My son recently sent me the obituary of Jim Templin, the 98 year old former owner of Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga in Petoskey, Michigan where my Dad spent many summers. This fall, my son retraced his Grandfather's footsteps and visited the camp, which is now a county park, and met with park staff and Jim "Chief" Templin. Along with almost 800 of Dad's WWII letters, we have several dozen letters written to his Kentucky family in the summers of the late 1930's and early 1940's from Camp Pet-o-Se-Ga where he was a camper, then counselor and "right hand man" to "Chief" Templin. He also wrote from the road en route to camp, some 500 miles from his home in Flemingsburg, KY. His adventures included the story of losing a boat's motor in the middle of the lake, getting caught in a storm, and catching a big fish.
The camp, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, was built by Mr. Templin in the 1930's. Dad was one of the earliest campers. It was unique in that it offered flying lessons (Templin owned airplanes), archery, riflery, orienteering, camping, boating and athletics. It was known as the "Log Cabin Camp for Boys". Some of the cabins are still standing. The property was purchased by Emmet County in 1992 for a public park. Modern amenities were added while preserving the history of the camp. Today there are 90 campsites with running water, showers, restrooms, rental cabins, trout fishing, hiking trails and playgrounds. There is also a small museum with mementos of the camp, including a few photographs that my son, Matt, delivered.
Matt and Mr. Templin exchanged some letters before meeting and they shared a meal and spent about three hours together. Matt had planned to send him another letter and probably a photograph or two, until the obituary arrived in his inbox.
I am so glad that Matt was able to meet this amazing man who remembered my Father and was such an influence on his young life. In one of Dad's diaries, he talks about how important camp was to him, and the growing up he did in those summers of increased responsibility. It's especially touching that my own son then met Mr. Templin, who told him that he was the first grandson of a camper who had come back to visit.
Photos here show Mr. Templin and my Dad, Harry Dudley, on a trip to Washington, DC (Mr. Templin is in the uniform). Another shows my Dad, far left, and Mr. Templin, third from left, with the catch from a successful fishing trip. One of the log cabins is in the background. There is also a page from an old photo album. Dad is the dapper one in the white linen slacks.
I am so glad that Dad wrote about his camping experiences. Both my sons have enjoyed reading the letters and comparing their own camping experiences to Dad's. Imagine a camp today with resources to afford the liability insurance for aviation lessons!
I am proud of my son for delving into his Grandfather's past and visiting the amazing man who, he says, was a very spry 98 year old with a great memory for the camp and his Grandfather. My other son, a college student, has enjoyed reading the letters from camp and WWII and helping set up the database to record and summarize the letters. It is a fun way to keep history alive, and teach us about our family. And for the three of us, it is something we can all work on together. Sharing a project is a great way to get to know one another in different ways, too.
The next generation will have fewer opportunities to read handwritten letters, as so few are written now. There is something special about words formed by hand. Touching the paper imprinted by those long-gone, feeling its texture and weigh, noting the color of the ink, wondering what the pen looked like ,and being awed by the perfect, error-free penmanship, are all sensations absent in the cryptic electronic text and email messages.
Thanks, Dad, for giving us this treat. Surely you had no idea when you were writing letters from camp some 70 years ago that your grandchildren and children would be enjoying them - or that your grandson would meet "The Chief."
Jim “Chief” Templin died on November 22, 2009, at the age of 98, in Northern Michigan Regional Hospital. Accounts in the local newspapers indicate that he was a wonderful person who was always doing things for others.
Originally from Kentucky, "Chief" bought the camp in 1934. During the depression, he put people to work in its construction. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor, and many campers and their children and grandchildren and probably some great grandchildren. What a legacy!
For more information on Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga and Chief Templin, see these websites:
