Kiwanians often participated in volunteer days out at camp. Each cabin sported the name of a Kiwanis Club that agreed to sponsor and maintain it.

The Greater St. Louis area Kiwanis Clubs are one of the longest standing contributors and partners to the Wyman Center. Since Kiwanis Chairman Harold Duffy visited Mr. Tillery at Camp Wyman in the 1940s, the St. Louis Kiwanis Clubs have sponsored Wyman’s facilities and programs.

In the early 1950’s, the camp’s financial condition was suffering, and staff were often paying for supplies themselves. Financial losses after WWII made the camp’s future uncertain. Kiwanis Clubs from across the region joined forces to raise funds, build new buildings, serve on the board, and provide ongoing maintenance. Without their contributions, Wyman could have quickly run out of funding and fallen into disrepair.

Members of several area clubs led the effort to enroll the clubs as sponsors of Camp Wyman. According to Kiwanis records, about 1,200 Kiwanians agreed to pay $1 per year to the camp association, and around 30-40 local clubs became sponsors of Camp Wyman.

From the 1940s-1970s, Kiwanians often participated in volunteer days out at camp. Many recall these volunteer days as being focused on maintaining the camp cabins. Each cabin sported the name of a Kiwanis club that agreed to sponsor and maintain it. Clubs from around the region had cabins or sponsored campers.

In addition to volunteering, Kiwanis Clubs raised funds to construct camp buildings and landmarks, including Catfish Lake, the Health Lodge, modern cabins, and the Council Ring.

The list of clubs who have supported Wyman over the years includes Bridgeton, Hampton/Midtown/Tower Grove, Kirkwood, West County, Georgana, Spanish Lake, O’Fallon, Southside, Gravois, University City/Clayton, Downtown, Maplewood, St. Charles, St. Clair/Union/Washington, and Midtown.

The dedication of local Kiwanis Clubs was honored in 1979 when Camp Wyman officially changed its name to Kiwanis Camp Wyman. This remained the organization’s name until the late 1990s when it was changed to Wyman Center to reflect the evolution of Wyman’s mission to include both camp and youth development programs. At this time, a board resolution was approved to honor the historic relationship with Kiwanis, naming the campsite as Kiwanis Camp Wyman until 2003. Additionally, Wyman’s address was changed to Kiwanis Drive, and remains so today.

Read more about the Kiwanis Clubs’ and Wyman’s history in our blog post here!

The Wyman Leaders program was not an immediate sell for my daughter. I remember telling her, “This seems awesome, they’re going to follow you and give you a great mentorship, however you’re going to have to sacrifice your summers.” She was so against it until she actually started participating. And then I couldn’t stop her. I wasn’t moving fast enough to get her to all the activities and classes she was doing over the summer.

I questioned it at first. My daughter has been at schools, with other organizations where she’s just been a number. She was the minority in the room. I thought, this is another organization who just needs her so they can get more funding. But at Wyman, she’s a human. She’s a mentor, she’s being mentored. She’s successful.

Overall she loves to respect herself. She has standards that I know I didn’t have at sixteen. And she’s very proud to own that. She’s always volunteering, she’s always helping people. A lot of the things she likes to stand up for are things that were untraditional to us. She taught us about like the LGBT community, and now we’re on the same team, championing for them as well. I have grown because of her. She’s always keeping us connected and she’s always giving back and helping.

Queenie
Wyman Leaders Participant Parent

“Wyman has the sauce. I wish they could expand all over St. Louis because there are not enough people doing what they are doing.”

Wyman is a once in a lifetime opportunity for hands on contact and a support system that has proved itself time, and year, and class, and school after school. I advocate for it all the time. If you need boots on the ground support for your child, not just academically but personally, it’s a one stop for that. I preach about it all the time.

Wyman has the sauce. I wish they could expand all over St. Louis because there are not enough people doing what they are doing. The mission they had from the beginning is still showing up every single day. I don’t know how they do it.
So what do I say about Wyman? I say why not. Why not Wyman.

Na'Myiah
Wyman Leaders Class of 2023

“The program is about more than just education; it’s about how to interact with people that have different backgrounds from you. You get opportunities that most kdis dream about, and I feel like with that comes a sense of community.”

I was first introduced to Wyman Leaders in 6th grade, and at first I was hesitant to give up my summer. Then I created a family and I met new friends – even those that go to school with me. The program is about more than just education; it’s about how to interact with people that have different backgrounds from you. You get opportunities that most kids dream about, and I feel like with that comes a sense of community. It’s long lasting, too. Our coaches make sure that we’re able to keep those relationships and that they don’t fade away.

I always tell people who are hesitant: it’s not just focused on academics. They’re giving us time management skills, advocating skills, and the skills to feel more confident within ourselves and the decisions we make.

School was always hard for me growing up. I would feel discouraged most of the time. Having Wyman coaches that want to be there to help me really changed my mind-set about so many things. After being in the program, I have goals and aspirations. I know what colleges I am interested in and what they have to offer. Wyman has helped immerse me in so many different opportunities and now I know what to do. I used to think, ‘who cares about school?’ but now it’s my main goal.

The staff at Wyman are going to make sure you get things done, but they also give you that compassionate, fun side. That loving side. They want to see you succeed, but at the same time want to see a smile on your face when you walk through school. It’s relaxed and allows me and my peers to be ourselves and feel like we’re in this welcome environment without being judged.

Now, I want to go to college and become a marine biologist and baker. I can’t wait to graduate college and come back and pour into my community and Wyman.

My name is Carl Schlosser, I’m from Belleville, Illinois. And I was there 1937, ‘38, ‘39. When I first came out here, Jack Morris was in charge of the program. He invited me to come down in 37, I was the only male counselor here at the time. It was quite a bit of fun, and we always enjoyed it. Everybody always enjoyed coming down here. This was the first time I’ve been back since I was a counselor in ‘39

(Interviewer: So it’s changed quite a bit since you’ve been here) Oh, it’s changed a whole lot since I’ve been here. You’ve added more building, and you used to have a barn back in the back where the maintenance shed is, and that used to be a, more recreation and our, if it rained and our crafts and arts, that’s where we had all that, everything we that did that was done inside, it was done in the old barn. But it’s gone, too. It’s, just about everything’s been changed around here.

Carl Schlosser
Counselor, 1937 - 1939

Terrance 'T Bone' Brown
CWE Program Manager, Staff Since 2002

“I cannot think of anything better for me. Seeing a lot of the teens, former campers out there doing amazing things, that’s all I want. That’s all I hope for.”

Terrance Brown got involved with Wyman by “complete accident” in 2001. “I was supposed to be a staff member, but somehow things got mixed up and I arrived the same day as the campers. They told me they could drop me back off with my aunt, or I could stay. And I was like, well I’m here!

At the end of that summer they asked me to come back the next year, and I was like yeah, I would love to. Being in a place where I was able to learn so many new things about myself and the experience I had with all the staff members, was like oh I definitely want to share that with other people. I had strong ties to people who had been complete strangers, and that’s amazing to me.”

T Bone came back as a camp counselor and group leader, working with the youngest group of Wyman campers at the time. Now over 20 years later, he is a Program Manager on the Camp Wyman Experiences team.

“I’ve stayed at Wyman for so long because I met a lot of amazing people – staff members and campers – who I’m still friends with today.”

“I loved the phrase, ‘be the change you want to see.’ For me it was about being a positive influence that the campers can see – like, ‘Oh this is a person who has it together, or is a nice person, and maybe we can be like that.’ That was one of the things I strived for.”

T Bone also loved the bonding experiences at camp that built trust and strong relationships between the campers and their counselors like sneaking out of the cabin to watch movies in the dining hall or the rafting and canoeing trips.

In 2009 there was an open year-round position at Wyman that involved T Bone becoming the Team Leader for the Wyman Leader Treks. “I didn’t want to lead people! I was nervous to have it all ride on me. But the other Wyman staff said, ‘We’ve seen how you lead groups and lead people. We see that you can do this.’ It was a lot of learning, but I did it.”

T Bone sees his position and presence at camp as a way to make campers more comfortable with the experience and with spending time in nature.

“Throughout all my years, there haven’t been a lot of people of color who have worked in this position. There have been some, but they move on. There’s not a lot of exposure. Campers of color come out and see, oh man, there’s a person that looks like me, and they’re in the woods, they like the woods and they say the woods is fine.

My family still says, ‘I don’t see how you still work in the woods. I couldn’t do it.’ I think, it’s nature, everybody needs nature and should spend time out here.

I had a conversation with one of the campers not too long ago. And he’s like, you’re still at Wyman? I said, I cannot think of anything better for me. I could think of other things, but I don’t think it would make me as happy. Seeing a lot of the teens, former campers out there doing amazing things, that’s all I want. That’s all I hope for.

What a thrill for these children as they boarded the train and enjoyed a train ride, some of them for the first time in their lives. Trucks and private cars awaited them when they got off the train at Eureka, to take them to the camp. Arriving at the camp most of them were hardly out of the trucks before the playground apparatus was filled with happy children. Some of them had already discovered the lazy little creek and were making plans for dams and miniature lakes on which to sail boats.

Soon the big bell on the Assembly Hall tolled and all the children trooped into the hall. Here they sat with attentive ear and listened to the necessary directions for their life at camp. Then they were off to their cabins, where they were assigned their beds and changed into the farm clothes. By this time they were ready for lunch. Proudly they marched in straight lines into the large dining hall, where they all said grace together and attacked the wholesome food with a good will. Cabin mothers and counselors were kept busy refilling their plates. At last the big bell tolled again and the little girls were off to the swimming pool. Here they splashed, floated, swam, belly-flopped, and even dived a little, with nothing to fear because a counselor was always near.

A Camper Experience
1935

“There were many great people out there who took part in the planning for camp to be possible. Those staff members were guardians in the best way. We knew that they cared about and respected each one of us.”

After supper little knots of children eagerly played games under the leadership of the counselors. Enthusiastic races, circle games, relays, dodge ball, baseball, and volleyball contests were going on everywhere on the campus.

As the shadows of evening were lengthening, children gathered into larger groups and listened to stories of the adventures of famous characters so dear to the imaginations of young children. At the sound of the big bell, the children again gathered in the assembly hall. After learning the camp song, a few comical songs and one or two folk songs, the children went to their cabins to prepare for the night.

Next morning after breakfast all the children wrote letters home to their parents or guardians, letting them know that they arrived safely.

The day after letter-writing the hikes begin. Both boys and girls explore the wood. The trees assume real identities with names that distinguish one from the other. Plain yellow flowers become black-eyed Susans. Long-stemmed weeds with white flowers come to be known as yarrow and Queen Ann’s Lace, with a real dignity and beauty of their own.

As the hike progresses a little boy out in front spies a little animal nestled in a tree. Excitedly he calls out, “Oh, look at the rat!” He learns differently, however, for what he thought was a rat is in reality a baby chipmunk. In the high grass a rabbit hip hops across the trail and everyone is excited. Up in the deep woods a long, black snake slithers hurriedly across the trail. Down on the other side of the hill ferns in abundance are seen and several of the hikers dig them up to plant around their cabin when they get back to camp.

During the morning and afternoon periods, the children pursue crafts and projects of their own choosing, under the guidance of the counselors. Some of them do pottery work, woodwork, leather and string work. Still others are interested in taking lessons in swimming, building towers, making nature books, and modeling puppets. Others are interested in campcraft and putting out a camp newspaper. How proud the children are of their articles in the craft exhibit on the last night at camp.

Eric Hillgren
TCP Specialist

“At Wyman, we’re not just an island. Working in the community and in schools provides so many different benefits, and you get a sense of community through working with all those different partners.”

 

After earning his undergraduate degree in Social Work and serving in the Peace Corps, Eric moved to St. Louis and began his job search. As he started exploring his future career path, Eric considered what he could see himself doing long-term. “I wanted a career where I was going to be able to give my best and get a lot from. Social work and working with youth was that path for me.”

Eric didn’t initially plan to work for a non-profit, but “Wyman just kept on coming to the top.” So, in 2019 Eric started at Wyman as a Teen Outreach Program (TOP) Specialist, working with 7th and 8th graders at Brittany Woods Middle School. He immediately began to enjoy the unique position of being a TOP facilitator working within the school itself. “At Wyman, we’re not just an island. Working in the community and in schools provides so many different benefits, and you get a sense of community through working with all those different partners.”

Eric recognizes that “Middle school is no stranger to life’s complexities. I think back to my experiences, and it set me on a path with the friendships that I built, the people that I was around. That’s why I feel like it’s important to work with middle school students – trying to build memorable moments in community. Whether that’s a family community, a classroom community, or a school community.”

Eric is now a Teen Connection Project (TCP) Specialist at University City High School with Wyman and continues to develop community and support opportunities for youth to grow around the St. Louis area.

“The impact I hope to have is to help teens build memorable moments. I find value in looking back at those memorable, transformative moments from my own life; and I want to help students build those moments for themselves- and watch them learn and grow from those moments and make them transformative. That’s what the people around me were able to do, and I want to be that person for others.”

Going to Camp Wyman was the highlight of my life back in the 1930’s. Both my sisters and my brother went to camp whenever the occasion presented itself. I grew up believing that I was privileged to go to a wonderful place like Camp Wyman. To actually go swimming every day in a real pool.

How I remember the dining hall and all of the wonderful meals we enjoyed. Those hot biscuits and meat every day. I don’t remember just what all the menus were, but I do know that that was the most delicious food I ever had.

The great thing about the dining hall was the large frame over the director’s table. It was covered with fringed paper and had cords attached at several places so that it could be pulled back and forth, thus keeping pests from bothering the diners.

We were always awakened early in the morning. We slept well the night before on straw filled mattresses. To the outhouse and the cold water to clean up and brush our teeth. The aroma reaching out over the camp brought out the chow lines. All dressed and ready to eat and enjoy all the experiences that made our stay, the times so pleasant to us.

Mary Hartmann
Camper, 1930s

“There were many great people out there who took part in the planning for camp to be possible. Those staff members were guardians in the best way. We knew that they cared about and respected each one of us.”

There were the early morning hikes, waking up and hurrying to dress and off we would go. Out in the woods on a trail and girls wore dresses, if I remember right. We never had jeans. Also I seem to remember the tales of snakes. I don’t ever remember seeing one snake there. Then the best of all, that wonderful breakfast out in the open. No food in the world tastes that good.

The playground was such fun. It seems to me that it was the best I’d ever seen. We really enjoyed making up games to play there. I remember making objects and crafted treasures.

After supper, we had the flag ceremony, then we gathered in the pavilion, there we sang songs, had plays, and other good times.

There are many great people out there who took part in the planning and provisions for all that to be possible. Those staff members were guardians in the best way. We knew that they cared and respected each one of us.

I must have been about 7 or 8 years old the first time that I went. It probably was through Kingdom House, Caroline Mission. Later on I went with Taussig School and Council House. The last time was about 1939.

That train ride is such a biggie in my past. The only time that I ever rode a train until I was grown. The train was met by large trucks and we rode out to camp while jostled and getting used to the rugged time ahead. After assembling, we were greeted by the staff, assigned to our cabins and House Mothers. We were instructed on the schedules of the days ahead and about bathing and teeth brushing.

I could never forget that there were people out there who cared about little children living in dirty cities and would not have the opportunity to experience such a wonderful vacation. I have always felt gratitude for all this and for all of the kids who still benefit from this program.

Kiera
Wyman Leaders Class of 2025

“Before Wyman I was a kid that was focused more on their work. Now I’m more social,, talking to my friends during class, too. Being in Wyman has been awesome.”

Kiera joined Wyman Leaders at the end of 7th grade and was immediately excited to participate in the program – even the time she’d be spending at camp. “I was totally good with the three weeks away. I went to camp that first summer and I loved it. We weren’t able to go overnight, but it was still so much fun.”

The Wyman Leaders program supports teens as they develop life skills and strong connections through powerful, transformative, and fun experiences. For Kiera, these opportunities and experiential interactions with her peers have given her more confidence and enjoyment in social situations.

“I’ve never really had a problem in school: it’s more the social interaction. I’ve had more social interactions through Wyman than I have in the past few years for school.

Before Wyman, I was a kid that was focused more on their work. I’d still talk to my friends after school and before school, but I mainly tried to focus on my schoolwork to get the best grades I could. Now I’m more social, talking to my friends more during class, too.”

“Being in Wyman has been awesome, I love it. I tend to avoid social interaction, but I enjoy doing it at Wyman – with people I know and the people I didn’t know.”

Kiera joined Wyman Leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic so she especially enjoyed the in-person activities available with her Wyman team. “I enjoyed when we go outside to the parks. The year before that everything was over Zoom. We’d have a box delivered to our house of supplies that we’d need. It was fun though. Zoom isn’t my favorite thing, but it was still enjoyable.”

