As I witnessed the change of ownership of this camp, I realized what it was like for one person to take and area, a plot of land, and a history of events; then through a legal maneuver, hand this over to another person, ending his dynasty of kindness.. I feel this must have been a very emotional time for the Hiken family, and even more so for Mark Faiwell.

The first foreshadowing evidence of the events to come came last year when Mark was found doing more than the usual assistant director’s share. Harold usually was the one who worked closely with the staff, but last year we saw Mark running many staff meetings.

The official word came from Harold and Mark at the end of last summer in a very emotional letter sent to all Timber-parents. In it, Harold said that he knew Mark could do a better job than he ever could do.

What makes a better director though? Is it the ability to work so closely with the staff that the director knows exactly what is needed in new equipment, and what is not? Or is a better director one who is the staff’s pal? These questions should remain to be answered for the next few years, when a proper evaluation can be made of the new ownership.

This camp should never lose respect, however, for it’s original owner, ex-director Harold Hiken. Harold had the idea, or dream, for creating his own camp for boys after spending many years at Camp Sydney Cohen in Wisconsin. Mark Faiwell came to Timberlane in 1967, and left with that same dream of having a camp of his own. That dream came true this year, and Mark says he’s never been happier and regrets nothing about his decision.

Times change, and as they do we must be aware of everything new around us. mark has done this well by investigating into waterskiing, for instance. He found that the purchase of an Evinrude 155 horsepower motor would greatly benefit the camp, replacing our Chrysler 105 horsepower motor. Our skiing department now has the finest brand name in outboard motors.

I do much work in the photographic area here, and noticed that Mark knew and understood the purpose for each piece of equipment we asked him to buy. He realized that poster-size photographic paper was not necessary to purchase, as in the past, so did not.

Nothing drastic has changed at Timberlane, and Mark was benefited greatly by having a 90% return of last year’s staff. We at Timberlane hope that Timberlane enjoys many more years here, or we wouldn’t be around much longer...