Send scoops to: 6101 E. Paseo Cimarron, Tucson, AZ 85750
E-mail: Leb@northstarcamp.com, ph. 520-577-7925
OCTOBER 2008
From the Editor: We feel compelled to pass along
information that we have gleaned from alumni who have
been in touch with us this year. We’re always so happy to
hear from you and love to recount your news. We make an
assumption that you enjoy reading about people that you
knew when you were 12, but if that is not the case let us
know and we will remove you from our list. Our journalistic techniques tend toward the gossip column genre since
we usually rely on info that we glean by pumping our unsuspecting alumni. Since we go to print only once a year it
takes awhile for a reprint, so if your information is incorrect
then you might want to grin and bear it. Of course it’s much
safer to send in your news to us to ensure accurate reporting. We do not underestimate the good will of our alumni
who are generous donors to our scholarship fund, provide
testimonials for us, keep in touch and send their boys to us
(or themselves for family camp). We hope this finds you in
good health with good memories of your camping days.
WHAT’S NEW AT CAMP: We had another great
camping season, being fortunate to be filled with a waiting
list in November. While it’s tougher to find good staff we
filled our ranks with the outstanding leadership that we have
been known for. We’re very proud of our staff and the extreme measures they take to entertain our campers. Some of
the new programming we have added over the years really
taps into our campers imagination and creativity. A night
time game called Espionagestayed is a camper favorite. It’s
a game of intrigue and problem solving involving moving
through camp in the dark unnoticed to achieve objectives.
The objectives and theme of the game changes each time it’s
played. Cabin groups have guides that lead them through
this game of sleuthing and chicanery. Our boys now come
prepared to camp with night vision goggles and their camo
gear. Another winner was our King and Country night (A
Medieval extravaganza). Two knights staged mini battles
all over camp using a form of finger wrestling with dramatic
deaths if you lose on the battlefield. The whole event culminated with a huge battle on the athletic field. What no one
knew was that Leb had arranged for real jousters to come to
camp pounding in on their steeds for the final battle. Both
jousters and horses were dressed in historically correct costuming. Not to mention that Genevieve was gorgeous. It
was so much fun to see the surprise on our campers faces.
The 12 foot long dragon operated by two counselors and
the king being carried in on his throne all added to the festivities. Our counselors never stepped out of character and
we loved the costumes that they made. I don’t know what
we’ll do for an encore next summer. Our artist in residence
this summer was a big hit. She and our campers dug clay
out of the ground, cleaned it to get it ready to make pots
that were fired in a primitive kiln the kids helped to make.
In another fun project, when a tree needed to come down
at camp we brought a chain saw artist in to make a great
sculpture. Amazing the artistry one can do with a chain
saw.
We also continue to add programing to address our responsibility to teach our campers good stewardship of the environment. This summer we added an all camp game called
Predator and Prey as well as a nature hunt to teach flora
and fauna identification. We brought in a local naturalist
for our juniors and put in a demo garden. Our campers
were surprisingly happy to weigh their waste in the dining
hall and separate trash for our compost pile which fed our
gardens. Our Trip Director BRIAN GEISLER developed a
new camp site and program called Pathfinders on the nature
trail to teach all of the skills necessary to enhance our tripping program. We also have record numbers of our campers
signing up for our junior tripping program and sign up trips.
We are well aware that we have a nature deficit disorder in
this country and we are doing everything in our power to
reach our goal of No Child Left Inside.
We have in our midst the new president of the Association of Independent Camps representing all private camps
across the country. Leb will be busy attending conferences
in this new post and will sit on the National Board of the
American Camp Association. He is very involved with the
ACA’s mission of 20/20 (twenty thousand campers attending camp by the year 2020). Leb recruited PAUL ADELSTEIN (T.V. and film actor) to help us get out the message
that kids need camp. We just recently returned from the
International Camping Conference in Quebec City with
camp owners and directors from around the world including Mongolia. It was a great opportunity to see all that is
taking place in youth development around the world. However there is still much to do to make the world a better
place for children.
TEN YEAR MEN THIS SUMMER:
It’s a big commitment to return to a place for 10 years. It
means defending camp as a legitimate job with parents and
missing out on what is going on at home. Despite all of that
our list of ten year men is growing and a new twist is that
their parents usually show up for their big roast. However
I’m not sure that they understand all of the embellishment
of the stories that are told. I do have to say that the guys
are getting better all of the time with the psych outs leading
up to the event. This summer JON KOHL, JASON PERELES, MATTY HOLLEB and KIM MCCORMACK
were inducted. Our campers never can get enough of the
stories, however some of the stories left me scratching my
head.
FAMILY
CAMP 2008
Post camp started off with a bang this summer when about
50 post campers ended up at CHUCK WARSHAWSKY’S
new restaurant The Fireside (The old Tony’s Fireside) in
Hayward for dinner prior to our dinning room opening.