Since middle school, Keira has enjoyed helping out with her school plays and would like to pursue a career in costume design. Now attending Fox High School, she continues to enjoy the Wyman Leaders program and is looking forward to attending a 7-day post-secondary tour this summer.

Camp Wyman is childhood memories that will always be with me. Being from a poor family, we couldn’t afford the luxuries of life. I attended St. Peters Episcopal Church for several years when a child. They are the ones who sent me to Camp Wyman.

Those were the best days of my life, the hikes, swimming, songs, and evening gatherings.

On one hike our leader took us into a very small cave. She taught us a song while in there. I don’t have the faintest idea of what the words (or tune) is but I still sing it once in a while to little tots, the best I can.

Not sure, seems like the leader was a lady named Ruth Bedell. There were trees near the little cottages we slept in and one night one girl cried most the night and kept the rest of us awake. She was afraid of a funny noise outside. It was an owl. She wanted to go home so they called her mother to come get her. There was a song we sang almost every evening “Out at Eureka Farm we’re happy all the time”. I am 75 years old but I still think of the good times at Camp Wyman.

Pearl Noble
Camper, 1929

“Camp Wyman is childhood memories that will always be with me. I am 75 years old but I still think of the good times at Camp Wyman.”

Jalen Mathis
Wyman Leaders Class of 2018, YLC Member

“Wyman showed me that the more you believe in yourself, the more limitless you become. And the more limitless you become, the more success you’ll see in life.”

When Jalen Mathis was introduced to Wyman in seventh grade, the experience was a little daunting. “The first things we did were a 10-mile hike and canoeing; things I’d never imagined doing. My first thought was, oh my gosh, will I survive? But I was really inspired to be part of an amazing program like this.”

After graduating high school in 2018, Jalen returned as a camp counselor. “Going from a camper to counselor is a full circle moment. As a camper, I looked at my counselors to lead me. When you become a counselor, you start to realize the amount of patience you need when you’re dealing with the development of young people.”

In 2022, Jalen graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in business finance and is currently working at Boeing in Revenue Management. His recent move to Seattle is one of the biggest challenges Jalen has faced. “The environment was less diverse and it was hard for me to connect to people. I didn’t quit was because I knew that I could create a sense of community and be a change agent.”

“As a Black man no one ever educated me on life beyond a degree. I think the degree was always the ceiling. Once I achieved that, it felt like I was stepping into a bigger world and was stripped of everything that I once knew. I have to be patient and learn how to navigate this professional world and communicate effectively in those spaces while also bringing more to it. Even in spaces where I’m surrounded by other leaders, I still find ways I can contribute and add value.”

Jalen has seen a lot of personal growth since joining Wyman, particularly in how much he believes in himself. “Wyman really lit that internal flame and showed me that the more you believe in yourself, the more limitless you become. And the more limitless you become, the more success you’ll see in life. I have a lot moments of gratitude, because I think, wow, I never imagined being in this place when I was young. I never imagined I’d be graduating from Morehouse and moving to Seattle, being in these new environments.

Now, Jalen is a founding council member of Wyman’s Youth Leadership Council, a group of young people focused on sharing ideas, creating solutions, and putting those solutions into action. “I decided to join YLC because I wanted to bring more change within my community.

I want to create a better life for the generation that comes after me and continue to help people. “

“Being able to sit at the table and know that we as young people have a voice and can continue to be advocates for the entire community of young people is huge. Understanding how to navigate and work with professionals and legislators is a big advantage we’re gaining.”

“Wyman allowed me to feel even more confident to try new things and go for whatever goals I have. It makes you see the world in a different lens when you have a support system in your corner that wants to advocate for you and wants to see you succeed; and that’s not an opportunity a lot of people get. Wyman never forced me to be a specific person; they allowed me to grow into who I needed to grow into. But they always made sure I was comfortable and had whatever I needed to succeed. I’m grateful for Wyman indeed.”

Price Schulte was born in 1908 in Eureka, MO and knew about Wyman all his life. He came to work at Camp Wyman as a maintenance person for the Tillerys just after graduating from Eureka High School in 1927.

He wrote to Camp Wyman in 1991 and recalled building the permanent cabins on “Cottage Row” (1920 – 1928), painting buildings, running the deep well pump, attending the camp’s 5 reservoirs, and maintaining the swimming pool. Price was also at the scene of the dining hall fire in 1938 and helped with the resulting clean-up.

Records of Price’s maintenance hours were found in the Tillery’s papers from the 1920s and 30s. They recorded some of his summer job activities including putting shelving up in the laundry; cleaning the pool, shower room, and dressing room; “digging leak at new reservoir;” installing a drinking fountain at the dining hall; and more.

Price Schulte, along with fellow maintenance workers Alfred Jefferes, Preston Pauls, and Buell Manhanke was able to perform any and all maintenance tasks needed around camp.

Price Schulte
Wyman Staff, 1920s

In Eddie Dillon’s personal recollections in 1981 from ‘Fresh Air & Love’, she remembers:

The Tillerys, their son Risdon, and his friend, Price Schulte (who worked on maintenance with Risdon, under Mr. T’s supervision), and the Boys’ Program Director all ate at a special table with a white tablecloth and did have some food different than that served everyone else…All the tables for everyone were similar except that the Tillerys used a long dining room table.

Marnae Chavers
Wyman Leaders Class of 2010, Current Board Member

“Any time you’re put in an environment that’s brand new to you, it comes with challenges. Wyman Leaders taught me to think outside the box. It was the first time I was faced with having a growth mindset.”

Marnae’s first summer with Wyman Leaders in 2004 wasn’t her favorite experience. “My entire first year I was sad and upset. I was homesick, and I did not want to come back the second year.” But her mom made sure she stuck with the program. “I wasn’t a happy camper, and I did not have a good attitude about it. But I saw the benefit once I was actually in it. My perspective now that I’m older and looking back on what I learned and experienced is much different; it was extremely valuable for me.”

“Any time you’re put in an environment that’s brand new to you, it comes with challenges. Wyman Leaders taught me to think outside the box. It was the first time I was faced with having a growth mindset. It was one of the first times where I couldn’t talk my way out of something, and I had to be ok with being uncomfortable to get the job done. That affected the way I showed up in class and in college and even now, because of that group work I did back then.”

Marnae admits it took a while, but she learned to enjoy the experience by her third year. “I did love the activities I was exposed to. I loved zip lining, I loved canoeing. For my second Trek we did a 5-day canoe trip. I loved it because I felt extremely accomplished and very free.”

In the fourth and fifth years of the program, college visits replaced camping trips, and helped Marnae envision her ideal school. “Those helped me to see exactly where I wanted to go for college, it helped me to prepare. And I ended up graduating from one of the schools we visited.

Wyman helped me to be comfortable with being away from home. And the experiences encouraged me to do new things in college, like study abroad. I also remember, I had a camp counselor who meditated. I didn’t know what he was doing back then, but now I meditate regularly and I’m a yoga teacher. Seeing him do that at the time, it made me more open. That exposure to different experiences, places, and people, it affected my trajectory.”

Through Wyman, Marnae also built lifelong friendships with fellow campers and counselors. “I met my very best friend there. We came back as counselors, we went to college at Mizzou together, and both of us have now joined Wyman’s Board.” Marnae hopes that by being on Wyman’s Board today, she can contribute with her own experiences and help guide the process to make the leaders of tomorrow more well-rounded.

“From a 14-year-old perspective, I was going away to camp. My pre-teen mind wasn’t aware of the intangible gifts I was getting, and I wasn’t paying attention to the soft skills I gained. You never know how the skills and experiences that happen while you’re at Wyman will come in handy in the future.”

My memories are riding the train and finding there was a world outside of the city. I was raised in the areas of Henry school on 10th street. I didn’t know that the outside had a river and lots of trees – I thought O’Fallon Park was all there was.

When I got to Camp it was like a world all its own. I loved it and cried when I had to come home. The cabin, swimming and crafts were all new to me and I loved it all and the people who were so good to us kids. And when a poor kid is given a different look at the other side, I loved it, to this day I think about the camp with fond memories.

Thank you.

Eva Lockwood
School Camper, 1927

Annie Philips
Director, National Network - TOP

“I hope I have an impact to help young people grow into their potential. I hope I’m helping people become strong, confident versions of themselves, whomever they are and whatever they have to bring to the community and the world.”

