2012 - Camp Deerwood

CAMP DEERWOOD
HOLDERNESS
NEW HAMPSHIRE 03245
FIRST CLASS
US POSTAGE
PAID
PORTSMOUTH, NH
Return Service Requested
Return Service Requested
PERMIT #182
SAVE THE DATE
Memorial Service
and Celebration of the life of
TOMMY THOMSEN
nd
Friday, June 22 , 2012
At 5:00 PM
Camp Deerwood Chapel
To help us plan, please RSVP on the alumni
section of www.campdeerwood.com.
Volume LXVIII
(No. I)
Winter 2012
TOMMY THOMSEN, 1931-2012
For each and every one of Deerwood’s 67 summers,
from 1945 to 2011, Tommy Thomsen was there. Some
other legendary alumni like Dave Mercer and Biff
Sutcliffe have passed the 40-year mark, and even
Tommy’s brother, Len, missed some summers while
serving in the Navy. Tommy, however, is the only one
to hold this unique distinction. The Thomsen Family is
sad to report that Tommy died on January 2nd and that the
upcoming summer of 2012 will be the first Deerwood
summer without him. There is a strong sentiment,
however, among family and alumni that Tommy’s
presence and spirit, love and cheer, will live on and will
continue to permeate all members of the Deerwood
community for at least another 67 years.
Born in Baltimore in 1931, Tommy attended Gilman
School through the tenth grade (his dad, “Buck,” was
Athletic Director and Coach there) and then attended the
George School as a boarder for his final two years of
high school. It was there he met his future bride of 57
years, Ann Sibley. At The University of Pennsylvania,
Tommy began studying Geography, but when that was
canceled as a major, he switched to Physical Education.
He was an All-American lacrosse goalie at Penn and
graduated in 1954.
Clockwise from top left: Richie Howe and Gus Crothers flank Dave Ghormley on his wedding day; Rich Howe, Gordon Boyd,
Jim Morris, Heather and Len Thomsen after hearing Jim sing at Symphony Hall in Boston; John Foster and Harrison Lusty
visit Dave McCleary in Austin, Texas; and Ana Gimeno Thomsen, born February 16th to proud parents, Sara and Dan.
Tommy’s first experience with camping came around
1940 when he went with Buck (Ferris, Sr.) to Camp
Greenbrier in North Carolina. The next summer, the
whole family headed north to Camp Kieve in Maine
where Buck became the head counselor. Tommy
developed a passion for archery there and Len
remembers that Tommy became the camp archery
champion at Kieve by age 11. After three summers at
Kieve, Ferris and Helen were ready to start a camp of
their own and Deerwood began in the summer of 1945.
Before becoming a counselor, Tommy had two summers
as a camper in 1945 and 1946, and Len recalls that
during his senior camper year, Tommy also doubled as
the archery counselor. Tommy then progressed through
the ranks as archery counselor, canoe trips leader, head
counselor and ultimately director by the early 1970s when
he and Len were handed the reins by Buck. In his last 10
years, Tommy seemed to especially enjoy cruising around
Deerwood on his four-wheeler, greeting visitors, checking
on campers, giving them rides up the hill when homesick,
and directing the work boys, making sure that the camp
property and buildings remained in top shape.
Len and Peter (Tommy’s oldest son) recall thrilling archery
demonstrations at Friday night campfires in front of Ty,
with Tommy splitting his own arrows and cracking eggs,
the insides of which landed right in hot frying pans over the
fire. Other alumni remember Tommy’s adventurous spirit
and enthusiasm as a young man on canoe trips. One trip
lost an aluminum canoe on the Parmachenee River and even
though the next year’s group couldn’t unwrap it from the
rock, they did remove the seat to bring it back as a souvenir.
On another river trip that ended at the ocean, Tommy
capsized in rapids and had to be hauled in by the Coast
Guard after floating out to sea! Tommy’s enthusiasm,
spirit, and warmth will continue to inspire Deerwood trips
this summer and will surely be resonating in Toots Shor and
Ty, at chapel, tree talk and campfire. Please read on to
enjoy some alumni recollections of Tommy Thomsen.
