by Jessie Williams, Camp Hayward Director

The Glory of a Watch

I had never wanted anything more than I wanted to be a CIT. Not only would it be a step to becoming a counselor, it would be my fifth year at Camp Hayward!

A week or so after my interview, I came home to a potted plant in our living room with a card addressed to me: “Congrats on becoming a CIT!  Love, Dad” I screamed and jumped around like any seasoned Hayward girl would!

We lived in THE CAVE, which was the original bathroom on the junior side. Today it is known as the Hen House with plenty of renovations from when we lived there. There were nine of us, some that I am still very close to.  We sang a lot. We sang “Dancing in the Moonlight” and emerged from the woods one campfire.

Our CIT project was finishing the mini golf course that the previous two groups had started. It maybe one of the most grueling tasks, pushing supplies up Adventure Mountain. We had to eat lunch at Burgess on those days, in Pickett Hall with a one way system, as the camp had outgrown the 1928 dining hall.

On the last night I received my five year watch. They had recently changed the model, so it was a little more athletic looking than its predecessors.  It took its place in a velvet lined jewelry box, a very nice place for something money can’t buy.