Chuck loved cooking for the group, many of whom he attended camp with. It’s been so fun to have him in the area.
Our alumni are coming back to camp with their families for
family camp in good numbers. We love it when they do.
Alumni know what camp is all about and are happy to contribute to the fun or plan their own program if they don’t like
ours. For instance JON SHERMAN sits on the porch most
of the day playing his guitar and before you know it others join in. There is no shortage of music at Family Camp
since our Tennis Pro is a professional musician and brings
his band to camp to play for happy hour. When it comes
to the good vs. evil Capture the Flag game we just let our
alumni run with it. The announcements leading up to it with
MIKE GREEN, JOE MENDES, PAUL NATHANSON and
JON SHERMAN are as much fun as the event. STEVE
RICHMAN is always punking someone usually Leb and I.
KEITH KRETCHMER and his family along with the NATHANSONS ran the breakfast cookout. MARK HOLTZ
was a good sport he brought his three small children without
mom and never broke a sweat.. We provide lots of fun family programing during the week and delicious food. It’s a no
brainer family vacation. A word of caution: once you come
to family camp your kids will not let you miss a summer.
They want to come back to see all of the friends they have
made. Bully for our post camp directors DAN LICHTENSTEIN and ARI GOLDBERG who showed our campers a
great time. Other Alums at family camp included: EDDIE
LESHIN, JIM SILBERMAN, CARY ROSENTHAL, JON
FREMSTAD, ROB PORTER, TOM PETERMAN, PETER
KATZ, ANDY ZUKROW, GARY KRETCHMER, MIKE
CUTLER, PAUL ADELSTEIN, BEN MIZEL, STEVE and
DENNIS RICHMAN, FATHER BILL KEY. If you would
like to join us with your family don’t wait until the summer.
Get on our list soon.
DATES FOR POST CAMP 2009 AUG. 15TH-22ND.
Starting and ending with breakfast. Call our office early
we fill quickly every year.
CHIPS OFF THE OLD BLOCK
It’s so much fun for Leb and I to have alumni children at
camp. During the friendship fire at the beginning of the
summer we ask our campers to stand up if their fathers,
uncles, grandfathers, brothers attended camp. Its amazing
to see how many of them are standing. We love the history
and connection that camp holds.
Second Generation Campers this summer:
Danny and Jonny Bazelon (Gary, Highland Park, IL.)
Josh Berger (Jim, “Bugsy” Detroit)
Ben Blonsky (Adam, St. Charles, IL.)
Sam Bricker (Lew, Deerfield, IL.)
Dustin Cohen (Mike, Tucson, IL.)
Sam Cohen (Steve, Northbrook, IL.)
Aaron Dinkin (Jeff, Santa Monica, CA.)
Max Emmerman (Ross, Chicago, IL.)
Steven Fishel (Mark, St. Louis)
Scott Goldberg (Bruce, Omaha)
Holden Greenberger (Robert, Larchmont, N.Y.)
Ethan Handler (Jon, Northbrook, IL)
Noah Henson (Jeff, Highland Park, Il.)
Chip Kass (Geoff, Highland Park, IL.)
Aaron Katz (Steve, Washington D.C.)
Michael Lee (Bob, Riverwoods, IL.)
Jacob Lehr (John, Omaha)
Garrett Lebby (Leb and Sue, Tucson)
Parker Leshin (Eddie, Highwood, Il.)
Sam and Zach Levi (Michael, Lincolnwood, Il.)
Ethan Levy (Brian, Mequon, WI.)
Owen and Spencer Marks (Richard, Chicago)
Abe Mendez (Joe, Cleveland)
Brad, Tommy, Justin Mills (Andy, Highland Park, IL.)
Dan Millstone, (Joe, Tucson)
Corey Nagel (Marty, Glencoe, Il.)
Ike Nierman, Elliot Goldberg (Peter, Lincoln Park, IL.
Andy Peterman (Tom, Glencoe, Il.)
Scott Plonsker (Steve, Deerfield, Il.)
Matt Reisin (Rich, Highland Park, IL.)
Ben Rubin (Scott, Highland Park, Il.)
Matt Rusnak (Steve, Skokie, Il.)
Cole and Luke Schrager (Jeff, Omaha)
Jacob Sherman (Jon, Oak Park, Il.)
Ben Schulman (Mark, Highland, Park, Il.)
Leo Simon (Elliot, Buffalo Grove, Il.)
Zachary Stollman (Steve, Leawood, KS)
Jordan Reiff (Ed, Skokie, Il.)
Scott Hamilton (Jim, Northbrook, Il.)
Josh Tashma (Doug, Northbrook, IL.)
Harrison Rosenthal (Bill, Leawood, KS)
Mark Yellon (Al, Chicago, Il.)
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE,
STRAIGHT FROM THE HOUSE’S MOUTH
AND MOST OFTEN FROM CYBERSPACE.
