Where were you July 20, 1969?
On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the 1st moon landing I was reminded where I had been at that time. And so I thought I would ask other old CCH staffers what they remembered about that event.
Thought folks might be interested…. here is what was happening at camp 50 years ago… this from my memory of Bob Kelly that is including in the CCHGoldenTipi website. Where were you in ’69?
Gary
….When Bob was cook at the Bowfort site in the summer, his staff accommodation was the so-called groundsman’s cabin. This was a tiny cabin about 8 feet long and 6 feet wide located between the main road the lake. Bob brought his old cabinet style TV out to camp, hooked up an antenna to get the signal from the Exshaw repeater and spent his evenings watching shows like Mod Squad and Hawaii 5-0. However, on July 20, 1969, Bob set up his TV atop a couple of tables in the lodge and tuned it in to the NASA broadcast of the moon landing. Just after 12:00 noon (camp losing time), the staff and campers in the lodge were able to watch the first manned spacecraft land on the moon. About 6 hours later, we were able to watch the first steps on the moon taken by Neil Armstrong.
…..That same summer of 1969, I was Assistant Camp Director and was assigned to “supervise” Bob. I have to say that supervision of Bob was a bit of challenge and we had a lot of conversations that summer with Bob’s point of view mostly prevailing. I recall that he had a certain fixation with serving liver. Bob figured that liver was inexpensive and good for you and all campers should be eating it at least once a period. I finally won the “no liver” conversation by pointing out that 100 lbs of liver went out on serving platters and 98 pounds came back. I am not sure what happening to the 2 pounds that were missing but I think they became craft projects. I did learn the skill of turkey carving that summer when helping out in the kitchen…Bob taught me how to quickly break down and carve a turkey so that the 10 or 12 turkeys required to serve the full lodge could be quickly dealt with while still hot….
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Bill Kelly
Camper and Staffer in the mid 1960’s currently retired in Edmonton, AB
Thanks Gary for continuing to keep us all informed. I was touched by the comments about my brother Bob Kelly as these were stories I had never heard before. Confusing as a child I remember he never would indulge in a liver meal at home. As far as the moon landing goes, I remember it well but am at a loss as to were I may have been. Memories of CCH and all the wonderful friendships that were made resonate in my mind and I would not have wanted it any other way. I look forward to meeting up with as many of you as possible at our next reunion and in the mean time hope this note finds you all keeping well.
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CIT and Counsellor in the mid 1960’s and retired HS Principal in Kamloops, BC
Good afternoon Gary and thanks for keeping us all connected.
This was an easy one for me to remember where I was, wishing I was riding down 1A at night with the moon over Yam.
However I digress. I was in between university years attempting to pay for my next year [ unfortunately Hector did not do this for me at this stage].. I was on a Forest Lookout in BC outside of Cranbrook [ hello Brydon] which was 24/7 in those days. Mike Love had just hiked up to spend a couple of days with me in my 10×10 cabin/home /office /lookout. Exciting stuff
Again nothing but great memories of the CCH activities — go CITs 63.
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Camp Staff for many year starting in the 1970’s, alumni and Music in the Mountains, organizer, currently retired in Kimberley BC
How How, tillicum,
Fun reading this chain. When I worked I disliked folks that replied all but this has been amusing.
Bob Kelly – my folks fed me liver so perhaps I ate some of what Bob was serving.
1969 was my first year as a camper at CCH (CIT 1975). I remember vaguely the TV coverage of the moon landing but not from the lodge on Bobs TV. I must have attended a different session.
I drove the 1A yesterday by camp, caught a glimpse of salamander bay. A 90th CCH reunion next June – we ought to attend. Spin tales, tell lies, BS some more.
BTW Bob Kelly was my Judo instructor at the old central Y. He used me to demonstrate some throw, winded me, yanked me up & stated;” you’re OK.”
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Cameron Dow
A staffer in the 1970 and currently a CPA in Calgary
Being younger than most on this mailing list I was in my parent’s basement for the landing before going to camp as a Kananaskin, with Kim Cairns as my counselor. On the day of the moon landing, my father set up his 8mm camera in front of the television and captured the landing on film. The movie is complete with the dark lines moving up the screen because an 8mm camera doesn’t sync with a TV. So now, 50 years later, I think I’ll go to my basement, pull out the box of my father’s movies, thread this one through the old projector and relive the landing; and as usual, just for laughs, I’ll show it backwards.