When Annie Philipps was at St. Louis University getting her Bachelor’s in Social Work, she met Wyman’s Allison Williams at an internship fair. Annie said, “Allison was so friendly and just seemed like she would be great to work with.” Annie had some experience in youth work and was originally looking for an internship with a different age group, but meeting first Allison, then Wyman’s Near South Side team, led her to accept an opportunity with Wyman.

Her internship started in September of 2001 in Wyman’s Near South Side office. Annie loved the “awesome community” in the Near South Side, and as she went on to earn her Master’s in Social Work, she continued to work part-time, in after school programs, summer day camp, and community programs.

In 2006, Annie took a full-time role with Wyman in the Teen Leadership Program, which would later become Wyman Leaders. She was part of residential camp, college tours, and ongoing work with youth and families.

Annie says, “I’m so grateful for my time with Near South Side and Wyman Leaders. It was a privilege to work with the youth and families and to watch youth grow into amazing young adults. I have so many memories of sharing both incredible moments, like milestones and celebrations, and ordinary everyday moments, like singing and laughing on a bus ride. My time in those programs really shaped me and is such a part of the person I am today.”

In 2009, Annie joined the newly created Wyman Institute, working closely with Claire Wyneken on what would soon become Wyman’s National Network. Over ten years later, Annie is still working with the National Network and has loved the experience of fostering its growth. “It has been amazing to see organizations all over the country, with all of our similarities and differences. It’s been incredible to meet so many passionate people and learn about so many different communities. Every year it grows and changes and there are always pieces that are new, different, and really interesting.”

Nowadays, you can’t talk to many people at Wyman without one of them mentioning the impact Annie had on their career and professional journeys. Annie has inspired many of her colleagues and Wyman Alumni to pursue degrees in social work, even mentoring some of them through their degrees and internships.

“I hope to have an impact to help young people grow into their potential. I hope I’m helping people become strong, confident versions of themselves, whomever they are and whatever they have to bring to the community and the world.”

The first thing I remembered was the train ride to the camp. We were about 6-8 with a counselor in each little cabin. The open spaces, the fresh air, the swimming pool, the old cave we explored on the front of the property, the fun each nite as the staff put on shows. I think the couple in charge of the camp was a Mr & Mrs Tillery. The food was so good & I helped in the dining room pulling a board with cut news paper, & received a small plastic purse when I left. Got a swimming patch <W> for the front of my suit. I attended 2 – 3 years? & one time my brother came, Jerry E. Murray. I know all the people who came to that camp enjoyed it. I know I did. I was an inner city child. I often think as I get older how fortunate I was to get to Wyman. Thank you.

Nina M. House

Nina Murray House
Camper, 1924 - 1926

“I know all the people who came to that camp and enjoyed it. I know I did. I often think as I get older how fortunate I was to get to Wyman.”

Crystal Smith
Director, National Network - TCP

“I am confident that this organization will always have a way of providing and serving young people; however that looks. I expect there will continue to be shifts in the future as we serve them and our community.”

Crystal’s Wyman story starts when she was a camper, around the age of 12. “Wyman looked very different from what it’s evolved to now. Campers ranged from kindergarten up to high school, with a large population of young people in the foster care system.

I came back every summer and as I got into my teen years, Wyman started its CIT opportunity where older campers had a chance to be counselors. When I graduated high school, I was like, ok, well I’ll just spend my summer before college at camp, because that’s what I do. And then it just stuck!”

Crystal was with Wyman through its programming evolution in the 1990s and 2000s, and as a result participated in a wide variety of programs. She was a counselor for Camp EDI (camp for young people with diabetes), Camp Coca-Cola, she went on Treks, and she spent two summers at the Summer Adventures program in the Near Southside.

Crystal then took a break from Wyman for a few years, but one day Allison Williams called to invite her back for a new after school program, called 5-Star. “That was my first experience with the Teen Outreach Program (TOP).”

Crystal ended up working with TOP in her programs at Compton Drew and Normandy, and in community events that included parents. “The parents learned so much from TOP, too. They were then able to apply it to their parenting and how they communicated with their kids. It was a really cool way to see that progress.”

In 2015, Crystal started working with Dr. Joe Allen in the development of Wyman’s new Teen Connection Project (TCP). “I definitely feel passionate about the program. I think it’s exactly what people need as a whole, and the teens have echoed that. It also addresses how our young people are experiencing the pandemic, thinking about the isolation and challenges with their social relationships and peer dynamics. What a great time for this program to be utilized; I would love if we could get as many young people to experience the program as possible.”

In 2018 Crystal transitioned into a role with Wyman’s National Network, and in 2023 became the Director of the National Network Teen Connection Project.

“For me the National Network was the ideal circumstance. I have such a sense of history doing TOP, implementing TOP, and knowing what TOP looks like in a variety of environments.”

After helping Wyman evolve throughout the past 25 years, Crystal is confident the changes and adaptations will continue. “I am confident that this organization will always have a way of providing and serving young people. Providing opportunities to them or to the community, however that looks. It was a big adjustment for us to move into a focus on adolescents; but we shift and things work, so I expect that there will continue to be shifts in the future because as an organization we want to do our best to serve our young people and community.”

Dominique has been excited about Wyman Leaders from the start. And since participating in the program, she’s gained the confidence to try and do so much more than she ever imagined. “I’m really glad I’m doing it. It’s been really fun. I loved the first activity we did after I joined. We had to write a positive quote on the sidewalk: it was just so good, it was creative stuff that I never really thought to do.”

Due to COVID restrictions, Dominique didn’t have her first summer out at camp until 2021. But through that experience, she quickly learned that she enjoyed being outside and hiking. “It’s shocking! Because I’m not an outdoors person. I’m not gonna lie, when we went to the summer camp it had me outside more than ever before.” She was also surprised to learn she liked hiking and target sports. “I kept going up to see if I could do it; that was my favorite thing to do.”

“The first day of camp no one wanted to talk to each other. It was so awkward on the van ride that I put on earphones. We started doing team building exercises and there was this one with numbers on big pieces of paper. We had to count 1 to 30 and press on the numbers with our feet. People started yelling, it’s right there by you, it’s right there! And they got us more comfortable with each other. I feel like that’s what we needed.”

Dominique
Wyman Leaders Class of 2025

“We all love the staff. My coach was my go-to person. I’d text her and she’d text me right back, no matter what time it is. She was always there for us. They all were.”

The rest of the year, the support she gets from Wyman staff is something Dominique feels every day. “My coach is my go-to person. I text her and she texts me right back, no matter what time it is. She is always there, and the rest of the staff too. I can go to them anytime.

Dominique is confident that skills like this will allow her to reach her goals. “I think Wyman has helped prepare me to achieve my dreams by helping me become more outspoken. Before, I was really shy; even if someone asked me a question directly, I wouldn’t speak out. And I don’t think I could achieve my goals by continuing to be so shy. Wyman has helped me find my voice and encouraged me to participate in new opportunities.”

Melvin 'Adj' Dillon
Executive Director, 1942 - 1965, Wyman Staff 1932 - 1965

Adj was known as a leading educational reformer over the years because of his innovative work as an educator and camp director. His influence so deeply touched the lives of counselors and staffers that many became educators or worked in public service

Melvin “Adj” Dillon was a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in Education and Philosophy. His career at Camp Wyman began in 1930 as the Boys’ Program Director, where he introduced more camping activities to the program, including cook-outs and overnight sleep outs.

In 1932, he and the Girls’ Program Director, Eddie Beal, began collaborating on a critique of the program. They followed this critique with a proposed program of their own, which stressed democracy, group dynamics, personal development, and love and concern for the children; all promoted within the context of an outdoor camping program.

Eddie remembered, “ Adj was the first to look at the program and begin questioning what was being done and making suggestions for improvements. He had many years’ experience in Boy Scout and YMCA camps. Prior to his coming, there had been ‘nature’ hikes and occasional craft projects, but he succeeded in introducing camping activities and replacing the almost total free-play with organized and directed activities.”

In the summer of 1936, Adj decided he had made as much progress as he could at the time and stepped away from Wyman. He took a job as Business Manager at Camp Sherwood for three years, and married his former co-worker, Eddie Beal, in 1939. During this time, he continued to work as a teacher and then principal of Affton Junior High.

In 1942, new President Marquard Braun re-hired Adj as Executive Director of Camp Wyman, a post he held for the next 25 years.

As Director, Adj Dillon raised money, did the administrative work, trained, and supervised the summer staff. Sacrifices were commonplace for the Dillons and typified their dedication to the camp. In the 1950s, Adj and Eddie made hundreds of speeches and presentations, working seemingly endless hours all over the St. Louis area. Newspapers of all kinds wrote articles about camping and counseling by Adjor announcing some visit to or from the camp to drum up interest.