IN THE DAYS OF LOU AND RENEE 1945-1980
NORTH STAR ALUM MAKES NEWS IN THE NY TIMES.
To quote the NY Times: “There
are a few straight talkers in the
regulatory regime, of course. One
is Gary H. Stern, president of
the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and co-author of “Too
Big to Fail: The Hazards of Bank
Bailouts.” In a speech last Thursday, Mr. Stern expressed deep
unease over the consequences of
using taxpayer money to rescue
GARY H. STERN, A CO-AUTHOR big and reckless financial inOF THE BOOK “TOO BIG TO FAIL.” stitutions. To read the whole
article with Gary’s thoughts go
to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12gret.
html?ref=business. We’re very proud to call him one of
our own. Thanks to CASEY GREEN for sending this
one in after seeing the article about Gary......MIKE KATZ
premiered his first film Remembering Phil at the LA
Downtown Film festival last month. With Remembering
Phil, Michael dons a producer’s hat for the first time, and
established Prevalent Films in support of his belief in the
future of independent cinema. http://www.prevalentfilms.
com. Michael is also an award-winning landscape photographer whose images can be seen at: www.michaelkatzphotography.com......JEFF MELVOINE taught a course
in Comparitive Script wrting at Harvard last winter during
the writers strike......FRANK and
MARGIE WINTRAUB have retired and have built a new house in
Fairfield, IA. Franks new hobby is
Kite sailing and he sent a great picture of him enjoying his new hobby
on the ocean.
ANOTHER SMALL WORLD STORY. TIM ETTENHEIM Writes us this: “We discovered yesterday evening,
here in New York City, that two North Star guys have known
each other for awhile but weren’t aware of the connection
until now. I was a camper during the ‘60s and counselor
and maintenance/driver/opener/closer guy in the early 70’s,
from Whitefish Bay; I’ve lived in Greenwich Village and
worked around Manhattan since ‘78. AARON LAURITO
was a camper from 92-96, grew up in the north suburbs of
Chicago and moved to New York a couple of years ago after college. Aaron is now, although he’s leaving to go to
graduate school, the supervisor of tutoring services at Comprehensive Development, Inc., a very special nonprofit that
provides a network of services to 1200 over-age and undercredited high school kids in one school in New York. I’m
CDI’s board chair. Aaron and I were chatting at a student
event, and he said he wanted to get back to see northern
Wisconsin this summer and you can probably finish the
rest of the story. Long story short, while I’ve long been
inured to meeting Milwaukee expats in New York, learning
that a young star in an organization I value deeply is from
North Star was a very pleasant surprise that needed sharing.” (editors note: I love these small world stories please
share yours)....DOUG BERCU welcomed another little
boy to his family. That makes two future NSC campers says
Doug. Doug is a real estate developer in Atlanta....
BUGSY BERGER had this picture taken with Barack
Obama at Chrysler’s Sterling Stamping plant on Wednesday May 14th. where
Jim is employed....NICK
BELKER was a camper &
Jr. Counselor in the early
to mid 50’s. thru 1956.
He writes that he has fond
memories of Lou & Renee
& seeing Mike Hall built.
Nick was also a tripping
counselor for several years. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1961 & the University of Louisville
Brandeis School Of Law, 1964 & practiced for 35 years. he
is now retired and involved in several entrepreneurial ventures with one of his daughters. He tells us that he enjoys
many wonderful memories & friendships that survive to the
present day. (nick@americasbusinesslink.com) ............
MICHAEL CUTLER 62,64,67,69,71 works in I.T. lawfirm
Steptoe and Johnson and lives in Northern Bethesda. His son
Ryan will be coming to camp this year....We are extremely
proud that the Center for Environmental Health’s Executive
Director and alumni MICHAEL GREEN was presented
with the Compassion in Action Award in San Francisco last
year. The award is a joint project of The Committee of 100
for Tibet and The Dalai Lama Foundation, and is presented
to individuals “that embody pure motivation and compassionate concern for the well being of others, world peace,
ecology, and global responsibility.” In choosing Michael as
a recipient this year, the selection committee noted his tireless work at the Center for
Environmental Health as
an advocate for children’s
health and healthier communities. Previous award
winners include New
York Times writer Nicolas
Kristof, Anna Lappe of the
Small Planet Institute, and
Marjorie Craig Benton, Mike Green testing lead levels
founder of Chicago’s Peace
Museum.. Michael accepted the award at the opening of
the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts showing of the exhibit
The Missing Peace. The masters of ceremony was Sharon
Stone. The Missing Peace is a multi-media art exhibition
bringing together 88 artists representing 30 countries, in an
exploration of the idea of art as an interpretation of and a
catalyst for peace. We love how Michael has used his camp
network to help in his endeavors. PAUL NATHANSON is
his P.R. rep. CHARLES MARGULIS also works at the
agency and is making his own news and appearing on T.V.