MEMORIES OF TOMMY sent by Deerwood alumni
“It all began in 1950 when the bus pulled onto the basketball court late at night, bringing us up from the Boston train
station. I had no idea what I was getting into, but was comforted by the fact that several of my friends from Swarthmore were
with me. Someone read off the names for Belvedere. The list included my buddies, but not mine. Waldorf was next and my
name came along with a bunch of names that I had never heard of. The counselor named Tommy came up with his warm
smile and grabbed my bag and said, ‘let’s go.’ Tommy’s smile was worth one thousand words. He took the bag up to the
cabin and welcomed me as only he could do. That started a friendship that lasted through the years. Around Tommy I always
felt comfortable.” (Jim Noyes, 1950-1960, 1997)
“…I recognize again, after Tommy’s passing, what an influence he was through my childhood, and what an example he
consistently set for me and so many others. Where and who would I be without what Buck and his sons created at Deerwood?
I know I would be less – less confident, courageous, compassionate. In missing Tommy, I want to honor and thank all the
Thomsens for your shared and uncommon spirit.” (Allan Reeder, 1981-1990)
“Quite simply, growing up at Deerwood, I thought of him as a second father. He was kind and strong and possessed a very
rare sort of charisma that drew others, of all ages, to him. Tommy taught me to be fair and honest and true to the task,
whatever it may be. He offered wonderful praise for successes and he also let us know when we screwed up, sometimes really
let us know, and we loved him either way. He expected nothing less than our absolute best efforts with children. He demanded
a solid work day from everyone and loved a good celebration for our commitments. I see him now, on a Friday night at
campfire, with that magical smile, asking us to look out over the lake and the mountains. I hear his booming voice, as he sits
on his ATV, in front of the tether-ball pole, calling for General Duty. I can feel the reassurance of his hand on my shoulder on
the porch for a Sunday night Tree-Talk. I watch him both laugh and cringe at the counselor entertainment skits. I can picture
him cheering at the Water-battle, piloting Sheraton for a loon count in the Queen Mary, and sitting on the ground with Biff,
tools in hand, attacking a busted vehicle or building a foundation or road trench, even in the lake, clothes on, fixing a boat or
dock. Like so many others, I've got a hundred Tommy stories, and they're all my favorite. I'm so very thankful that he was a
part of my life. Tommy is Deerwood and he will always be there with each and every one of us.” (Derek Martin, 1982-2011)
What a “tremendous and continuing impact Tommy’s influence and inspiration has had on me and all who knew him. We are
the positive legacy of his enduring lessons on life, love, support, perseverance, and how to live and treat one another. So
much of the best of who I am stems from the influence of Deerwood and the Thomsen family and I feel incredibly fortunate
and grateful to have had my formative years under the watchful eyes of two of the true role models in my life…Tommy and
Len. I think back to some of my proudest moments and so many of them involve a firm grip on my arm or a reassuring hand
on my shoulder from the Big Buck’s two sons. I continually hope that I can live up to those expectations.” (Ryan Carey, 19832011)
“Tommy will always be one of my heroes. I couldn’t tell you how many things I’ve learned from him because his influence
spanned more than three quarters of my life. And like the best teachers and role models, Tommy’s lessons were less about a
specific skill or piece of knowledge, and more about the life he lived, the example he set, and his leadership. As a boy, a
young man, and even more so as an adult, it was hard not to be in awe of him and ask to myself, ‘How can I be more like
Tommy?’ I think the best way to quantify what Tommy gave me is to acknowledge that it is beyond measurement, and simply
to be grateful. I could fill a book with my memories of Tommy…” (Dan Ragsdale, 1984-2011)
“I was very sorry to hear about Tommy. He was a great man and I consider myself blessed to have known him. I can still
remember most of our conversation from when I was eleven and I was sitting across from him at his desk crying because I
was homesick. I remember his huge smile and happy go lucky personality and him telling me to trust him and stick it out for a
few more days and I would be OK. Well, that few days turned into a few years and that was the first of many great
conversations I had with him. I still miss my summers at Deerwood. Tommy was such a big part of what made Deerwood so
great.” (Sean Collins, 1993-1999)
Some of these are excerpts from longer letters; you can find the full versions and reflections from others on the alumni section
of www.campdeerwood.com. Links to other lacrosse related obituaries of Tommy can also be found there.
Contributions in memory of Tommy Thomsen can be sent to The Deerwood Foundation (which provides tuition assistance to
needy families) c/o Henry Damon, 16 Dee Road, Lexington, MA 02420. Donations can also be made on-line at
www.deerwoodfoundation.org.
ALUMNI NEWS
Andrew Bartlett (’78-2011) is engaged and the wedding is planned for August. John Britton (’79-’80) has
been in New York City for 22 years, working with an investment firm for 16. He has a 3 year-old girl and a
two year-old boy he hopes will make it to Deerwood someday. John’s brother, Sam Britton, lives in San
Francisco and is a partner at Goldman Sachs. Stephen Carr (2011) did the voice-over for an NBC Sports
commercial that aired right after the Super Bowl. Evan Chriss (2005) is a third year medical student in
Baltimore. Sammy Dettore (’03-’05) is a senior at Bates College and plays on the lacrosse team. In early
March, he traveled to Vermont to play against Middlebury’s team which included senior and captain Peter
Jennings (‘01-‘02) and freshman David Murray (‘03). Bryan Gattis (’04-’10) is “doing special ed. at a
charter middle school in East Boston called Excel Academy. The school is only about 8 years old and is one
of the top performing middle schools in the state, which makes it a great place for me to improve my teaching
skills! Beans (Sam Poland) lives 3 blocks from me in Cambridge and I see him all the time! Actually, Ben
(Coerper), Sam and I have started to play music together and we're on the verge of getting some gigs in the
area. We can all thank Deerwood for kick-starting our collaboration!” Jonathan Holmes (’75-’78) is in
Dallas, Texas and works for Caris Life Sciences which specializes in early detection and molecular profiling
of cancerous cells and tumors. He also helps his wife coach the SMU women’s lacrosse team. From
England, Sam Huddart (’97-’99) writes, “my memories of Deerwood are very happy and my wife is
pregnant with our third, so there's a chance I may have a son! I am now a senior anesthetic trainee ('intern
anesthesiologist') in south west London. I really like my job, but every summer I wish I had gone into
teaching so that I could enjoy another summer at camp!” Gil Hutzler (’78-’89) wrote that he “enjoyed the
first year of having my son Henry as a camper in Chateau. Henry will be back in summer 2012 for a full
session. I am hoping all four of my boys will attend camp one day to see if I can break the record for most
kids in a single summer. In addition, we spend most of the winter skiing in Canaan valley with Bill Barroll
(’78-’82) and his three kids. Between the two of us we have 6 kids on the Timberline race team. We often
spend many a chair lift ride talking about Deerwood, the Thomsens and the great memories. Billy was a
camper in the late 70s and a goalie at Denison and played for Tommy in the 80s.” Ned Kegan (’98-2011)
has started teaching history and coaching lacrosse at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine. Bill Keithler (’96-’98)
wrote in: “I'm currently in Singapore working with Deloitte's data analytics business. More importantly,
though, I got engaged in September to my girlfriend of two years, Sam. She and I met in business school
while I was doing an exchange program in India and the wedding will be held later this year at a beach resort
in Goa. We're probably here in Asia for another year or two before heading back to the States.”
Congratulations, Bill! Bray Malphrus (‘98-2003) was a defenseman and captain on last year’s Virginia
lacrosse team that won the NCAA championship. Dave McCleary (’96-2010) is “getting a graduate degree
in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. I’m researching energy storage (aka batteries)
and plan to start working again after the summer [back at Deerwood]. Having a flexible student schedule, I
joined the UT Cycling Club and plan to race against other Big 12 teams this spring. In the early summer I also
plan to compete in a half ironman triathlon.” Kevin Morin (’98-2006) still works for Schneider Electric in
New York and hopes to make it back soon for another summer at Deerwood. As reported by the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Association, “James Morris is world renowned for his performances in opera, concerts,
recitals, and on recordings” and recently has been playing the villain role quite well (John Claggart in Billy
Budd and Scarpia in Tosca). Gordon Boyd (’59-’63), Rich Howe (’61-63) and Nathaniel Watson-Donald
(’87-’95) all saw “Thunder” sing last year. Eric Newman (’05-’07) and Richie Pisano (2007-2011) are
freshmen together at Bucknell University. Ross Perrot (‘05-‘09) is still teaching Spanish at Northwood
School in Lake Placid and coaches the freestyle ski team. Dan Ragsdale (’84-2011) is teaching and coaching
at The Browning School in NYC. Alec Tarantino (‘04-‘09) is the school president at Gilman this year.
Bruce Wilhelm (’87-2003) and family will be moving to the Cleveland area next year as Bruce was hired as
the Head of the Shaker Heights Campus (lower and middle schools) of the University School. Mac Williams
(’96-2005) works for New Mountain Capital in NYC. Mac plays on a soccer team with John Gallagher
(’97-2008) and Jon Gimber (‘07-09). Mac sent news of his brother, John Williams (’98-2009), who is in
Suriname volunteering with the Peace Corps and “living WAY up the river in the middle of the jungle in a
village called Ligorio (you have to take 2 separate canoe trips in order to get there - including one portage!)”
John tends a plot of farm land, teaches English and other lessons to local children, fishes for Piranha with
sticks and string and is building his own canoe by hand from a single tree. John’s blog is fascinating and can
be viewed online at http://itsalwayssunnyinsuriname.wordpress.com.
MEMORIES OF TOMMY sent by Deerwood alumni
“It all began in 1950 when the bus pulled onto the basketball court late at night, bringing us up from the Boston train
station. I had no idea what I was getting into, but was comforted by the fact that several of my friends from Swarthmore were
with me. Someone read off the names for Belvedere. The list included my buddies, but not mine. Waldorf was next and my
name came along with a bunch of names that I had never heard of. The counselor named Tommy came up with his warm
smile and grabbed my bag and said, ‘let’s go.’ Tommy’s smile was worth one thousand words. He took the bag up to the
cabin and welcomed me as only he could do. That started a friendship that lasted through the years. Around Tommy I always
felt comfortable.” (Jim Noyes, 1950-1960, 1997)
“…I recognize again, after Tommy’s passing, what an influence he was through my childhood, and what an example he
consistently set for me and so many others. Where and who would I be without what Buck and his sons created at Deerwood?