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Dave Hanley
CIT, Counsellor, Section Director, Assistant Camp Director in the 1960’s and retired MD
When the moon landing occurred, I was starting my final year (clinical clerkship) of Medicine at U of T. It was my first summer away from CCH, having been on staff for 8 years, finishing as Assistant Camp Director for the last 2 summers, when Terry Patterson was Director.
I missed Camp a lot, along with Calgary, and the mountains. That summer, Terry was directing the Hamilton YMCA camp, and he invited me out for a visit on one of the weekends I wasn’t on call. It was a very good camp, with similar objectives to those of CCH, but the visit just made me more homesick, and solidified my plans to do my internship in Calgary.
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Multi faceted camp staff from the 50’s and 60’s
Warm greetings to the whole mess of you listed.
In 1969 I was one year married, new baby, working and living in Pt Claire Quebec, no money, but very happy.
Reading this name list flooded by mind & heart with powerfully rich memories of Hector. How lucky I was to be with so many smart, fun loving, energetic, goofy people.
Wishing you all good health & happiness.
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Brian Higgs
I was sitting on my sofa in Edmonton holding my exactly six month old baby daughter beside my 3 year old son.
Black and white TV eh?
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Terry Loat
(CIT and Counsellor ’63 and ’64 … retired and splitting time between Edmonton and Arizona)
That’s a cool recollection of being at CCH watching the moon landing. Thanks to Bob Kelly, all those staff and campers will have distinct and unique memories of “where were you?” when thinking about the moon landing 50 years ago today.
Less dramatic, and admittedly in a whole lot more comfortable setting, I recall watching the moon landing with my parents in the comfort of their home in Calgary.
A few other “where were you…when” events for me include the shocking terrorist 9-11 event (I was at a conference in Spain); JFK’s assassination (I was cutting class playing pool across from Western Canada High School) ; Princess Di vehicle crash fatality (at a family dinner at my brother’s home in Calgary): and ok, even have to admit, Elvis’ death announcement (a very upset office receptionist let my whole office know). Now, about what happened on this day last week……..not so sure!!
Btw, if I had been at Camp in ’69, my share of any of those liver servings would be left on the platter as well. My dear Dad liked liver and onions and when occasionally Mom cooked that dish, the family dog stayed right beside me as I, not very sneakily, slipped my entire serving of cooked liver to her. After a few of those episodes, I don’t recall liver being on the family menu again.
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Brydon Ward
Camp staff and winter camp legend from the early 1960s and currently a forestry consultant in Lac La Bache, Alberta
I don’t remember anything about a moon 🌚 walk that may or may not happened. What I remember is great times with great friends at both CCH and the downtown YMCA. What about the winter 🥶 camping at CCH. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES and I’m in for our reunion.
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Walt Armstrong
CIT, Counsellor etc in the 60’s and 70’s
I was there as a CIT that summer. The only other time I remember a tv in public at camp was Nixon’s resignation. I think that was the new site.
That was a particularly memorable day for me as I was in the throes of the Hector Honk. I believe the exact moment Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, I was bent over a railing on the front porch
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Butch Nelson
CCH staffer in the 1950’s and currently a futurist in Lac des Arc, Alberta
Yes, thank you Gary and all who have added their voice and memories.
By 1969 I was back in Calgary with my wife, Heather, and young son, Michael 3 years old, on the faculty of U of C and also on the CCH Camp Committee with Bud Gamble. That was when the Stoney-Nakoda told us they wanted the old site back.
I shall always carry with me my formation as a “Y guy” during the years from 1945 to 1957. That includes untold hours at the old, old Y in Calgary, 5 years as a camper at CCH and 2 as a leader. For all of this and all of you, I am grateful.
James (Jim) Acheson
CIT and counsellor in the mid 1960’s and currently English Professor in Christchurch NZ
I watched the Moon landing in London, where I was taking a summer school course on twentieth-century British literature. Most of the other students were American, and after we’d watched the astronauts touch down, they started singing ‘Lord, I’m Five Hundred Miles Away from Home’. Somehow it seemed appropriate. It took me back to CCH and the counsellors’ interest in folk music.
