This is about half of the story.  The other half is a bit on the life of Cooper.  If anyone reads this story I hope it generates them to tell their story.  Hey boys, maybe we can make a book.

The best reward for working at Camp Waupaca was not the money that was paid for services rendered, but the chance to meet great people there.

Disclaimer: Memories are based on facts that sometimes have been distorted by time. It would be unfair to the people involved to have someone else's name used for an act they performed. So any campers reading this will be able to distort to match their memories.

Wayne H. Towne

My Friend Charles E. Cooper

Charles “Chuck” Copper was the first counselor that I met when I started as a Camp Waupaca counselor. We worked together in the craft shop at the end of the Rec Hall.

Skipper had purchased boxes of new tools for the craft shop and a lot of supplies. The first thing we had to do was unpack, mark, and put on racks all the tools. All of the tools were hand tools as Camp Waupaca would not be the camp with the most tools for some time in the future. The most powerful tool in the shop was the ever dangerous exacto knife.

Cabin 2 was my cabin assignment until the new Cabins 1 and 2 were built then the same building became Cabins 3 and 4. Chuck's assignment was Cabin 1. We didn't get to take time off together because every day and night one senior counselor in each pair of cabins had to stay in camp. After Chuck was assigned to another building we took many days off together. What became the Craft Shop was the CIT quarters.

I made patterns and models for the campers to follow and Chuck challenged campers to create their own projects, usually works of art. Somehow this worked and we had a great time with our classes.

There was a tower at the beach where I sat and watched the swimmers and called “Buddy Checks”. Chuck was a substitute life guard. I taught row boating and fishing. Chuck gave lessons in snorkeling. We both had to fill in as referees when needed. Chuck's Friday evening cook outs took a long time and the food was skillfully prepared. My cabin had a burned hot dog from a blazing fire. No one got sick at either dinner as far as I know.

As our cabins were 1 and 2, when one of us had a night off we often told out stories to the campers in both cabins. When the cabins were settled for the night (think asleep) we would often take our clay pipes and sit on the chairs in front of the Rec. Hall to talk and watch the moon on the lake. Years later when Bob Kron was the Camp Director we might gather with all the other counselors in the Rec Hall. Often we would snack on kitchen leftovers and have a beer that Bob brought into camp for us. Counselors agreed it was a good thing. Someone spoiled it. Skipper found out and even the snacks were not available very often after that. Nothing was said at a staff meeting about the counselors being bad boys.

Well known as a master story teller Chuck had a secret. Staff often wondered where Chuck got all those stories. He had a colitis problem and if he ate a pizza or other spicy food the next day would find him sitting in the bathroom a lot. On his way in he would pick up a comic book a camper had left out. He read one that he had seen his campers passing around at Rest Hour. By changing characters and settings the plot he would have a story for the camp fire that night. Known for acting out his stories, campers had to beware if the story was of the Wild West or an Indian battle. Once in the heat of a story, Chuck pulled a tomahawk and swung it at a tree beside him. The short camper standing by the tree screamed as the blade hit about two feet above his head. Chuck never did that again, although it added realism to the tale.

Always the artist Chuck used scraps of material from campers projects to help them design and paint “works of art.” The campers would take wood scraps and fasten them together with glue and plaster of paris to make “statues”. Some were attractive. Most were packed in trunks for home. I always wondered if any of these projects were given a place of honor when parents saw them.

One of Chucks projects that lasted several years was the decorations he made on the tree trunks around the Rosen Bowl. The trees around the bowl had died and Skipper had them cut off about 5 feet high. He wanted these stumps decorated to brighten up the bowl. Raiding the scrap box in the Craft Shop, Chuck turned the stumps into colorful totem poles. Skipper insulted Chuck by saying he was a painter and would he paint the benches. He grumbled about being an artist, but painted the benches in the Rosen Bowl bright colors.

The first year of Camp Waupaca a row boat was lost. Either someone took the flotation foam out of it or it never had any. Any way out from the Old Beach the campers swamped the boat. Instead of sinking to the gunnel's it did a Titanic. Skipper wanted to see if it could be found and salvaged. Chuck spent several days scuba diving for it. He never saw anything of it. However, he used the dives to make a story for a camp fire about an encounter with “BIG MOE”. At the next swim class, the instructors had to assure several young campers they could get into the water and not be eaten.

The night of the big fire was a traumatic event for the counselors and campers alike. I had just picked up food for the evening meal from the counter. Just as the food was being passed a camper came in to the Dining Hall screaming, “Cabin 2 is on fire.” Cabin 2 was my assignment. I remember saying to the junior counselor at the table to look after the campers and bolted out of the door. When I got to the cabins it was cabin 3 that was a raging inferno. Chuck's cabin!

There was a hose on the ground next to cabin 3. As the power had not failed yet I hooked it up and spayed water into the flames as long as there was any water pressure. While some counselors looked after campers, the rest formed a bucket brigade. The King Fire Department was there and took over. All they could do was to keep the fire from other buildings. Some of the siding on Cabin 2 was scorched.

All the counselors gathered the campers from the Mess Hall and guided them to the red barn by the white house and infirmary. As we got as far as the golf course the propane tank blew. We all looked back to see a flame shooting up over the tree tops. One kid from cabin 1 was clearly afraid as he shivered with fear. He was a small boy I tried to calm him but he began to stumble. He road on my shoulders the rest of the way. Asking the nurse to check if he was in shock even the next day I had no idea who he was.

When it was safe and the fire department had left we returned to the Mess Hall for a snack of soup and sandwiches. Nerves were such that many did not eat. While most were in the Mess Hall counselors and junior staff set up cots in the Rec Hall. Campers with sleeping bags lent them to the homeless campers. The space in the Rec Hall was tight. The next day bedding and clothes were purchased for the Rec Hall campers. I don't remember any camper going home because of the fire.

The boys had two sets of clothing so counselors were assigned to do laundry every night with Rosemary Caldwell. Rosemary knew more off-color stories than stars in the sky and had a new recitation of them every night. Some counselors actually volunteered for duty. They said it was like a night off. There was a rumor that Rose brought beer to share. Could that have been started when some counselors tired of laundry duty? There may be no remaining records to verify this.

Everyone in Cabins 3 and 4 lost everything but the clothes they were wearing. Chuck lost the most. He had his $300.00 buck skin clothing (today at least $900) and beaded moccasins he had for the Annual Friendship Indiana Mussel Loading Gun Competition. His antique tomahawk, scalping knife, clay pipe, trade beads, and mussel loading pistol were also lost. Several of his books, a camera, scuba gear, and some art supplies were dust in the coals. His home insurance did not cover any of his loss and the camp insurance did not cover personal items.

What was the cause of the fire? Different people had different ideas. An arsonist was one idea, but who? The sunlight magnified through a bottle of water on a flammable material? The radio that was left on when the campers came to dinner was the thing that got the blame. It had been sitting on a shelf near the door where the fire was most intense at the time it was discovered. Who knows what happened in an empty cabin?

The night of the fire Chuck and I sat at a picnic table near the smoking my clay pipes. We watched the glowing embers that were the remains of Cabin 3 and 4. We talked. We watched smoke rise. We herd the embers snap. The dew fell on us, we paid no attention. At last, the sun came up and it was a new day. No one was hurt. Camp would survive. Next year there was a special fire bell and fire drills. Radios were not left on in an empty cabin.

Chuck was on the first grand wilderness trip to Boundary Waters/Quetico Parks. We had planned a great fishing trip. Wally Tomchek found a sports store that gave us a deal on fishing rods and lures. Wally gave early morning fishing lessons on Stratton Lake. The campers prepared for the trip by canoeing the Waupaca River from Waupaca to Weyauwega and back to see if they were fit for the trip. Two vans were used for transportation to Ely, Minnesota.

Arriving early afternoon the gang explored Ely, had a meal and went to Bob Carry's Canadian Boundary Waters Outfitters. That night we slept in barracks like cabins in our sleeping bags. Early the next morning we had a hearty breakfast in the main lodge. There we met out guide for two days. He was a Native American named, Necqumo. We could not start out until Necqumo made sure the packs without gear and food were properly strapped into the canoe. Man, those packs were heavy. Once everything was in order we got into the canoes and enjoyed a tow to the Canadian Customs. Some campers were having a problem with the name Necqumo. Our guide said call me “Ned”.

