Finding Pvt. Harris is one of many stories slated to appear in the book to be titled "Only At Camp." This story is included in hopes that Thunderbird Alumns will share stories of their relationships that have developed as the result of their summer experiences at Thunderbird. Please consider taking the time to e-mail your story to Kaye. Her e-mail address is: camping@bellsouth.net

Finding Pvt. Hartis

As told by Todd Low
(1980-1987)

There are some things that one will do in their lifetime that shall never be forgotten.

I would like to share one of the many experiences I had with the world famous Ernest Hartis. Before doing so, I find it necessary to share some background information on Ernest. To the best of my knowledge, Ernest began working for Camp Thunderbird in the late sixties or early seventies. He was hired to be the Maintenance Director by the now retired Bill Climer. Ernest and his wife, Maxine, raised three boys in the Maintenance Director’s house located in the middle of camp. Every staff member that ever worked for Camp Thunderbird during Ernest’s tenure (and that would be several hundred) heard his speech on how to cut grass and how to return tools to their respectful place in the shop…. a wonderful man!

Ernest retired from camp sometime after the year 2000.

While working maintenance week just prior to the 1980 summer season, I had my first of many encounters with Ernest. I was one of the privileged few who got to really spend time talking with Ernest. Ernest mentioned to me that he was the baby of five children, and that his older brother, Tom, had practically raised him. Ernest and his brother, Tom, were very close. Ernest told me of the last day he saw his brother. It seems that Ernest walked Tom to the train station to make the trip to Europe during World War II. Tom was in the U.S. Army, 13th Infantry 85h Division. He was a foot soldier.
Tom Hartis was killed in action, 30 days before the end of World War II, as his division was about to cross the Rhine River and make the push to Berlin, Germany. Previously, Tom had been awarded the Purple Heart three times during World War II. He died defending our freedom.
Ernest told me that he had a dream to some day make a trip to Europe to find his brother’s grave. It was a dream that he had carried with him for quite some time, but it was also one that would not die.
I had the chance to come to camp a little early in the spring of 1981 to work maintenance for Ernest Hartis. I wasn’t in camp long when Ernest started talking again about making a trip to Europe to find his brother’s grave. All of the guys that worked maintenance would joke with Ernest about going with him to Europe. It seems that every year Ernest would tell his same story to a few of the staff that came to work maintenance. By the summer, 1984, I had heard this story about Ernest going to Europe to visit his brother many times. By the end of the summer of 1984, I told Ernest that we, (meaning he and I) were going to Europe to find Tom’s grave!
I spent some time and research finding Tom’s grave site. Plans were made and airline tickets were purchased. We were ready to go! (Just a quick note of thanks to the Camp Thunderbird Board of Directors for the purchase of Ernest’s plane ticket. That was a nice gift.)
Ernest and I were both excited about making the trip to Europe. The many folks at Camp Thunderbird shared our excitement. I still had not realized how much the trip was going to mean to Ernest. The trip of a lifetime was about to begin. We would leave Charlotte, North Carolina on Delta Airlines, April 25, 1985. Our mission…. to find the gravesite of Tom Hartis.
Our flight from Charlotte to Atlanta was pretty smooth. Now one must keep in mind that travel by commercial airlines was not an everyday event for Ernest. Our flight from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany was a little different from the first leg of our journey. Ernest and I had to sit in the smoking section in the rear of the aircraft so Ernest could smoke to relax from the stress of flying. (This was before the no smoking on any flights went into effect.) This also put us closer to the flight attendant work area.
Once we were airborne out of Atlanta, the flight attendants came through the cabin with headsets so one could listen to any type of music and watch a movie later. Ernest was so funny sitting with his head set on listening to country music, his favorite beverage in hand. When I would talk to Ernest in a soft voice, he would answer loudly enough for the entire flight to hear him-due, of course, to the head set on his head. Everyone got a good laugh and that began to break the ice with the folks sitting around us. It was not long before the entire flight crew on this Delta flight knew Ernest and the story of our trip to find his brother’s grave. They wished us the best of luck.
We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany and met Bill and Kathy Matthews (former Camp Thunderbird staff). Ernest and I had made plans to spend our first night in Europe with Bill and Kathy. (Bill and Kathy were school teachers on a US Army base just outside of Frankfurt, Germany.) Frankfurt, Germany would also be our departure point for our return trip home. We would spend the next two weeks visiting the cemetery of Ernest’s brother and traveling around Europe.
Ernest and I had purchased a 14-day Eurail pass to get around Europe. During the next 2 weeks we saw ten different countries, and we met all kinds of people. The most important and touching part of the trip, though, was arriving with Ernest in Margareten, Holland.
Margraten, Holland is home to the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial. Upon our arrival in Margraten, via the train, Ernest wanted to stop and get fresh flowers for his brother’s grave. While Ernest purchased the flowers, I got directions to the cemetery. The local bus ran about every hour to the cemetery and for some reason I decided to get a cab for us. A short cab ride of about 10 minutes was all it took to get to the cemetery. I had the cab driver drop us off on the highway in front of the cemetery.
The setting for this visit is hard for me to put into words. If you close your eyes and picture beautiful green rolling meadows out in the country, with large oak trees lining the fence rows, you might envision the landscape as we saw it, The weather that day was a high overcast and the temperature was in the mid 40’s. As Ernest and I got out of the cab, and the cab pulled away, we were overcome with silence. The joking and cutting up we had enjoyed since leaving camp came to a halt. I felt as though the Second World War had just ended... and yet I was not even born then. There was an eerie feeling in the air, one that was hard to explain, as Ernest and I walked to the entrance of the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial. I allowed a little space to distance Ernest and me as we walked to the entrance. I wanted Ernest to have this moment he had waited for for so long. It had been 40 years and 29 days to the day that Tom had been killed in action.
As Ernest walked to the gate, a lump began to form in my throat. Lay out in front of us were 8,300 white marble crosses-one for each soldier buried there. The white Italian marble crosses were in perfect rows as far as one could see. It was hard for me to believe that there was a man lying beneath each cross. It brought cold chills to me. I looked over to see Ernest staring out over the field of crosses. I noticed that he had small tears running down his cheek.
Ernest and I just stood at the entrance for what seemed like hours, just looking over the white crosses. The superintendent of the cemetery approached and asked if he could be of any help to us. Ernest was still in a little shock, so I began to tell the superintendent our story. I told him that we were looking for the grave of Tom Hartis. He left us momentarily before returning with the information we were seeking. Tom, he told us, was in plot A, row 7, and grave 13.
The walk from the superintendent’s office to the site was a slow one. The paths were all out of Italian marble and liked with memorials showing the movement of all of the allied forces into Europe. As we entered plot A, I dropped back from Ernest once again. I could see him counting the rows until he came to row 7. He began counting over to grave 13. This was the moment that Ernest had been dreaming of for over 40 years. Ernest reached Tom’s white marble cross and dropped to his knees. As Ernest placed the fresh flowers on his brother’s grave, tears began to flow.
I was standing about 20 yards away from Ernest to give him some time and space. After a couple of minutes Ernest looked over and motioned for me to come look at Tom’s marker. It read:
Pvt. Thomas B. Hartis
13th Infantry 8th Division
North Carolina April 6, 1945

