More of your memories from Camp White Cloud

Bill Motchan, Special To The Jewish Light
Published March 15, 2023

Bug juice, snakes, skits and camp songs were just some of the memories shared by University City alumni after a story earlier this week about Camp White Cloud. The weeklong camp was offered to U. City 6th graders from 1949 through the early 1980s. During that 30-plus year era, U. City schools often had so many Jewish students that classrooms were nearly empty during the High Holidays.

The memories of Jewish Camp White Cloud campers featured in the Jewish Light story elicited even more comments from readers. Following is a sampling:

Susan Kutner: The article today on Camp White Cloud brought back soooo many wonderful memories. I went to Blackberry Lane in grade school and in 1954 I was a 6th grader and went to Camp White Cloud. My sister was a senior at U. City High and was a counselor there so my parents had two children at White Cloud at the same time. I still have a large cardboard box filled with memorabilia from grade school including a stone arrowhead given to us at camp and pictures from my box camera that I took with me. We went with Daniel Boone Elementary School and met so many nice kids from there. I still look back and realize what an opportunity it was to have that experience.

Sandy Marks: Loved your story on Camp White Cloud. It was my only experience of sleep away camp. I loved that week. One of my fondest memories.

Bob Zimmermann: When I went to Camp White Cloud in 6th grade there was a snake at the foot of my bunk. I first thought it was a copperhead, but it was a king snake.

Jodi Darby: I remember it rained often during the week I was there. We did lots of crafts and I brought home lanyards, potholders, and burned wood items. I also still remember the “Great Green Gobs of Greasy, Grimy, Gopher Guts” song.

Cindy Copeland-Misuraca: I went to Pershing Elementary. We made hamburger wrapped in foil with potatoes and carrots and threw them in the campfire to cook. We went to a farm, someone got a tick on them and was freaking out, I went over and took it off them and killed it by mashing it on my nail.