and PAUL ADELSTEIN is on his board and many of our
alumni help host events and donate to the cause....Never underestimate your camp connections......Professor SCOTT
PLOUS (camper in the 70’s) is a Fellow of the Association
for Psychological Science and the American Psychological
Association, and is the 2008 recipient of the American Psychological Association Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology as well as several APA
division awards, including the William James Book Award
(for his book “The Psychology of Judgment and Decision
Making”). He has also received the Binswanger Prize for
Excellence in Teaching by Wesleyan University, and in
2006 he was named “Connecticut Professor of the Year” by
the the Carnegie Foundation and Council for Advancement
and Support of Education.....Thanks to JAY SCHWARTZ
for this news on Scott. Jay has his own news he was wed
last February to Anna with many alumni, post campers, the
Lebby’s and his co-counselor from Germany MANFRED
FRANK in attendance. Manfred was not only in attendance he was the best man. It’s quite a testament to the two
of them that they could keep this friendship going all of
these years with Manfred in Munich and Jay in Chicago.
It was quite the fun wedding..... LEROY ROSENBERG
is selling furniture and this year made 5 trips to China with
customers. Leroy says that they just built a house in Delray
Beach Fl and he hopes to get over to see Gary Wiren for
some golf lessons....MIKE GELBORT participated with
500 other bicyclists from twelve countries in a 300 mile
ride around Israel to raise money for Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital in Jerusalem.benefiting Israeli and Arab
children.....THE PETERMAN’S COLLECT ON AUCTION BID TO BENEFIT THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND.
The Lebby guest house was up for bid and Tom Peterman
and his family joined us
in Tucson collecting on
their high bid. We had
a ball. I think that they
did everything there was
to do in the Southwest.
Leb took them up to the
Grand Canyon, they visited Sedona, hiked Bear
Canyon and did all that
Tucson had to offer. Prior
to their leaving I asked little Kerry what she liked best about
the trip and she said “the night that you painted my nails and
having you and Leb all to myself.” Proof that less is sometimes more...STEVE RICHMAN was re-elected to the
Moreland Hills Council. He still finds time to volunteer for
Junior Achievement, 3Rs program (lawyers teaching Govt.
and career planning to high schoolers in Cleveland City
Schools); Board of “Dress for Success” and Bellefaire’s
SAY (Social Advocate for Youth) committee. Steve practic-
es law in the same practice as MARC KRANTZ....MIKE
MOSS writes from down under where he has been raising
his family along with his
wife Cathy. He has four
little Aussies Joshua (8),
Aaron (5), Benjamin
(2) and little Emily who
joined the band last October. We’re hoping that
Joshua will join us this
summer.....Giuliana Fernanda Coven or “Little
G” as parents RIFFY COVEN and Eva call her was born
June 24th at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Welcome
to the world....
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF LEB AND SUE 1980-1995
ANOTHER SMALL WORLD STORY The most prestigous estate planning seminar which is attended by people
from all over the world is the 43rd Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, which will be taking place this
year from January 12-16 in Florida. North Star will be
duly represented this year with two alums on the faculty
staff at the institute this year, BRIAN LEBENSBURGER
and DAVID HANDLER. Brian is married to Myriam
and living in Miami Florida, with his two children (Jacob
and Rebecca). David Handler works for Kirkland & Ellis
LLP and lives in Northbrook, Il. with his wife and three
daughters. Brians writes that his cabin mate MIKE “SAV
MAN” SAVNER is a Wall Street analyst, living in N.Y.C.
and cabin mate MATT KASSEL is also a Wall Street
analyst living in N.Y.C. with his wife son and daughter....