I know I would be less – less confident, courageous, compassionate. In missing Tommy, I want to honor and thank all the
Thomsens for your shared and uncommon spirit.” (Allan Reeder, 1981-1990)
“Quite simply, growing up at Deerwood, I thought of him as a second father. He was kind and strong and possessed a very
rare sort of charisma that drew others, of all ages, to him. Tommy taught me to be fair and honest and true to the task,
whatever it may be. He offered wonderful praise for successes and he also let us know when we screwed up, sometimes really
let us know, and we loved him either way. He expected nothing less than our absolute best efforts with children. He demanded
a solid work day from everyone and loved a good celebration for our commitments. I see him now, on a Friday night at
campfire, with that magical smile, asking us to look out over the lake and the mountains. I hear his booming voice, as he sits
on his ATV, in front of the tether-ball pole, calling for General Duty. I can feel the reassurance of his hand on my shoulder on
the porch for a Sunday night Tree-Talk. I watch him both laugh and cringe at the counselor entertainment skits. I can picture
him cheering at the Water-battle, piloting Sheraton for a loon count in the Queen Mary, and sitting on the ground with Biff,
tools in hand, attacking a busted vehicle or building a foundation or road trench, even in the lake, clothes on, fixing a boat or
dock. Like so many others, I've got a hundred Tommy stories, and they're all my favorite. I'm so very thankful that he was a
part of my life. Tommy is Deerwood and he will always be there with each and every one of us.” (Derek Martin, 1982-2011)
What a “tremendous and continuing impact Tommy’s influence and inspiration has had on me and all who knew him. We are
the positive legacy of his enduring lessons on life, love, support, perseverance, and how to live and treat one another. So
much of the best of who I am stems from the influence of Deerwood and the Thomsen family and I feel incredibly fortunate
and grateful to have had my formative years under the watchful eyes of two of the true role models in my life…Tommy and
Len. I think back to some of my proudest moments and so many of them involve a firm grip on my arm or a reassuring hand
on my shoulder from the Big Buck’s two sons. I continually hope that I can live up to those expectations.” (Ryan Carey, 19832011)
“Tommy will always be one of my heroes. I couldn’t tell you how many things I’ve learned from him because his influence
spanned more than three quarters of my life. And like the best teachers and role models, Tommy’s lessons were less about a
specific skill or piece of knowledge, and more about the life he lived, the example he set, and his leadership. As a boy, a
young man, and even more so as an adult, it was hard not to be in awe of him and ask to myself, ‘How can I be more like
Tommy?’ I think the best way to quantify what Tommy gave me is to acknowledge that it is beyond measurement, and simply
to be grateful. I could fill a book with my memories of Tommy…” (Dan Ragsdale, 1984-2011)
“I was very sorry to hear about Tommy. He was a great man and I consider myself blessed to have known him. I can still
remember most of our conversation from when I was eleven and I was sitting across from him at his desk crying because I
was homesick. I remember his huge smile and happy go lucky personality and him telling me to trust him and stick it out for a
few more days and I would be OK. Well, that few days turned into a few years and that was the first of many great
conversations I had with him. I still miss my summers at Deerwood. Tommy was such a big part of what made Deerwood so
great.” (Sean Collins, 1993-1999)
Some of these are excerpts from longer letters; you can find the full versions and reflections from others on the alumni section
of www.campdeerwood.com. Links to other lacrosse related obituaries of Tommy can also be found there.
Contributions in memory of Tommy Thomsen can be sent to The Deerwood Foundation (which provides tuition assistance to
needy families) c/o Henry Damon, 16 Dee Road, Lexington, MA 02420. Donations can also be made on-line at
www.deerwoodfoundation.org.
ALUMNI NEWS
Andrew Bartlett (’78-2011) is engaged and the wedding is planned for August. John Britton (’79-’80) has
been in New York City for 22 years, working with an investment firm for 16. He has a 3 year-old girl and a
two year-old boy he hopes will make it to Deerwood someday. John’s brother, Sam Britton, lives in San
Francisco and is a partner at Goldman Sachs. Stephen Carr (2011) did the voice-over for an NBC Sports
commercial that aired right after the Super Bowl. Evan Chriss (2005) is a third year medical student in
Baltimore. Sammy Dettore (’03-’05) is a senior at Bates College and plays on the lacrosse team. In early