Adj was known as a leading educational reformer over the years because of his innovative work as an educator and camp director. His influence so deeply touched the lives of counselors and staffers that many became educators or worked in public service. Long before the national craze for outdoor education, Dillon and other local innovators were teaching a course in “Camp Leadership” at St. Louis University in the early 1940s. The Camp Wyman school camping program began in 1949 with the Webster Groves School District and has been duplicated with similar programs all over the St. Louis area.

With his wife Eddie, the two pioneered the transition of a fresh air country outing experience to that of an organized camping program that developed character and taught principles of democratic living and environmental ethics.

Adj became ill with emphysema and died in September 1966, after a lifetime of generous devotion to others and to Camp Wyman

Jared’s first experience with Wyman happened when he was in middle school at Ferguson, where they offered TOP to 7th grade students. “They told us about the program and it sounded pretty cool so I signed up.”

He enjoyed it so much, that when he learned about Wyman Leaders he was eager to apply for that program as well. Since joining, Leaders has introduced him to many new friends and experiences. “They open you up to new opportunities that some people will never get. It’s a great program. We may have to work hard sometimes but it’s beneficial. We have a lot of fun together.”

Jared
Wyman Leaders Class of 2024

“Wyman has helped me uncover that I can do anything. I can go to college, or anything else I want to do!”

Jared will graduate in 2024, and is already excited for the future. “I want to go to college and actually do something with myself. I’m not sure what I want to do yet, I just know I want to graduate high school and go to college.

Wyman has helped me uncover that I can do anything I want to do. I can go to college, or anything else I want to do.

Other teens should join Wyman if they can. They’ll get an opportunity that they can’t get anywhere else.”

And Jared is excited to perhaps come back to Wyman and help pay the experience forward. “I want to come back to work or volunteer with Wyman. I want to help other teens like me when I get older.”

Eddie Dillon
Executive Director, 1966 - 1974, Wyman Staff 1928 - 2000

“It was in those first summers, amidst the fresh air and sunshine of the rolling Ozark foothills, in the company of so many lively young people of character, high ideals and compassion that I found my life’s calling; to work for the well-being of children.”

“Throughout the region and the nation there are camp directors, educators, social workers, parents and people in every profession imaginable, legions of people, who count themselves fortunate to have worked with and been touched by Eddie Dillon.” – Dave Hilliard

Edmonia ‘Eddie’ Beal (later, Dillon) arrived at Wyman as a counselor in the summer of 1928. She was joined by her sister Fran and several friends from Washington University. “It was in those first summers, amidst the fresh air and sunshine of the rolling Ozark foothills, in the company of so many lively young people of character, high ideals and compassion that I found my life’s calling; to work for the well-being of children.”

After being promoted to Girls Program Director in 1932, Eddie and the current Boys Program Director, Melvin ‘Adj’ Dillon worked together to transform Wyman from a ‘playground in a country setting’ to a camp that focused on outdoor skills, camping and character-building activities.

In 1935, Eddie graduated from Washington University’s School of Social Work and immediately got to work “helping people and trying to bring about change.” She experienced the beginning of the Welfare System and was Chief Child Welfare Advocate for the Children’s Aid Society. Eddie became a case-worker at the County Office of the Children’s Aid Society (now Provident Counseling), and then went on to establish the case work program at the Protestant Home for Children (now Edgewood Children’s Center).

After being promoted to Assistant Supervisor of the County Office of Family & Children’s Service, she was transferred to the City Office and promoted to Chief Child Welfare Consultant. Meanwhile she had married Adj Dillon, and again became involved with Wyman when he was hired as the camp’s Executive Director in 1942. In 1946, after a long-time secretary retired from the organization, Eddie retired from social work at the height of her career to help the camp by filling the vacated position.

The camp’s financial support was very unstable, and Eddie kept taking on one camp-job after another to keep the camp running. Eddie worked as Adj’s assistant in all areas, doing bookkeeping, secretarial work, and supervising the kitchen. From the 1940s – 60s, while supporting Wyman, Eddie also worked with St. Louis University, Washington University, Harris Stowe College and the American Camping Association to prepare college students for service in youth camps, classrooms and social services.

After Adj’s death in 1966, Eddie was appointed Executive Director of Wyman. Eddie now recruited and trained staff, recruited campers, made speeches to raise money, prepared budgets and continued to manage the kitchen. Sixteen-to-eighteen-hour days were normal for Eddie over the next six or seven years.

In 1972, Eddie was able to hire an Assistant Director, David Hilliard. Now with better resources and new support for the camp, Eddie began to bring many plans and dreams to completion. Under her direction the summer camping operation was expanded, outreach programs and preschool programs were established, and the camp began to be winterized.

With confidence in Dave Hilliard’s leadership, Eddie Dillon set up a five-year plan during which the two would swap positions. Even after this, Eddie would not stop working. On the eve of her retirement Eddie conceived and launched the region’s first camp for older adults. in 1976, she became the Co-Director of the Craft Program and Director of the Senior Citizen Program. She remained involved with Wyman as Director Emeritus until her passing in January 2000.

Eddie’s relationships and life of service linked three centuries of Wyman’s history. She touched countless lives through relationships built while serving in every capacity possible at the organization. Along the way, she established the values of excellence in service, commitment to best practices in youth development, commitment to staff training and development and adherence to the hightest standards for health, safety and administration that are hallmarks for which Wyman is recognized around the world today.

Prudence and Price Tillery came to St. Louis from Columbia, MO, where Prudence had earned her degree in education at the University of Missouri. She quickly became concerned by the lack of opportunities available to children in St. Louis, and hearing from her brother-in-law George Roth of an opening at Wyman, Mrs. Tillery became the Hostess (what would now be considered Director) of the camp in 1902.

She persuaded her husband, Price, to take the position of Manager at the camp in 1906. A house was built for them on the grounds the same year. While Mrs. Tillery worked at camp during the summer, Mr. Tillery stayed year-round managing the business and property. During the school year, Mrs. Tillery taught 7th and 8th grades at the elementary school in Eureka and later served as principal.

Mrs. Tillery kept the books, wrote the rules, and personally hired and trained staff members. During the camp’s formative years, her ideals were codified in her annual ledgers. She followed a consistent, orderly program which consisted mainly of games, swimming, daily worship, and occasional hikes.

Prudence & Price Tillery
Hostess, 1902 - 1938 & Manager, 1906 - 1947

Prudence and Price Tillery guided Wyman through the first era of its operation. Together, they left behind a legacy of deep concern for the campers and an insistence on a disciplined program, providing the camp with an excellent foundation on which to build and grow.

Mrs. Tillery retired from camp in 1938 at the age of 70. Mr. Tillery, however, stayed on for almost a decade longer, continuing to supervise the maintenance work of the camp.

During that time, Mr. Tillery furthered his legacy at Wyman by quietly convincing the St. Louis Kiwanis Clubs to sponsor Wyman in the 1940s. Kiwanis Chairman Harold Duffy apprehensively came out to camp one dreary winter weekend and found no one there except Mr. Tillery and a dog. Whatever Tillery said to Duffy, it worked. Mr. Duffy simply said, “He really sold me – and I sold the Inter-Club Council.”

Mr. Tillery worked steadily on, until the very day of his death in 1947. On that day he did a full day’s work as usual, closed the office, and went up to the house and passed peacefully away at the age of 86. After he passed, Mrs. Tillery continued to return to camp in the summers.

Prudence and Price Tillery guided Wyman through the first era of its operation. Together, they left behind a legacy of deep concern for the campers and an insistence on a disciplined program. It was a policy that provided the camp with an excellent foundation on which to build and grow. They helped found the deep tradition of loving care for others that is so obviously a part of Wyman. Their relationship to the camp is finely expressed by the motto they placed over the guesthouse mantelpiece that still sits on site, now in the Health Lodge:

“Welcome Ever Beckons
Farewell Goes Out Sighing”

Doug Archibald, Sr.
Senior Director of Finance, Information Systems and Capital Improvements

“Somewhere around 6th or 7th grade teens start to find their path. I want to be able to help these young people achieve their potential. What in the world would be more satisfying than that?”

Doug Archibald, Sr., first learned about Wyman through his daughter when she came home from North Kirkwood Middle School talking about how her class was going to 6th grade camp. “I just thought, that’s the coolest thing ever,” Doug remembers. He started talking to her teachers to learn more about the opportunity and asked if all students get to attend. “And the answer was, well, we want everybody to go, but there’s a cost.”