JON HANDLER M.D. holds the title of Chief Deployment Architect Microsoft Corporation as well as Clinical Associate Professor Director of Emergency Medicine
Informatics Northwestern University. He lives in Northbrook with his wife and two sons....Many thanks to the
ANDER’S: SCOTT, DARREN, COREY AND BRIAN
owners of Durable Packaging selling Aluminum Foil Trays
and Aluminum Foil rolls to the food service industry. They
manufacture and sell to Distributors such as Boelter, Sysco,
Reinhart etc. www.durablepackaging.com. This summer
Brian contacted us unsolicited and asked if he could donate
some of their Aluminum products to camp. He said that he
would get a kick out of our campers making their tin foil
surprise dinners in his foil stating that he still makes it with
his kids. To our delight he dropped shipped a whole palette
of aluminum products, which are quite pricey. We are most
grateful and can offer testimonial to the quality of the product. You guys never cease to surprise us......BRAD SEARS
was a camper at North Star from ‘77--’83. He is currently
living in Peoria, Illinois where he attended Bradley University, and obtained his M.A. in counseling. Brad writes the
following: “In ‘95 I was living in Palo Alto, California,
and one day I woke up with an uncanny sense that JON
BRICKMAN was living in San Francisco, (although he
and I had lost touch in ‘89 or ‘90). Long story short but I
got a phone book, made a couple calls, and like magic I was
able to speak to him on the phone that evening, but unfortunately lost touch again.” After obtaining his counseling
degree and license Brad opened a private practice and has
been providing outpatient counseling and psychotherapy
for about 7 years. This summer he completed a 2 year program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis.....JIMMY
SARNOFF and Leslie welcomed the birth of Alexis Jordyn (Alex) born on April 30th congratulations.....BRUCE
BELL will be wed Hiroko Nagata in New York City this
spring where Bruce works as a graphic artist.....JEFF LEBENSBURGER writes that reading the alumni news makes
him want to have a boy (he has two little girls) He is living
in Memphis TN working at St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital as a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellow. He
finished his first year which is all hospital based, now he is
in the lab working with mice trying to cure Sickle Cell disease and Thalassemia. They will be in Memphis for at least
two more years, then maybe back to FL to go into practice.....DAN POLSTER and his wife Amy are the proud
parents of 3 girls -- Julia, 5; Vanessa, 2; and Shawna, 10
months. Dan is psychiatrist in private practice in Cleveland. His daughter is in the same class in school with JEFF
HEXTER’S younger daughter. .....CHRIS MAY lives in
Southern Indiana where he is a physician practicing general
medicine and expecting twins......JOE MENDEZ is teaching 4th grade at Gearity School in Cleveland Heights. Joe
was instrumental in fund-raising to send students from his
classroom to North Star through our scholarship fund program. Joe offered support to the families who were making
a big step to send their sons to camp. With out Joe none of
the four kids would have experienced the magic of camp.....
JERRY KAGAN bought Joe Mendez’s Father’s business,
Salazar International exporting truck parts all across the
world. Jerry has 2 daughters....GARY KRETCHMER is
President of an Advertising agency Direct marketing based
in Chicago. In his spare time he plays trumpet in a 17 piece
big band for the park district playing civic events and benefits in Evanston.....KEITH KRETCHMER sells portable
x-ray equipment traveling internationally....Keith’s daughter
works for the PBN Company in their London office. She’s
a colleague of PAUL NATHANSON. Nate opened the
door for her after college and since she met her husband in
London, I guess that he had a hand in that too.....PBN is an
international public relations firm and Paul has worked in
the D.C. office for many years. He has sat with toy makers
and corporate lobbyists and heard them bad mouthing his
other client MICHAEL GREEN who sounded the alarms
on lead in school lunch boxes and toys. Mike along with
clients of Paul’s firm helped to craft language for legislation on lead standards that recently passed in congress.......
HARRY NATHANSON is a property manager in Arlington Heights married to Paula and has two kids......STEVE
DINKIN runs a non profit mediation center in San Diego
and has 3 kids.....BOB COLE works for the Glencoe Bank
of Novia Scotia in New York and has 2 boys and a girl.....
DOUG KATZ owns Fire restaurant in Shaker Square and
is the father of twins.......PETER KATZ lives in Hamb-
den, Ohio sells computer consultant services. He drives a
biodiesel car and is an international board game enthusiast
which he loves to share with his two children.....LENNY
BASS lives in Dexter, MI and is a jack of all trades running his maintenance and landscaping business......ROB
PORTER runs Ark Insurance Agency in Cleveland insuring small businesses and individuals who would otherwise
have trouble getting insured......DAVID SEGIL is working
in finance getting his Business degree at the Univ. of Chicago. He visited camp this summer.......STUART LOREN is
applying to law school and working at a law firm.....DANNY LUGAR and DANNY JACOBS are applying to med
school and maybe in by now....JON FREMSTAD started
a staffing company called I Placement for hiring and HR
needs. They have more than 2,000 employees. His company made INC 500 this year. He is also Vice Pres. of Tech.
Development for the Metro Orlando Economic Development and he is his son Jagger’s soccer coach.....MARK
HOLTZ is self employed in real estate development and
owns and operates Fat Burger franchises in the northern
half of Ohio. He lives in Beachwood with his three children
coaching baseball, tball, and softball....CARY ROSENTHAL has his own law firm doing estate planning with a
concentration in special needs. He is into Kung Fu and Tai
Chi for exercise. He recently wrote a book for the Illinois
institute of continuing legal ed......JON SHERMAN is the
new member of a band called Hayward playing guitar with
PAUL SIMON and BRIAN BLACK. They do a rendition of Mountain Dew an old camp tune. (We’ve got to get
Hayward in Hayward to play.) Jon has a private clinical
practice treating adolescents and families as well as eating
disorders.....PAUL ADELSTEIN’S show private practice
airs it’s new season on ABC wed. nights. Paul is living in
LA with wife Liza Weil who is an actress in independent
films, stage and in the T.V. show The Gilmore Girls. Paul
introduced Mike Green to his T.V. co-star Amy Branigan.
They became friends and at Mike’s request she introduced
the Dali Lama at an event for Mike. MIKE SIMONS and
Paul have done some recording in LA. Mike is running
Intonation Music Workshop, similar to School of Rock for
the Chicago Parks Dist. working with high risk kids. The
winner of their competition gets to play at Lallapalooza in
Chicago. .....TOMMY GOTTLIEB is in New York with
a successful career in voice overs and acting.....BILLY
WEINBERG is engaged to Ariel a medical student and he
works for a political PR firm.......DANNY BERNSTEIN
still works at the Radio Station The Score, 2-6pm time slot.
He is still doing his talking contest......KEVIN O’GRADY
is recently married to his partner and is adopting a child.
Kevin is Head of the Orange Co Anti Defamation League.
Also on the board of the Gay and Lesbian Center......JON
PICK is an actor in L.A. in theater and volunteering at the
Actor’s Gang production of Bury the Dead......BRIAN
TENNEBAUM (74-80) lives in Long Beach CA. with his
wife and children, a daughter and a son. He works for Crest
Steel Distrib. Brian graduated from U.C. San Diego and
never left Southern CA......LARRY VALLEM retired from
teaching art and is working as a studio artist and as an assistant to a professor of art sculpture at Indiana Univ. North
West. He lives in Lake Station IN. It was great to see Larry
when he visited camp this summer.....
RECENT PAST AND PRESENT 1995-2008
ANNIE MILLSTONE is a buyer in L.A for Gearys in
Beverly Hills selling high end table top items. Annie had a
great time visiting at NSC this summer.....TOMMY MILLSTONE is a sound engineer in LA for a company that restores the sound in old movies......SAMMY KRAUS lives
in L.A. managing hedge funds and sees Annie Millstone occasionally.....DAN MUSCHLER is in Chicago working at
a non profit and considering Law School........KELLY
DAGGETT CLARKE is living and teaching in Boulder
where they live totally off the grid. She has two little girls
Norah and Addison. It was great seeing her at camp this
summer.....AARON ROSENBERG works for a D.C. international consulting firm Hill and Knowlten image consulting......MATT ROSENBERG works in IT consulting Citrix
software system in Chicago.....Tripper DARCY CAROL
EVANS worked at the Hulbert outdoor Center on the Admin Team. The center is involved with Social emotional
and relational education. She did group work and dynamics
work with school groups......REECE OSWALT sent this
news: “ I was a counselor at North Star during the summer
of 1999. I still talk about and remember my camp summer
as being one of the best I have ever had. I have been living
in Las Vegas since leaving camp. I taught both elementary
and middle school and am currently an assistant principal at
an elementary school. I am also a second year doctoral student at UNLV. I have been married five years to Bethany
who is a fifth grade teacher and we have a two year old
daughter named Addison. I hope all is well with you and
your family, please tell Dan Lichtenstein, and the rest of the
crew that I send my best. Oswalt@interact.ccsd.net.......
BENJAMIN S. SHER and wife Heather welcomed Leo
Martin Sher, born Wednesday, August 20 at 5:23 a.m. Leo
tipped the scale at 7 lbs 14 Ben is Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of CREDIT SUISSE. The
Sher’s live in Chicago....STEVE and CORRIE HITCHENS welcomed a baby girl Carter to their family in Aug.
They live in Denver. Congratulations...ROBBY RUTKOFF graduated from the University of Michigan and is
teaching in NYC for Teach for America. He teaches a kindergarten class in Brooklyn and judging from how our boys
felt about him at North Star I have a mental picture of him
with the little ones attached to every limb. Robby is in good
company in New York since he was just recruited onto BRIAN
GLICKMAN’S dodgeball
team along with
JOSH
FROST
who also lives in
New York. After
graduating
this
spring from Syacuse Josh is emBrian Glickman with the Lebby’s in New
York at Tri-State Camping Conference
ployed by Major League Baseball (MLB.com) and moved
to NYC. The NSC contingent also includes BYRON
SCOTT see each other regularly and provide a great community for one another...BRIAN GLICKMAN is assistant
director of Camp Cabosse in Maine and works out of the
NYC in the winter...SCOTT GERSHAN is attending medical school in Israel. He is in his second year. DAVID
GERSHAN is in a PHD program in Clinical Psychology in
Norfolk, Virgina......JON WEISS started work on June
16th at Richland Development Corp. as an Associate Developer of Luxury Multifamily (a.k.a. apartments) and Luxury
Student Housing. He actually sparked the student housing
division of the company while he was interning there last
summer. There are now 2 developments of that type under
construction, 1 at Kent State University and 1 at Akron University in Ohio....ANDY WHALLEY writes from the UK
after living in Denver last year. This summer Andy had a
big adventure driving just over 10,000 miles from Liverpool to Mongolia to raise money for children’s charities.
Check out there fund raising page at http://www.willwemakeit.com/conquerthevoid. We haven’t heard from Andy.
He was a little nervous before he left but we’re sure that he
had a fun adventure knowing Andy.....MIKE SWIRYN
has been working at the outdoor ed center at George Mason
University and traveled to Israel in June. JAKE SEGIL
graduated from Univ of Illinois this spring with a degree in
mechanical engineering and went on the Birthright program
to Israel. Jake is a research engineer at the Rehabilitation
and Prosthetic Institute of Chicago on Northwestern Medical School campus.....Former cook JOANNE DOMINICK
is enjoying her retirement in northern California. We have
such great memories of her standing on her head on a dining
room chair for the staff show. No one even half her age has
attempted that since. Not to mention someone who could
also make a fabulous roast beef.....It was great to see DOUG
WILLSON at camp this summer. He stopped in with his
girlfriend Issis and we had a great visit. Doug teaches and
lives in Sante Fe, NM...DAVID SOLOW and his wife
Brooke have a new baby girl, Scarlett. She is already being
put to bed to an I-pod play list of camp songs that David
compiled (Circle Game, Jamaica Farewell, etc). David is,
working closely with fellow alum ROSS EMMERMAN at
the Chicago law firm Neal Gerber & Eisenberg, practicing
Corporate and Securities Law. Mike “Air” Sher, Ben’s
Dad, is a partner as well. David sees DAVID MEHLMAN and ROB KALLICK frequently, Rob’s band just
played at a Barack Obama fundraiser/concert that David
was involved in. David has been active in the campaign.
David reports that BJ HANAUER just got engaged to David’s friend Lisa Malinowsky.....MICHAEL RICHMAN
is doing well in his last year in High School taking- Honors
- AP courses. He is Vice Pres of his class (Student Govt.)in track/field- Mock Trial Club; and he hung up his Bass
drums this year in band to be THE Orange Lion (mascot)
for football games....It was great to see our former Assistant
Director BRAD HOLLAND at camp this summer. He was
in the states from Australia where he is the Director for
I.E.P. (International Exchange Program) that staffs camps,
ski resorts etc. with fun Aussies. Brad made the trip to camp
and spent exactly 10 hours just so he could say hi to everyone. His place in Melbourne is the North Star meeting spot.
This year he caught up with CHRIS SVOBODA who has
been studying a semester abroad in Sydney. Says Brad,
“Chris now 21 makes me feel old as I remember when he
was my camper in the Junior Village. It was good to see
him down in my part of the world!” In other North Star
alumni news, Tripper SARAH LOSEMAN visited Australia for a few months stayed with Brad for a couple of weeks.
She also visited CK (CHRIS KIESSLING’S in Adelaide
PAUL THORPE in Brisbane and MATT MULLER in
Sydney. Because we have such a wonderful base of alumni
in Australia Brad is contemplating hosting a reunion. It’s
been a wonderful reciprocal thing. When our international
staff travel after camp they are the recipients of some amazing hospitality by our parents and staff. When our staff
travel abroad it has been returned in aces. It makes Leb and
I so proud of our community.... GREG HAMMERSCHLAG (Little Big Schlag) recently worked at a wilderness program called Soltreks. Schlag says that he had a
great time working with struggling teens and providing opportunities of change. He is currently attending University
of New Hampshire where he is continuing his interest in
working with teens.....STEFAN LOCHNER counselor in
2001 from Germany writes that despite the fact that he managed to break his leg playing dodgeball at camp it is still one
of the most memorable summers of his life. Currently after
a few years of studying in Germany and the UK, he did a
Masters in Economics and he is now working with a management consultant in Cologne/Germany while working on
his PhD at the University of Cologne.....KATIE KINGMAN is working in DC at Smith Barney after completing
an internship is Asia......CLIFF LISSNER and his wife
Lisa are expecting their first child soon. That baby will get
lots of attention next summer at Chippewa Ranch Camp
where Cliff and Lisa are directors.....They honored TOM
and PAM ADLER this summer with a great alumni celebration for a combined 50 years in camping .....KEITH
LISSNER is a clothing designer in NYC and his new line
is really taking off in the clothing world. His site is keithlissner.com. Check it out, pretty cool.......MICHELLE ECCELES visited camp this summer along with BRIAN ANNEN and his wife and new baby son. Michelle is teaching
English at a local high school in Osaka, Japan. We are so
proud of her and this adventure that she has undertaken.
Her Japanese is coming along beautifully..........SCOTT
SCHNEIDER is a student at the University of Az. He visited Indiana and teamed up with his former cabin mates
BRENT CHOD & MATT SEIDLER......GARRETT
LEBBY graduated from Univ. of AZ Eller School of Business with a degree in Business Management. He is doing
some free lance website developement while looking for a
full time job...KACY LEBBY is a sophomore at the Univ.
of Puget sound.
