Every year at Members and Friends, we take the time to honor someone or some group of people who have given special service to Rowe Camp and Conference Center. This year, we honored Rowe’s Executive Director, Doug Wilson, on the occasion of his 60th birthday with much appreciation, good humor, and lots of memories.
The Reverend Douglas Wilson came to Rowe Camp in 1971 as the assistant director of the Junior High Camp. A young Unitarian Universalist minister in Brooklyn, he saw working at camp as part of his service. In 1973, he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail before looking for another church.
The camp bought the Sibley-Ballou Farmhouse in 1973. After hiking the trail, Doug was invited to live in the Farmhouse over the winter to keep it safe. He had been profoundly touched by the Rowe Spirit he felt at Rowe Camp a few years earlier. An idea took root in him to create a conference center to share that wonderful energy with adults and families. The additional space offered by the Sibley-Ballou farmhouse allowed Doug to begin to offer retreats in the fall of 1974. He used his creativity, entrepreneurial energy, and shear determination to bring his dream to fruition.
Thirty-three years later, Doug is the longest standing and best programming person in the country. He has brought innumerable renowned conference leaders to these hills and moved Rowe Conference Center from a mom-and-pop operation into a well-respected institution. Thanks to Doug’s leadership, U.U. Rowe Camp and Conference Center, with eighty-three years of history, is one of the finest centers in this country.
Many friends were present to honor him on this special occasion, including a group of Senior High campers from the eighties, when Doug was co-director of Senior High Camp with his wife and partner, Prue Berry.
Doug was presented with a framed and matted drawing (see above) created by Eclipse Fey Falconridge, long-time director of WomenCircles, and a story book created by Felicity Pickett, a fairy tale that appeared in the spring issue of the Rowe Zone and was read to him by his Senior High Campers. For a copy, please contact felicity@ rowecenter.org.
The story is a whimsical presentation of a special project that is near and dear to Doug’s heart, the creation of an Oak Grove that he began many years ago. The Rowe Zone article invited others to contribute to this project in his name. Rowe received gifts totaling $2,790 to honor Doug on his birthday.
If you’d like to donate to any of these projects, see the form on the next page.
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