March, he traveled to Vermont to play against Middlebury’s team which included senior and captain Peter
Jennings (‘01-‘02) and freshman David Murray (‘03). Bryan Gattis (’04-’10) is “doing special ed. at a
charter middle school in East Boston called Excel Academy. The school is only about 8 years old and is one
of the top performing middle schools in the state, which makes it a great place for me to improve my teaching
skills! Beans (Sam Poland) lives 3 blocks from me in Cambridge and I see him all the time! Actually, Ben
(Coerper), Sam and I have started to play music together and we're on the verge of getting some gigs in the
area. We can all thank Deerwood for kick-starting our collaboration!” Jonathan Holmes (’75-’78) is in
Dallas, Texas and works for Caris Life Sciences which specializes in early detection and molecular profiling
of cancerous cells and tumors. He also helps his wife coach the SMU women’s lacrosse team. From
England, Sam Huddart (’97-’99) writes, “my memories of Deerwood are very happy and my wife is
pregnant with our third, so there's a chance I may have a son! I am now a senior anesthetic trainee ('intern
anesthesiologist') in south west London. I really like my job, but every summer I wish I had gone into
teaching so that I could enjoy another summer at camp!” Gil Hutzler (’78-’89) wrote that he “enjoyed the
first year of having my son Henry as a camper in Chateau. Henry will be back in summer 2012 for a full
session. I am hoping all four of my boys will attend camp one day to see if I can break the record for most
kids in a single summer. In addition, we spend most of the winter skiing in Canaan valley with Bill Barroll
(’78-’82) and his three kids. Between the two of us we have 6 kids on the Timberline race team. We often
spend many a chair lift ride talking about Deerwood, the Thomsens and the great memories. Billy was a
camper in the late 70s and a goalie at Denison and played for Tommy in the 80s.” Ned Kegan (’98-2011)
has started teaching history and coaching lacrosse at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine. Bill Keithler (’96-’98)
wrote in: “I'm currently in Singapore working with Deloitte's data analytics business. More importantly,
though, I got engaged in September to my girlfriend of two years, Sam. She and I met in business school
while I was doing an exchange program in India and the wedding will be held later this year at a beach resort
in Goa. We're probably here in Asia for another year or two before heading back to the States.”
Congratulations, Bill! Bray Malphrus (‘98-2003) was a defenseman and captain on last year’s Virginia
lacrosse team that won the NCAA championship. Dave McCleary (’96-2010) is “getting a graduate degree
in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. I’m researching energy storage (aka batteries)
and plan to start working again after the summer [back at Deerwood]. Having a flexible student schedule, I
joined the UT Cycling Club and plan to race against other Big 12 teams this spring. In the early summer I also
plan to compete in a half ironman triathlon.” Kevin Morin (’98-2006) still works for Schneider Electric in
New York and hopes to make it back soon for another summer at Deerwood. As reported by the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Association, “James Morris is world renowned for his performances in opera, concerts,
recitals, and on recordings” and recently has been playing the villain role quite well (John Claggart in Billy
Budd and Scarpia in Tosca). Gordon Boyd (’59-’63), Rich Howe (’61-63) and Nathaniel Watson-Donald
(’87-’95) all saw “Thunder” sing last year. Eric Newman (’05-’07) and Richie Pisano (2007-2011) are
freshmen together at Bucknell University. Ross Perrot (‘05-‘09) is still teaching Spanish at Northwood
School in Lake Placid and coaches the freestyle ski team. Dan Ragsdale (’84-2011) is teaching and coaching
at The Browning School in NYC. Alec Tarantino (‘04-‘09) is the school president at Gilman this year.
Bruce Wilhelm (’87-2003) and family will be moving to the Cleveland area next year as Bruce was hired as
the Head of the Shaker Heights Campus (lower and middle schools) of the University School. Mac Williams
(’96-2005) works for New Mountain Capital in NYC. Mac plays on a soccer team with John Gallagher
(’97-2008) and Jon Gimber (‘07-09). Mac sent news of his brother, John Williams (’98-2009), who is in
Suriname volunteering with the Peace Corps and “living WAY up the river in the middle of the jungle in a
village called Ligorio (you have to take 2 separate canoe trips in order to get there - including one portage!)”
John tends a plot of farm land, teaches English and other lessons to local children, fishes for Piranha with
sticks and string and is building his own canoe by hand from a single tree. John’s blog is fascinating and can
be viewed online at http://itsalwayssunnyinsuriname.wordpress.com.