… one of the lecturers at the summer school I attended was Sir Anthony Blount, later disgraced for his involvement in a Communist spy ring.
He was an art historian, and he began his lecture by saying that he’d been out of the room when the astronauts landed. After they’d touched down his son raced in to say, excitedly, ‘Dad, Dad! They’ve found a Doric column on the Moon’… he was joking, of course.
We had two aftershocks yesterday. I hope we’re not going to get any more major earthquakes. You may be aware that since 2010 we’ve had two major earthquakes in Christchurch, two minor quakes and over thirty thousand aftershocks. You should feel lucky you don’t get earthquakes in Canada.
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Alan Gardner
Hector CIT, Counsellor and Horseman in the 1960’s and Calgary consultant
Good story! When the Eagle landed fifty years ago I had finished my time at Hector and was working on a construction site in downtown Calgary (Palliser Square). After work I was glued to the TV screen with so many others – likely a black and white screen but then the moon was kinda black and white anyway. I remember Bob very well – he liked his hamburgers rare, just singed a bit by the BBQ flame as I recall. He was a great cook.
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Michael Kerfoot
Solar Energy consultant at Yam from ’76 to ’79 (and ever since) trying to get us off fossil fuels
… 50 years ago on this date I was at U. of Guelph between 3rd and 4th years working on campus. When I first applied to Guelph I did so while living in the Philippines and so they thought I was an international student. At this time I was still living at the so called international house. It was a giant old 3 storey brick place which accommodated 28 of us. As with many of these old places it had a “widow’s walk” – a small flat area perched on top of the deeply pitched roofs. It was the only mountain climbing I ever pursued in those days – climbing out a window and accessing a questionable ladder to the peak. As Gary has alluded TV’s were monstrous pieces of furniture in those times. But somehow three of us were able to “sherpa” it up the shingled cliffs to the roof’s plateau, run some wires for power to base camp below and some wire for reception to the cosmos above. I guess we figured the closer we could get to the action on the moon itself the more intimate the experience. Reception was somewhat between poor and nonexistent – we figured it was the cosmic radiation disturbance initiated by the human violation of the heavens. Or something. We hollered to our earth bound colleagues in the floor below to turn up the radio. Our imagination provided the visuals. We jumped up and down and hollered at the mortals out on the sidewalk below at the other worldly significance of the events unfolding on our closest planetary neighbour.
As we cheered the moon explorers on we offered conjecture as to how in only another couple years we would be colonizing Mars and beyond. And we figured that would be just in time to escape the mess we were leaving on our once sweet planet.
Kurt T. Ayden
CIT and Counsellor in the mid 1960’s and almost retired lawyer in Vancouver
Not sure what I was doing in 1969 but if today is the day (of the moon landing) I must have been at a summer job in a wood pipe mill that existed those days under the Granville street bridge
(Now it is Long gone and soon to be replaced by Vancouver House – certainly the most interesting looking new building in Vancouver – doesn’t look like it can stand on its own – google – for pics if anyone is interested. I hear rumors that it sways so much that the elevators may have difficulty operating properly)
I am now actively trying to Retire ASAP – after our office building where I practiced most of my working life – where I was the first tenant into the building now will be one of the last to leave as the building is being redeveloped and I am too old to start over.
The thought of not working is so much more appealing
And there are so many other things to explore- learning to cook a better meal without burning it etc being one of them
Regards to all on this auspicious day
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Robin Johnston
A very, very young camper in the early 1960’s and currently a media Director in Toronto, ON
Thank you so much for including me in these lovely emails. In a small way I feel like a proxy for dad (Ed Johnston) who would have loved this.
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Brenda Mason
At camp in 1969 and 1970, currently retired on Vancouver Island
Thanks for the memories Gary. 50 years ago is a long time and much has happened in our lives since then. I will never forget the summers at Camp Chief Hector. I remember the door on the lodge blowing shut simultaneously with the moonwalk. I remember helping Nursie, Beth Hanson, especially on her days off. And I remember the Camp Director’s cabin.
