I was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. My mother, Harriett Pearson, was a riding counselor at Clearwater for a couple of years. When my sisters and I were of camp age, Halokwe asked to come to our home and show her slide show. Then Sunny, who had moved to Peoria, also asked us to host a recruiting day. My two sisters and I attended camp in the 1960s. Then we were counselors together and I taught riding in 1969 and 1970.
I graduated from Pine Manor Junior College (which I chose because it reminded me of Clearwater), then transferred to the University of Arizona and graduated in 1972. I met my husband, Hobey in Arizona but our families had known each other for years. Matter of fact our fathers attended Camp Highlands in Sayner together.
I was fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom for our three children, although volunteer work and children’s activities kept me out of the home often. When our daughters Leslie and Julie were old enough, they attended Clearwater and our son Andrew, Camp Highlands. When all three children were at camp, I volunteered at Clearwater doing anything and everything. During my 15 year tenure on the camp management team, I was in charge of transportation and one year served as associate director with Sunny. I have never really left camp. In 2000 we purchased a home in Pottawatomie Colony where we now spend our summers.
I have loved serving on the Board and am so excited to see the progress the Foundation has made and where it is going. Our granddaughters will be the 4th generation to attend and will begin camp in the summer of 2022. It thrills me to have our legacy continue.