It was hard for me to believe that we were standing in front of Tom’s marker. It was harder, still, for me to believe that Ernest had kept the dream of finding his brother’s gravesite alive for so many years. Tom was 20 years old, and Ernest was just ten years old the day they walked to the train station to say good bye to one another.
We spent most of the day looking over the American Cemetery and talking to the superintendent. The superintendent indicated that Ernest was the only visitor to the Tom Hartis grave on record. The superintendent also filled out some paper work for Ernest. The paper work would allow flowers to be placed on Tom’s grave at different times during the year. The army would pay for the expense involved.
The superintendent also had a file and a copy of the Purple Hearts that Tom had received. The filed indicated that Tom was killed in action by German mortar fire about 5:30 a.m. along the Rhine River. The 13th Infantry was to cross the River at or about 6:00 a.m. to start the push to Berlin.
Ernest and I made our way back to Margraten to spend the night. The next day we made a second trip to the cemetery. Ernest used about a dozen rolls of film at the cemetery. That was fine.
The remaining part of our two-week adventure was filled with some of the funniest stories one could ever imagine. I’ll save these stories for another writing.
I’m so glad that I was able to help a friend make a dream come true. Little had I known that taking a job for a YMCA camp would introduce me to so many people and take me all over the world. I’ve made many, many, good friends and had many great experiences over the years through my association with Camp Thunderbird. One of them was with my very good friend, Ernest Hartis.

Many 80's alumni staff members may remember Betn and Leslie, two side kick counselors in cabin 25. Leslie returned to Thunderbird during Alumni Family Camp '06. Those in attendance were amazed to find that Leslie now a published author!
Leslie grew up in south Louisiana. She has degrees in illustration and Advertising Design. What started as a book collaboration with her father, led to a rediscovery of the power of learning through story and the joy of a child's viewpoint.
Leslie now lives in Michigan with her husband, three children, a dog, and a large collection of books. She divides her creative time between painting, writing, and reading. For a preview of Leslie's work, visit her on line at: helakoskibooks.com (Leslie's full name is now Leslie Helakoski.) Two of Leslie's recent titles include "The Smushy Bus" and "Big Chickens."