Doug and his wife didn’t hesitate and became anonymous donors for other students at the school. “We wanted to help support students but did not want to be a part of picking them, nor did we necessarily want anybody to know about it. We just thought that going to camp was a great thing, and everyone should have the chance to go.”

Two years later, his son also attended 6th grade camp at Wyman. “The day we came to pick my son up from camp, we found him at Catfish Pond with a fishing pole in his hand. We asked him, ‘Hey are you fishing?’ And he said, ‘Well, sort of. About an hour ago, I caught a fish, and a hook went through his eye and hurt him really bad, so I’ve just been fishing without bait for the last hour, so it looks like I’m fishing.’ And he’s still that guy today.”

Now, Doug Sr. has returned to Wyman as the Director of Finance. Doug says the alignment between Wyman’s mission and his own visions for young people are the main reason he was drawn to the organization.

Over the last 15-20 years, Doug Sr. has often been in conversations with friends or family that led to the question, ‘What would you do if you won the lottery?’. Doug would share, “I do like boats, so I admit I would own a very large boat. But the most important thing I would do is start interviewing middle schoolers looking for young students with great potential. My wife and I have raised two children, and somewhere around 6th or 7th grade something important happens. Teens start to find their path. And in a lot of cases, social and economic situations can be barriers. I would want to be able to help these young people achieve their potential. What in the world would be more satisfying than that?”

In 2021 when Wyman was looking to fill his current position, Doug was recommended for the job. “Claire invited me to an interview with Wyman, and I didn’t clock it exactly, but it took me somewhere between two and four minutes to fall in love with Claire and the organization. The leadership team is amazing – everybody’s extremely kind.”

And well, “I didn’t win the lottery yet, but we’ve got a whole organization of people interviewing 8th graders. So I’ll just help do it that way.”

Norma Yerger’s first position at Wyman was as a counselor (at the time called ‘entertainers’) in 1923 and 1924, when organizations around St. Louis sent boys and girls ages 6-12 to the camp.

Counselors were recruited from local colleges and Norma remembers that like her, most of her colleagues were Washington University students. They were also all women. The counselors would meet the campers at the Central Railroad Station in downtown St. Louis and ride the train with them to Eureka. Each group of 200 children would stay for 2 weeks, and afterwards the counselors would ride back with them and pick up a new group of campers for sessions all throughout the summer.

In a letter sent to Wyman in 1984, Norma reminisced about the daily jobs for counselors, including taking campers on nature walks and watching them play baseball or on the playground equipment in the afternoons. Counselors ran crafts, put on plays, or led group singing. There were about 12 for each session, and they were assigned certain hours each day to lead activities or watch defined areas around camp. The counselors stayed in separate help quarters, a large cottage with 2 double beds in 3 large rooms.

Norma Yerger
Assistant Director and Counselor, 1923 - 1929

“Most of us were Washington U. students. I loved the whole experience very much. In fact, as a result, I took up social work. I was going to do away with poverty!”

In 1928 and 1929 Norma returned to Wyman as Assistant Director to Mrs. Tillery. She recalls that as Assistant Director she had the fourth room in the help quarters all to herself as she was there for the entire summer. Her responsibilities were now to supervise the counselors, plan activities, take groups back and forth on the train, inspect cottages, and generally help the director keep camp running smoothly.

Through activities at Washington University, Norma met a young man named Melvin Dillon. It was through her that he first came to Wyman in 1930 becoming the third Boys’ Program Director at camp. Norma was also Mrs. Tillery’s Assistant when Edmonia Beal (later Eddie Dillon) first came to Wyman as a counselor. Eddie herself has said that Norma was a great influence in bringing her into social work, along with her other experiences out at camp.

As a result of her time at Wyman, Norma took up social work studies at Washington University. She received her bachelor’s degree from the institution in 1929.

Over the years Norma Yerger received many letters and invitations from campers, which she donated to the Wyman Archives in the 1980s along with her personal recollections of the camp. She kept photographs, newspaper clippings, jokes, skit lists and other records of her activities while at Wyman in hand-made photo booklets, some of which were also donated to the archives.

Mary Wickes
Counselor, 1927

Mary Wickes was a camp counselor at Wyman in the 1920s, who many campers remember for the roles she played in the evening skits. She went on to become a famous acress, known for her extraordinary career on Broadway, in film and television.

Mary Wickes was born Mary Wickenhauser in St. Louis, MO, in 1910. Growing up, she attended many different area schools and graduated from the newly built Beaumont High School in 1926 at age 16. Mary then attended Washington University, studying both English literature and political science.

In 1927 she came to Wyman with several of her friends from Washington University as a counselor for the summer camp. Campers recalled her enjoyable performances in the staff plays, particularly her recurring role playing the giant in “Jack and the Giant Killer”.

Besides her acting roles at Camp Wyman, Mary also performed in St Louis community theater in all-women productions from 1927 to 1929. From 1929 to 1934 she performed in productions at the St. Louis Little Theatre.

Mary graduated from Washington University in 1930 with her Bachelor of Arts Degree. Though she had originally planned to pursue a career in law, a favorite professor encouraged her to give acting a go. She went on to have a successful stage, film, and TV career spanning 61 years.

Her first Broadway appearance was “The Farmer Takes a Wife” in 1934 with Henry Fonda. After years on Broadway, she started acting in Hollywood movies, including “The Man Who Came to Dinner” (1942), “White Christmas” (1954), “Dennis the Menace” (1959), and “The Music Man” (1962).

On December 19, 1949, in a one-hour live Studio One in Hollywood presentation on CBS, Mary Wickes originated the role of Mary Poppins.

Mary was also a common face on television in the 1950s and 1960s. She was good friends with Lucille Ball and guest starred in The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy, and I Love Lucy (including episode, “The Ballet”, playing Madame Lamond). She also earned an Emmy nomination for her work on The Gertrude Berg Show.

Mary continued acting into her 80s, with roles including “Sister Act” (1992), “Little Women” (1994), and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), which was released after her death in 1995 at the age of 85.

Mary was known for her killer comedic timing, excelling at both farce and dry wit. Her star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame was inducted in 2004.

To learn more about Mary and her St. Louis roots, visit UMSL’s digital exhibit “In Character: “The Life and Legacy of Mary Wickes” or visit the library in person to view the Mary Wickes’ papers.

Jason Rose started college planning to go to medical school, but quickly pivoted to outdoor education when he learned it was an option. “I realized that I could major in something I was really passionate about, and that was the wilderness, the outdoors, going to camp and working with youth.”

He made his way to Wyman in 2003 through a southern Illinois summer Trek experience, taking campers backpacking, camping and paddling. “We had teens going out camping for the very first time ever. We’d bring them into southern Illinois, which is jam packed full of bugs and giant spiders and coydogs” The kids just had a tarp and a sleeping pad for the night. “It was a pretty intense Trek, and a tough challenge. That was my whole summer. I’d go on a trip, come back, get a day off, and then the next day we were resetting for the next trip then gone again for a week. I cycled through that for the summer and loved every minute of it.”

Jason came back to Wyman the next year for an internship working as a team leader, helping to plan and execute the first Trek trips out west with third year Wyman Leaders. He then stayed on as a seasonal employee and spent the next summer leading the same Treks, doing activities like backpacking and white-water rafting.

Jason Rose
Director of Site Services, Staff Since 2003

“Everything that Wyman does is rooted in what started here at camp. It has influenced everything else, it’s part of all that Wyman is.”

Jason became a full-time staff member in 2005, working with year-round and summer camp programming. He is still heavily involved in planning and scouting the Leaders’ treks each year, and loves finding new and challenging experiences that bring out confidence in program participants.

During his job search, Jason looked at other camping programs in the area, but none of them could compare. “There are other camps in the area but none quite like Wyman that have the same opportunities or are doing this caliber of programming.”

Jason met his wife, fellow Wyman employee Jillian Rose when they were both working summer camps through the organization. The two have such a connection to the Eureka property that they got married there in 2008, and even lived on site together for several years.

Though Wyman has grown its reach over the years, Jason still sees camp as an integral part of the organization. “

Mary Eichhorst
Camper, 1920s & 1980s

Mary first came to Wyman as a summer camper in the 1920s, and returned in the 1980s for Senior Camps

Transcribed from Mary’s own account and memories, written in 1986

The first time I came out we came by train from Union Station. A horse and wagon with straw took us out to the farm – later a truck was used.