NORTH STAR SCHOLARSHIP....CAMP FOR ALL KIDS....THE LOU AND RENEE ENDOWMENT... IT
GETS A LITTLE CONFUSING In late October NSC alums Mike Simons, Rob Porter and Joey Mendes joined the
board of the Camp for All Kids Foundation (CFAK). Many of you know that the North Star Scholarship Fund created by
Lou and Renee in 1945 has taken on the title of several entities. Contributions can be made to the Lou and Renee Rosenblum Fund, the North Star Scholarship Fund or the CFAK Foundation. A little confusing
yes, but easily explained. It seemed only fitting to name the scholarship fund in honor of our
founders Lou and Renee and we did so about 7 years ago. However, many of our early alumni
and Post Campers who are very supportive were used to contributing to the Scholarship Fund
and they continue to do so. Fifteen years ago NSC alum and owner/director of Camp Kamiji,
Mike “Moose” Jay started the Camp For All Kids Foundation. With Renee’s blessings we began to divert Scholarship Funds to the CFAK Foundation. The beauty of CFAK is that funds
are provided to enable kids to attend either North Star or 4 other camps whose directors are
alumni of North Star. The camps are Kamaji (Mike and Kathy Jay), Camp Timberlane (Mike
and Leslie Cohen), Birch Trail (Gabe and Barb Chernov), and Chippewa Ranch Camp (Cliff
and Lisa Lissner and formerly owned by Tom “Flash” and Pam Adler). Funds coming into our scholarship program are
also sent to Milwaukee’s Children’s Outing Association in honor of Lou and Renee. Rob and Joey have been instrumental
in expanding the CFAK Mission to include Cleveland campers. Last summer 4 campers were able to experience a camping experience as a direct result of their efforts. As a teacher in Cleveland Joe works with students that fit the mission of
CFAK and he is working hard to communicate with the campers, the families and the camp directors. Before the board
meeting Joe met with the families of the campers that attended camp this past summer and took video footage of the kids
and families talking about the value of their camp experience. If you view the footage, and we are working to make that
possible, you will see that It is not an exaggeration to say that the kids and their families believe they had a life changing
experience. The beauty of the CFAK program is that the campers are able to attend camp for as long as they like. Therefore,
they are just like the rest of the campers and at the end of the summer they are able to give hugs to their buddies and say,
“See you next year.” The problem that CFAK is experiencing is not unlike every non-profit organization in the country.
There is a serious shortfall of funds. I am committed to allow our scholarship campers to return to North Star for as long
as they like, regardless of funding. However, CFAK may be forced to limit the number of campers they can send in the
future because of a shortage of funds. Many of you have been incredibly supportive of the scholarship program and Sue
and I sincerely appreciate your contributions. Current campers are contributing Bar Mitzvah money to the program. One
camper Tommy Mills contributed over $8,000.00 last year. AMAZING!!! We hope that you will continue to support this
very worthwhile and important program. Last year 73 kids were able to attend camp. There are several grass roots efforts
across the countries that are being implemented to raise money. One of the most interesting is an effort by Tom Adler. Tom
has written a book entitled, “Campingly Yours.” Tom traces his experiences as a camper and staff member at North Star
and then discusses his decision to purchase and his adventures as owner of Chippewa Ranch Camp. I have read the book
and believe that any NSC alumni will particularly enjoy reading it. In fact, anyone will enjoy reading it and it can be purchased on line or found in some national book chains. While reading the book you will learn about many of the North Star
traditions. It is a fun, heartwarming book and has a great message. A couple of NSC alums have purchased enough copies
of Tom’s book to send a copy to each of you. We will also be asking for a contribution to the Lou and Renee Rosenblum
Fund and hope that you will contribute generously. Tom’s goal in publishing the book is to raise significant dollars for the
scholarship program and has indicated that all proceeds from sales of the book, after expenses, will go to the fund. This is
a very, generous offer and a substantial commitment as Tom spent 2 years writing the book!
There is one other thing I would like to mention and this is probably directed to very few of you. Sue and I would like
the Lou and Renee Rosenblum Fund to raise enough money to fund an endowment for the CFAK Foundation to provide
camperships to deserving kids forever. To do this we need substantial money. We know that some of our alumni have been
remarkably successful and some have substantial family trusts. I would love to talk to any one of you that is interested in
making a sizable contribution. There are multiple ways that this can be accomplished. Please let me know if you would
like to initiate a conversation. I can promise you that your TOTAL investment would go to sending kids to camp and would
provide them with a life changing experience. You can ask Joe Mendes, he’s seen first hand the benefits of camp.
Best wishes and keep those campfires returning. Leb
NORTH STAR CAMP FOR BOYS
6101 E. PASEO CIMARRON
TUCSON, AZ. 85750
WWW.NORTHSTARCAMP.COM
LEB@NORTHSTARCAMP.COM
520-577-7925
Second generation kids