For some time Kaye Carraway has been soliciting stories of memories, parks, or just reflections from Thunderbird Alumni staffers. Below is one such reflection written by Jon Arnold, Head Counselor, summer '06.

Please consider e-mailing Kaye your stories so that they may be included in her story collection to be titled, "Only At Camp. " It is hoped that this book will eventually be published and the proceeds will fund scholarships for future Thunderbird campers.

Reflections on Camp
Jon Arnold


I cannot imagine my life without Camp Thunderbird. The shimmering shores of Lake Wylie, the chalk salted floor of Johnson Hall, the history written on the walls of each East Camp cabin, the long row of Sunfish bobbing up and down, and many other images will stay with me for a lifetime. I must even credit camp with molding me into the person that I am today- for teaching me play, creativity, caring, and compassion among other things.
I barely remember the early years as a camper. I remember a few counselors, all of whom I revered. I think I was one of those quiet kids who nobody took too much notice of. One of those kids in the middle who Anna Carroll always told the counselors to pay their due attention. I neither caused trouble nor rode a unicycle on stage. I tended to go with the flow as a kid and was quite and introvert. Obviously something kept me coming back though, and in my later years as a camper I have fond memories of supportive counselors and good friends who returned year after year. Camp became a second home for me. Especially in my last two years as a camper and I began to feel a sense of belonging there, and later, as a counselor came the sense of propriety, of ownership and responsibility.
I spent my career as a counselor with the youngest of the West Camp boys. Perhaps the most demanding, but definitely the most fun group of children to work with. Some of the more hilarious moments came when I convinced the kids that they had to sail to Germany for their gold card, or that dinosaurs lived under the cabin, or that I was actually 38 years old and had four kids at home. Some of the more meaningful moments came when children wept on closing day and clutched my leg, or shared their candy without knowing I was watching, or surprised me by grabbing my hand as we walked to breakfast, or even tried to dash off with a bag in the middle of the night to run home but then found the light in a possum in a nearby tree.
I was taught well my first summer by Judson McAdams, a great counselor and coach. And, over the four years I spent as a cabin counselor I came to acquire an almost sixth sense of how to treat each child and how to solve any particular problem that may arise. My experience as a camp counselor made for good daddy training. At the young age of seven, it is not uncommon to witness positive change in character over only a two week period: this inspired me, this kept me coming back.
Remembering what it was like being a child is a nearly impossible thing unless you work with children so consistently. I am fortunate that camp gave me this amazing opportunity to learn and grow alongside the kids and to recapture the magic of childhood.
The friends I have made at camp will last forever along with the memories of sailing sunfish, cleaning Lake Wylie grime off boats, trying to no avail to rig the boom-vang on the 420s properly, reffing a powderpuff game (and making a few enemies), putting a VW Thing in the cafeteria, and many more. But these memories will only stay alive in me with the help of my friends from camp. Camp attracts the kindest people in the world, and I am grateful to have met leaders and friends unmatched in any other setting. The relationships at formed at camp are the most powerful. I think three months at camp equals about 2 years in the outside world. I have always believed that I grow at camp every summer and flatline, or lay stagnant, during the year at school.
I am grateful for everything camp has done for me and honored to be a part of the rich history of such a wonderful place. My heart goes out to you, Camp Thunderbird.

The Camp Thunderbird Virginia Creeper bike trip is Saturday, October 21. We have a shuttle scheduled to leave from Blue Blaze shuttles in Damascus, Virginia, at 9:30am. Please be there no later than 9am, especially if you are renting one of their bikes. Several families will be staying at the Comfort Inn in Abingdon, Virginia, the night before. Join us if you would like to arrive a night early.

A reminder… The weather will most likely be cool. Come prepared to ride with appropriate clothing. Also be prepared for a pop up rain shower; the weather can change quickly. A rain jacket and snacks can easily be carried in a back pack/book bag. An extra change of clothes to leave in the car would be smart, too. I would also recommend everyone (adults included) wear helmets. The trail is easy, but has some uneven spots and is remote in sections. Better to have a helmet on if you take a spill. Plus, it sets a good example for the kids.

There are a couple of places to get food on the trail. Green Cove (3miles) has snacks; the Creeper Trail Restaurant in Taylors Valley (11 miles) is a good lunch stop. Damascus has ice cream shops and restaurants at the end of the ride.