The swimming pool was on the side of the hill and the floor of the pool was covered with tin. The girls wore tank suits and the boys in their birthday suits. The girls dressed behind a wooden wall. The boys learned that they could watch by sitting on the hill and looking down as there was no roof.

The girls’ uniform were tiny dark blue and white checkered gingham dresses, and the underwear was made of the same material – a one piece suit with a drop seat. The boys wore overalls and blue denim shorts and no underwear. The laundry was done back of the old dining hall. The clothes were washed and thrown over a wire, never ironed. The clean clothes were given after the swim.

The dishes were made of white enamel with a blue border. The supper every night was boiled fried potatoes, biscuits, milk and Karo syrup. A large wooden frame suspended from the ceiling by ropes with newspaper cut in strips hanging from it was to chase the flies. This was used over the counselors’ table. Whoever had to pull the rope that moved the wooden frame was called a fly chaser. You got to wear a ribbon with a safety pin – a great honor!

The cottages had no electricity or water. The mattresses were made of straw.

Every night there was a program in the assembly hall and after the Lord’s Prayer everybody made a mad rush to their cabins. Since everyone went barefoot they had to wash their feet in the large galvanized tub before they could go to bed. The first cabin to get to bed was notified at breakfast (the nurse made the rounds to check the cottages). The winning cabin got the American flag over their door for the day – a big thing! One night the girls in our cabin didn’t wash their feet and so were the first in bed. We kept giggling about it so much that the nurse suspected something and found our dirty feet.

The last day at camp was held for races. Some factory would donate straw hats for the winners, next time the prizes would be beads. Whatever the prize, to win was a great honor. It was really a great thing to get to go to camp. We stayed 10 days.

The camp song was sung every day;

We’re at Eureka Farm
We’re happy all the day
‘Mid flowers and birds and trees and stream
We laugh and sing and play
We eat like bears and sleep like tops
Gee, but aint it all fine
Here’s to the Farm we love so well
In the good old summer time.

Anisa Reynolds is pretty sure she has been a part of Wyman her whole life. “I think my mother was pregnant with me while she was working at Wyman. So I’ve known about Wyman forever.” She remembers going into the downtown office with her mom, and spending summers with campers. “My brother was also part of the program when he was younger, so I would sit next to him and do activities.”

When she was in middle school, Anisa was nominated for the Wyman Leaders program and successfully made it through the interview process. She has a lot of impactful memories from Wyman Leaders, including Treks to Illinois and Tennessee, and her journey to conquer the high challenge course at camp. “I’m afraid of heights, and I probably stood up there for a good thirty to forty-five minutes, stuck in the one spot because I was so scared. All the other teens came up and jumped, and I’m still stuck up there on the platform.

I tried again the next year. I finally made up my mind like, oh I have to do this, I can’t give up. I’m going to do this today. I think experiences like that are why today, no matter how small or big the task or goal is, I refuse to give up; I refuse to quit. I am going to accomplish everything I set my mind to.”

Anisa Reynolds
Wyman Leaders Class of 2016, Post-Secondary Access Coach

“Wyman introduced me to so many things. It changed me as a person in a good way; it brought out who I was. When I joined Leaders I was extremely shy. Wyman pushed me out of my comfort zone, and because of that I’m not afraid to experience anything.”

She’s also grateful for the persistence support she had from her coaches during undergrad. “My coaches were the main three people who helped me through undergrad. It was hard, but they came through for me and helped me out so much.

I don’t even think they realize how much they helped me or were there for me. I was always texting my coaches asking, can I do this, can I use you for that, I need some resources, I need something. And whatever I needed, they provided.”

After graduating from Wyman Leaders Anisa didn’t think she’d come back to the organization. “I came up in Wyman, knew Wyman my whole life, but I never thought about working for Wyman,” she says. But during her time at the University of Central Missouri, Anisa ended up doing an internship at Wyman and a year later she applied for a full-time position. “And here I am today. I love the position. I love working with Wyman. I can tell the people that Wyman hires are passionate about their jobs, and love helping the next person out.”

“Wyman introduced me to so many things. It changed me as a person in a good way; it brought out who I was. When I joined Leaders I was extremely shy. Wyman pushed me out of my comfort zone, and because of that I’m not afraid to experience anything.

I could go on and on and on about Wyman. I am grateful for my experience; I am grateful for where I am today and who I am today.”

Helen Meyer
Camper, 1920s

“We would rush to our cabin and was our feet, then go to bed. We tried to be the quietest cabin and earn a flag to fly the next day. Sometimes we just put dirt in the water instead of washing our feet.”

A Letter to Wyman from Helen M. Meyer, written in the 1990s:

The first time I went to Eureka Farm (it was called in those years) was back in the early 1920s. My brother, sister and myself went together and was part of a group from Boyle Center. Our parents came to visit on Sunday and had my nephew, about 4 years of age, with them. I was swinging and he ran in front of the swing and acquired a nice big lump on his forehead. Naturally, he cried, and so did I. I wasn’t satisfied until I went home with my parents. Mrs. Tillery, the director, told me if I went home I could never come back. I didn’t care. I went home. In 1927 I went back for 3 years in a row. I guess my name was not on the black list.

Some of my memories follow:

The train ride to Eureka and then by truck from town to the Farm.
Hikes to the cave.
Two pieces of stick candy after supper and you made it last as long as possible.
Skits performed by camp counsellors.

The very, very cold water in the pool.
The staff member called “Miss Sugar” who seemed to be chief staff member.
The clothes passed out, dress and some type of undergarment for girls, overalls and a shirt for boys. You got clean clothes twice a week.
The creek where we waded and looked for petrified rocks.
Cows in the meadow above the creek, licking a block of salt.
The boys going on a hike and killing a snake and at lunch saying the spaghetti we had looked like the insides of the snake. Quite a few kids left the table.
After the performance and the night prayer rushing to our cabin and washing our feet then going to bed, getting real quiet, trying to be quietest cabin and earning a flag to fly the next day. Sometimes we just put dirt in the water instead of washing our feet.
Boys in the sandpile putting sand in their trouser legs and not being able to stand up. That was a sight.

Those were the days, and I can still laugh about them.

P.S. In 1950 I would up teaching Physical Education and Driver Education at the old Eureka High School. On days when we could not use the gym nor be outside because of mud on the field, we would walk (gym classes) down the road to the entrance of Camp Wyman. That was a good workout for the kids and the teacher.

Allison William’s Wyman journey began when she was in St. Louis University’s undergraduate social work program. “I was looking for employment with young people for the coming summer. One of my friends, a woman named Julie (Tellez) Cleveland, had worked at Wyman in 1992 and suggested I try it.” She ended up spending that summer at Wyman, working with teens in the Morning Star program. “I had never started a fire before, never set up a tent. And this was all an adventure-based program. I had to learn how to canoe, how to cave, and how to run a high challenge course. And use these activities to create amazing camp experiences for young people. But it was wonderful. It really clarified for me the amazing growth that can happen when you set up the right kinds of supports and opportunities for young people.”

After that first summer, Allison returned to Wyman as Assistant Director of Summer Camps. But not long after she moved to Boston to get her graduate degree in social work. She remained there for several years, working in children’s residential treatment. “The experience solidified that I wanted to do proactive work – getting into the side of the work where we are pouring into young people to build their skills and help them create the opportunities for themselves. So, I called Claire up to see what possibilities were at Wyman, and made the decision to come back in 1999.”

Allison Williams
Senior Vice President, National Network & Strategic INitiatives, Wyman Staff since 1993

“My first summer with Wyman was wonderful. It really clarified for me the amazing things that happen when you set up the right kinds of supports and opportunities for young people.”

Since returning to Wyman, Allison has held many more positions in program development and implementation. “I laugh that I’ve probably had probably 13 different roles since then. I’ve been fortunate that with Wyman, there was always the next challenge, the next opportunity.” She helped direct Wyman’s first foray into program evaluation, and documenting outcome and impact. She then went on to support the Community Connections team in the Near South Side of St. Louis City, and was part of the team that developed what is now Wyman Leaders.

And in 2009, Allison was a part of launching Wyman’s National Network. “We knew that Wyman could only impact so many youth in our direct service programs. But we were great trainers and had this wonderful evidence-based program in the Teen Outreach Program. We wanted to use that to support other organizations who were doing similar work with young people, and expand our impact by scaling the program through partnerships.”

