Camp Nor'wester -- A Different Perspective On The Sale To Paul Allen

At the risk of alienating my fellow Camp Nor'Wester alumni, I would like to suggest another perspective on the sale of Sperry Peninsula.

While the camp experiences of generations of campers and staff are indeed valuable, and the emotional attachment to the location is strong, what many of us gained from Nor'Wester/Henderson Camps is not lost with the sale of the camp property. The values, the respect for the natural world, and the sense of community born at camp have weathered the passing years and have a life independent of that particular piece of land.

I am troubled that the Nor'Wester Board and camp community has taken their campaign to influence Paul Allen into the public arena. (We need to remember that it was only a few years ago that Sperry Peninsula was owned by a group of Nor'Wester families. They exercised their right to sell in the marketplace, and the subsequent owner, however suddenly, did likewise.) Regardless of the extent of his resources, Allen is free to do what he likes with his land - as were prior owners - and he is free to not give it back to the Camp. For the fledgling nonprofit Nor'Wester group to organize what amounts to a public-relations smear campaign seems doubly inappropriate. Allen has shown himself to be a generous citizen, and the region has benefited greatly from his largess. To paint him as the Scrooge because he chooses not to support this particular project is disingenuous, and has the potential to foul the philanthropic nest for other, less-emotional nonprofit ventures.

It is time for the Nor'Wester Board to look forward. Rabbit and Tyee Henderson moved their camp, and so can Nor'Wester. A successful camp experience doesn't require an $8 million piece of property. The late J. Gordon Hamilton built the nationally recognized CYO camping program in Western Washington on a shoestring. Nor'Wester can do likewise, and, with a camp alumni community willing to pledge $2 million without even being told exactly how it was to be spent, shouldn't have trouble getting started.

It will, however, require letting go of the idea that "saving the camp" means pressuring Allen to swoop down and rescue it, and redefining "saving the camp" as building the camp anew. It will require dealing with the emotional loss and generating some enthusiasm for the future. It will also require re-defining its mission as a nonprofit organization - which, given the attitude expressed by the actions of the board, will take some soul-searching, and perhaps a close look back at the values and traits of character the camp purports to hold dear.

Tommer Peterson Former Nor'Wester staff