Watch the Weather Channel. It it looks like the weather is going to be bad, we'll reschedule for the spring.

John Christian wrote today to share the wonderful news that Edith has returned to her apartment at the Pines in Davidson. John wishes to thank all who have sent kind words of encouragement to his mother and the Christian family during her recovery from her broken hip.

I recently heard from Daniel Rowland, who participated as a CIT at Camp during the 90's. Daniel attended USC, majoring in criminal justice. He went on to join the army, a family tradition for the Rowland family. Daniel then went to Infantry Officer Basic Course, followed by airborne and ranger school. He moved to Italy, where he has been since early 2006.

David Rowland has been on a similar timeline to that of his brother, except for the fact that he is 6 years older. He is also an airborne ranger stationed in Italy. He has been ro Iraq once and Afghanestain twice. He has also lived in Korea, Savannah, and Ft. Benning, Georgia. He is married and is enjoying his time abroad.

Chris Rowland is living in London and was just married last May. He is working for the government in the Intel community. Chris received his masters at FSU in international relations after college.

Arlene has always been proud of her three fine sons. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their service to our country!

Labor Day Weekend marked the annual return to Camp Thunderbird for many alumni staffers. This year's event was well attended. In fact, record numbers of alumns dropped by camp to reconnect with a special time in their lives as well as friends with whom they had spent wonderful summers on the shores of Lake Wylie. The gathering is held every year during Labor Day Weekend. If you've not attended the event before, begin thinking about the possibility of doing so next fall! It's an event enjoyed by "children" of all ages.
The 2006 Alumni/Family Camp featured a number of surprises. New family events included a bike parade on Sunday afternoon. A campfire, complete with music by Cheryl Foree Gans and Gail Bost Vawter set the stage for roasting marshmallows and those delicious smores! Following the campfire, those in attendance were treated to a spectacular fireworks display. These are just a few of the events that marked the 70th birthday weekend.
On Sunday evening, South Carolina Representative John Spratt shared a bit of history with those in attendance for the 70th birthday dinner. Spratt also unveiled an original painting of Curtis B. Johnson, founder of Camp Thunderbird. A replica of the painting will hang in the camp office.
Be sure to visit the photo gallery to view photos from Labor Day weekend.

Sharon Siler (1990's) recently graduated from law school She successfully completed the bar exam, and moved to Washington, DC, in August. Sharon is presently looking for a health care policy advisory/consulting firm. Congratulations to Sharon on her accomplishments!
Sharon's contact information will be included in the December directory update.

A second attempt at scheduling a bike trip for interested Thunderbird alumns is taking shape. The fall '06 trip is slated for Saturday, October 21. Interested participants will head to the mountain top at 9:30 a.m. via a shuttle. Don't wait. E-mail Mickey Thomas or Todd Low today to reserve your seat on the bus.
For those unfamiliar with the Virginia Creeper Trail, it is located in Damascus, Virginia, and was the topic of a wonderful article included in Southern Living last May. Dubbed, "the prettiest mountain bike ride you'll ever encounter," the trail is actually a retired railway corridor of the Virginia-Carolina Railroad. It includes a gentle descending grade and well-groomed surface, which lends itself perfectly to downhill adventures.
Below are some details that may help interested bikers in their planning:
1) You may bring your own bike and pay for just the shuttle ($11.00) or you may rent a bicycle for $23.00. Included in the bike rental is a bottle of water and a helmet. (Mickey suggests bringing your own helmet, if you have one.)
2) The bike ride from Whitetop to Damascus is 17 miles, almost all downhill. You will have to pedal the last 3 miles as it flattens out a bit.
3) There are vault toilets at numerous places including the trailhead at Whitetop. There is The Creeper Trail Cafe, a nice little cafe at Taylor's Valley, about 10 miles down, or a number of other places to eat once you reach Damascus.
4) The ride takes from two and a half hours to three hours, depending on how leisurely you decide to be. Be sure to bring along your camera! The leaves should be unbelievable at this time of year.
Should this event fit into your fall plans, the trip is sure to be eventful. Who knows? You may find yourself in Mickey Thomas's next book about biking!

Alumni Director, Kaye Carraway, works to maintain an up to date Thunderbird Alumni Directory. The directory was updated in early July this year. To request an electronic copy of this directory, please e-mail Kaye (camping@bellsouth.net). She will be glad to send you one. The directory will be updated again in December. Again, alumni staffers may request electronic copies of this directory as early as January 10.
Please feel free to pass along any address additions you may have for the directory or changes in information. All will be added as the directory is updated.