Today, Allison is fortunate to focus on Wyman’s national partnerships, support research, learning, and innovation efforts, and strategize ways to center camp experiences. Allison’s early experiences at Camp Wyman continue to hold a special place in her heart – and it’s where she met her husband, Kevin, working as camp counselors together.

“I had never experienced another place as impactful and special. A place where I know so many people have life changing experiences. It is the place where the sense of belonging and community and connection and caring and relationships that carry across all Wyman programs started.”

Ralph Ward
Camper, 1925 - 1928

“I knew where the Elberta peach trees were… Mr. Tillery caught us. He said, ‘I see you found my peaches. Take them to Mr. Gray and we’ll have peach pie for supper.'”

My name is Ralph Ward, I was a camper here in 1925, late June and early July for ten days. I went to camp here in 1926 for the same amount of time. In 1927 my mother had a job as a cook in the kitchen and we stayed all summer. And in 1928 we stayed all summer.

We were brought out here by train to Eureka, put on a straight bodied truck and brought out, and assembled in the Assembly Hall. The Assembly Hall was a large building with a porch on three sides and the side that didn’t have a porch on it was the walkway for the cottages. The tent faced the Assembly Hall, to the left was the boys’ cottages, there were ten of them, they had space for ten campers and a mother. And on the right-hand side they had ten cabins, and they had space for ten girls and their mothers. We assembled there in the morning and then marched over to the dining hall to eat. We ate at big, long tables, and we either had oatmeal or corn flakes for breakfast. And if you wanted something more, they always gave you some bread with some syrup.

In the afternoons we always had two sessions in the swimming pool. Then we gathered at the Assembly hall in the evening and they would have some announcements and then they would have a kind of a show. In 1927 when we were here we had a very large girl counselor by the name of Mary Wickenhauser. And since we were here for all summer, every time they had a new set of campers they did Jack and the Giant killer again, and Mary would always play the part of the giant. And she turned out to be the Mary Wickes of the movies and of the TV. So that was one of the people that was a counselor that went on to be somebody else.

The years that we were here for all year they would have two and a half days, and Mr. Tillery would always gather us up, and it was only about eight or nine of us that were staying the whole summer, and he would show us around the barn. And they had ducks and they had chickens and he made sure we understood how corn grew and tomatoes grew and the potatoes grew and the carrots. Foods that city people with brick sidewalks didn’t understand or didn’t know.

I knew where the old Elberta peach trees were, right up behind the swimming pool, this was across the road and up the hill, and I took the girls up. And the girls those days, they got a gingham dress and gingham bloomers, with frills on the bottom. So in 1928, things were not the way they are now, and we went up there, the girls held out their dresses and we filled them with great big Elberta peaches and of course Mr. Tillery caught us right behind the swimming pool on the way back and he said, I see you found my peaches. He said, take them to Mr. Gray and we’ll have peach pie for supper.

Most of Claire Wyneken’s childhood years were spent involved in Girl Scouts and the Fort Wayne Youth Theater. “These were my two great youth development experiences, and some of my best role-models for working with people and for leadership.” These positive experiences led Claire to work at summer camps every summer from age 18 through college, and plan to study theater and communications. Her early college years were spent at Wittenberg University and finished at Purdue, shifting her studies to environmental geography and outdoor recreation management.

In 1987 Claire arrived at Wyman in Eureka for a 3-month stint teaching the spring, school-based Outdoor Education Program.  After that, she was asked to stay and help run the summer program. “That was my introduction to Wyman’s mission. I just completely fell in love with everything about it, with the youth, the staff, and the mission.” Claire was then offered a position for that fall, running the Outdoor Education program. “And that was that. I’ve been here ever since.”

Claire has been involved in, and at the forefront of many programs at Wyman throughout the years, including the Sunship Earth Program, a camp for Senior Citizens, and the initial design for what is now Wyman Leaders. She has been a camp director, program designer, trainer, program director and partnership leader with area schools and agencies.

Claire Wyneken
President & CEO, Wyman Staff since 1987

“You have to bring new thinking and fresh, different perspectives if you’re going to make this community what it really can be. And that’s a community where everybody has what they need, is able to contribute through their strengths and everybody has an equitable chance to win.”

Claire designed the Camp Caravan Program, which brought formative camp experiences out of Eureka and directly to many students in the region. “We developed a whole program that included environmental science, social emotional learning activities, conflict management, and team building. We outfitted a box truck and created a mobile camp. We went around to schools and neighborhoods and set up camp, running all kinds of programs throughout the region for years.”

One of Claire’s largest contributions to the organization was recognizing the importance of, and securing, the Teen Outreach Program® (TOP®) curriculum. Claire worked as a facilitator and trainer for TOP around the country, and when the curriculum came up for sale, Claire knew Wyman needed to acquire it. What struck Claire about TOP from the beginning was the way she saw young people engage with it. “It was so centered on them, on things that matter to young people. Not things that adults want to matter to young people, but what teens yearn to talk about and work out. There was a lot of attention on creating a strong bond in each group, which was very aligned with how we lead and influence the environment. The other thing I saw is that every staff member that we trained in TOP at Wyman grew in their professional practice. They went from a teaching mode to being great facilitators getting at what youth development truly is. Which is centering on the young person and their developmental needs and helping them to identify and leverage their strengths.”

Claire has had many moments in her journey where she could have chosen a different path, but she always chose to stay with the organization and the St. Louis region. She saw a bigger, more impactful future for Wyman and was an immense part of bringing those changes into the organization. “You have to bring new thinking and fresh, different perspectives if you’re going to make this community what it really can be. And that’s a community where everybody has what they need, is able to contribute through their strengths and everybody has an equitable chance to win.”

Brandi Higgins
Wyman Leaders Class of 2013, Former H.S. Success Coach

“I am hoping that my impact is to build meaningful relationships with teens who know that I’m here to support them in any capacity they need. That they know I truly am a champion for their success, whatever that may look like.”

Brandi Higgins has been involved with Wyman since 2008, participating in Wyman Leaders and spending three summers as a camp counselor before becoming a full-time staff member for two years on the Wyman Leaders team.

She remembers her time at camp being full of new experiences, challenges, and growth. “Everything wasn’t sunshine and daisies. You think about those hard moments, those moments of conflict with other teens or challenging moments when you are met with conflict. But if I could do it all over again I would. I’m grateful for those opportunities and experiences because they impacted the person that I am today. 

You think about those experiences and how intentional they were when creating programming. You don’t think there’s any rhyme or reason to throwing you in this canoe with another kid, but you were in there to practice critical thinking and effective communication.” 

In 2019, Brandi graduated from Missouri State University (MSU) with a degree in Child and Family Development and an emphasis on youth development. She is currently about to finish an MED in higher education at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL). Brandi credits her experiences with Wyman for the path her career has taken. “My journey was unique and it came with its own sets of challenges. I went to college as a cellular and molecular biology major, but it wasn’t for me. Looking back, the supportive relationship that I had with my Wyman coach really helped me understand what I wanted. I like impacting my community and I always knew I wanted to work with people. I knew this is what I wanted to do; I wanted to continue working with youth.”  

She knows how important it can be for teens to have a support system outside of their homes to help them navigate adolescence. “Having a trusting, supportive relationship with my coach – someone who helped me discover who I am and who understood what it was like to be a first-generation college student – was incredible. Through my work, I hope that I am able to impact just one student; to be able to build even just one meaningful relationship with a teen who knows that I’m here to support them in any capacity that they need, and knows I truly am a champion for their success in whatever that may look like. Because I know how important and transformational that can be.” 

“To me, Wyman is magical. Maybe because I’ve spent so much of my life here, but to be able to come back and see teens have the same experiences I had is such an amazing feeling.” 

Frank Wyman was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 25, 1850. A prominent businessman in the area, he held such distinctions as the President of both Silverine Co. of St. Louis, and Scott Drill Co. In 1904, President Teddy Roosevelt appointed him as Postmaster of the City of St. Louis, a post which he would hold until 1909.

In 1901, Frank Wyman was elected as the third President of the Wyman Board of Directors. He is remembered as one of the earliest supporters and champions of the organization because of his impressive fundraising efforts. He secured countless donations which played a large part in keeping the original farm operative.

Frank Wyman appealed to potential donors through form letters which depicted the success of the camp, the great value the experience held for the children, and the significant benefits that donations would produce. Wyman was also careful to stay in touch with past supporters to insure their continued support. Another method he employed to raise money for the camp was newspaper advertising. Such advertising included information about the camp, photos of camp life, and testimonials from the children. Readers were encouraged to donate just ten dollars which would allow one child to attend camp.