The Storyteller Project

Alumni of Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya love to tell stories. Whether it is leaders and staff chatting around a campfire in the summer, an eager camper returning home from their first time on the shores of Lake Champlain and enthusiastically recounting every detail to their parents, or old friends reminiscing over dinner in a city far away from Westport or Colchester, when you get people with camp numbers talking about Camp, they can go on for hours sharing memories. These can be stories from that day, just a few months before, or from decades long ago; regardless of when they took place, they are always a joy to hear. This is the foundation of the Storyteller Project. We want to preserve these stories, share them with the community, and figure out a way that they can be enjoyed for decades to come.

This is the home of all of the stories. As they come in, we will continue to add them here. In the meantime, check out our first stories below:

#7289 Ace Scharges

Ace Scharges has been a part of the Dudley community since he first came to Camp as a Cub in 1946. Over the decades, Ace has had many roles, from camper to leader to D-Head, and then on to President of the CDA (now DKAA), Chairman of the Centennial Reunion, and a member of our Board of Managers. While on the Board, Ace was integral to the creation of the Camp Dudley archives, where he still works to this day. Our conversation ranged from what Camp was like when Ace was a kid to his favorite activities and traditions (many still carried on today), to the near miraculous feat of pulling off a successful Centennial Reunion. We then moved on to some of the interesting discoveries that have come from his decades of work on creating and maintaining the Camp archives.

#21532 Pete Nash

Pete Nash has been a staple at Camp Kiniya since he first arrived as a staff member in 1958. For nearly seven decades, Pete has served in many positions, including working with the maintenance team, running the Kiniya store, overseeing the grounds as a year-round caretaker, and perhaps most importantly, befriending all and fully dedicating his life in service to others. Pete is always armed with a joke or a fond memory to share and is a reliable helper who will consistently brighten your day and make you smile. During our conversation, he shared stories about what Kiniya was like “back in the day,” his relationship with both the Williams family and Marnie, and the joy he has felt watching Kiniya change and grow over the years.