CAMP DEERWOOD
HOLDERNESS
NEW HAMPSHIRE 03245
FIRST CLASS
US POSTAGE
PAID
PORTSMOUTH, NH
Return Service Requested
Return Service Requested
PERMIT #182
SAVE THE DATE
Memorial Service
and Celebration of the life of
TOMMY THOMSEN
nd
Friday, June 22 , 2012
At 5:00 PM
Camp Deerwood Chapel
To help us plan, please RSVP on the alumni
section of www.campdeerwood.com.
Volume LXVIII
(No. I)
Winter 2012
TOMMY THOMSEN, 1931-2012
For each and every one of Deerwood’s 67 summers,
from 1945 to 2011, Tommy Thomsen was there. Some
other legendary alumni like Dave Mercer and Biff
Sutcliffe have passed the 40-year mark, and even
Tommy’s brother, Len, missed some summers while
serving in the Navy. Tommy, however, is the only one
to hold this unique distinction. The Thomsen Family is
sad to report that Tommy died on January 2nd and that the
upcoming summer of 2012 will be the first Deerwood
summer without him. There is a strong sentiment,
however, among family and alumni that Tommy’s
presence and spirit, love and cheer, will live on and will
continue to permeate all members of the Deerwood
community for at least another 67 years.
Born in Baltimore in 1931, Tommy attended Gilman
School through the tenth grade (his dad, “Buck,” was
Athletic Director and Coach there) and then attended the
George School as a boarder for his final two years of
high school. It was there he met his future bride of 57
years, Ann Sibley. At The University of Pennsylvania,
Tommy began studying Geography, but when that was
canceled as a major, he switched to Physical Education.
He was an All-American lacrosse goalie at Penn and
graduated in 1954.
Clockwise from top left: Richie Howe and Gus Crothers flank Dave Ghormley on his wedding day; Rich Howe, Gordon Boyd,
Jim Morris, Heather and Len Thomsen after hearing Jim sing at Symphony Hall in Boston; John Foster and Harrison Lusty
visit Dave McCleary in Austin, Texas; and Ana Gimeno Thomsen, born February 16th to proud parents, Sara and Dan.
Tommy’s first experience with camping came around
1940 when he went with Buck (Ferris, Sr.) to Camp
Greenbrier in North Carolina. The next summer, the
whole family headed north to Camp Kieve in Maine
where Buck became the head counselor. Tommy
developed a passion for archery there and Len
remembers that Tommy became the camp archery
champion at Kieve by age 11. After three summers at
Kieve, Ferris and Helen were ready to start a camp of
their own and Deerwood began in the summer of 1945.
Before becoming a counselor, Tommy had two summers
as a camper in 1945 and 1946, and Len recalls that
during his senior camper year, Tommy also doubled as
the archery counselor. Tommy then progressed through
the ranks as archery counselor, canoe trips leader, head
counselor and ultimately director by the early 1970s when
he and Len were handed the reins by Buck. In his last 10
years, Tommy seemed to especially enjoy cruising around
Deerwood on his four-wheeler, greeting visitors, checking
on campers, giving them rides up the hill when homesick,
and directing the work boys, making sure that the camp
property and buildings remained in top shape.
Len and Peter (Tommy’s oldest son) recall thrilling archery
demonstrations at Friday night campfires in front of Ty,
with Tommy splitting his own arrows and cracking eggs,
the insides of which landed right in hot frying pans over the
fire. Other alumni remember Tommy’s adventurous spirit
and enthusiasm as a young man on canoe trips. One trip
lost an aluminum canoe on the Parmachenee River and even
though the next year’s group couldn’t unwrap it from the
rock, they did remove the seat to bring it back as a souvenir.
On another river trip that ended at the ocean, Tommy
capsized in rapids and had to be hauled in by the Coast
Guard after floating out to sea! Tommy’s enthusiasm,
spirit, and warmth will continue to inspire Deerwood trips
this summer and will surely be resonating in Toots Shor and
Ty, at chapel, tree talk and campfire. Please read on to
enjoy some alumni recollections of Tommy Thomsen.