To make the most of the trip we got a tow to the Canadian Border where customs checked us in and we paid a duty on the food we carried. We waved to the boat driver as he left us. From now we were on our own with mussel power and paddles.

Once through Customs our guide took us to a campsite not far into Canada. We set up camp and Wally cooked our fresh foods. The rest of the trip we had dried packets of food that we put into boiling water. Excitement ran high and it was late before the boys stopped talking and were sleeping. Next morning was a cold cloudy welcome to the wilderness. By breakfast it was raining hard. Ned put up a tarp for us to sit under and brought in wood to keep a fire burning. All day we shivered in the rain and dared not canoe on the rough water.

Day two Ned brought in a large amount of wood for the fire and left us with a warning to be careful. The water was a bit rough and the wind bit in a little, but we didn't need a large fire. A bay to one side of the campsite was not too rough so we went fishing. Chuck made one cast with his new rod and reel. It took him about an hour to untangle the line. If my memory is correct he did not give up until he had tried to cast 3 times. He sold his rod and reel to the highest bidder for $2.00 I believe. Not a single fish. Not a single bite or nibble. Spirits were good as the weather was clearing and was warming.

Day three a great day to be in the wilderness. Clam water and warm sun made everyone feel better and ready for adventure. We decided not to move the camp and would canoe up the lake to see if there would be fish feeding in a new spot. A rock in the lake held a boundary marker. Several boys went to the US side and peed across the border. I guess they did not like the Customs inspection. One canoe came upon a sunken canoe with an ax sticking out of a pack in it. They warped their strong fishing line around the handle and caught themselves an ax. Several boys caught snags or stones and thought they had a fish on. Paul Ringel caught a very nice northern pike. As we had to canoe back the next day we cleaned the fish and was able to take it home.

Day four was the day to pack up and canoe back to the outfitters lodge. The day was perfect for canoeing. The group broke up into two groups, but not by choice. The rule that had been decided on was that the group would only travel as fast as the slowest canoe.

The break up started when we took a rest break for lunch and a pee. One of the campers took his camera on shore and took some pictures of the canoes lined up on the rocky shore. When we left he left his camera. He discovered that the camera was not with him about ten minutes into leaving the rock island. Chuck and I with two other canoes turned back to retrieve the camera. Wally pointed out another small rock island and said the other canoes would wait for us there.

Instead of waiting the stronger canoeists convinced Wally that it was boring to stay there. He decided that because they had the food packs they would push on and fix a great last meal for us. He reasoned that it would take time to prepare the meal. The delay might cause a night arrival at the lodge.

Meanwhile, with the camera aboard, the “slow group” got to the island which we knew was where we were to meet up. We canoed around the rock. There was a hush as the campers thought we were lost. Having been left behind almost panic by some boys in the group. Chuck suggested that I get put the map and compass to calm fears by showing them the map and compass. All agreed that my compass reading was correct and the place where we were was the place on the map. We kept moving toward the lodge. About two hours later there were boys calling to us to come ashore. It was the rest of the group. They had prepared the meal and were waiting for us.

The canoes that Chuck and I were with told the others that it would bore us to stay and clean up the gear. Off we went to the lodge. When the rest of our expedition came in we were relaxing with soda and chips watching the sun set. How much of this got back to Manny, who knows. At least there was another trip the next year.

Wally, Chuck, and I shaved while the campers were in the lodge filling up on soda and a long list of items not in our food packs. There was no need for bed time stories so it was early to bed in our sleeping bags. The next day started with one huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Without any problems along the way we were back at Camp Waupaca early evening. Ringel’s frozen fish eventually became a Jewish delicacy prepared by his grandmother.

I imagine that the campers relate some of the events to their grandchildren. One story that circulated at camp was the lunch stop. As some of the boys were washing the rock island with a bodily fluid. As a large group of Girl Scouts canoed by from around a corner and cheered their manly show.

Every year when Chuck and I were counselors together, I saw Chuck board the bus with the campers wishing summer could have been longer. We worked together, spent some time off together, and enjoyed fellowship. Chuck and I called each other brothers, my children called Chuck uncle. Off season we exchange letters and phone calls.