Time at Sea Thoughtfully Remembered
“It sure was a treasure,” remembered Peggy Fisher, former Camp Fire member and current resident of St Paul, Minn., as she shared her memories of Camp Fire’s 1966 “Horizon Club Conference Afloat.”
The one-time event embarked from New York City with a cruise ship full of 15- to 18-year-old Camp Fire members from around the U.S. eager to experience Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Columbia. “Every day was filled with adventure,” said Peggy. “On board, we studied the countries we were scheduled to visit, had leadership seminars, and met new friends. We even had a press room for filing news reports back to our home towns.”
Onshore, the Camp Fire members met with local youth organizations. Since each girl was invited to homestay with a local family, the Camp Fire youth were able to experience firsthand a culture much different from her own. Peggy reflected that one unexpected outcome of the trip was learning that not everyone lived the same middle-class life the Camp Fire youth left behind when they set forth for a week of Caribbean exploration. “Though the trip was full of fun, songs, and friendship building,” Peggy continued, “it was also a life-altering, social justice eye-opener.”
“In many ways, that trip was what motivated me to apply to become an exchange student, spending my senior year in Argentina. I went on to study Spanish in college, pursue social work as a career, and eventually lived ten years in Latin America,” said Peggy. “All the little experiences that were part of the cruise built upon each other—making new friends in new places, exposure to completely different lifestyles, learning about cultures different than mine. The trip was an opportunity to learn an appreciation for the many differences between us and cultivate a more positive expectation of how different cultures can live together. In fact, I think I’m much more open to and understanding of the many immigrant groups we have in Minneapolis, in many ways because of that trip I was a part of back in 1966.”
Recently Peggy was exploring media archives on the Internet and found a number of the articles that had been posted from the ship. Her research has sparked interest in reaching out to others who were on the same Conference Afloat. She recently sent out an email to other travelers she knows in the area, encouraging everyone to put the word out about staying in touch. She has already received responses and expects more over the weeks ahead.
Camp Fire has committed to helping as much as possible, sending an email to each known attendee, encouraging a reunion (if only virtual). If you or anyone you know has information to share, please send it to Eileen Bobowski at eileen.bobowski@campfire.org.
Hi Eileen, Kindly add me to your contact list as he send blog/newsvlinks. Thank-you.
Correct last name spelling. Middle name is maiden (voyage) name. From California!
I attended the Horizon Club Conference Afloat. I looked it up hoping to see pictures, stories, or other info about the cruise. Please use my info for any type of reunion information or things related to the cruise.
I also attended the HCCA – What an amazing experience. I definitely have the “travel bug” and it all started there. I think it would be fantastic to have a reunion and I live in Minneapolis so we could at least have a reunion of two! Please keep me informed.
I remember the trip, as I was a member of the University High School boys that were to accompany the troops to the Luquillo Beach for a day of sunshine and fun. I have been trying to find two friends from that trip, their names and state are all I remember: Laurie Jopling from Dallas, Texas and Kit Holland from the state of Utah.
Miss Holland and I became pen pals but with time and our lives; we became distant and lost contact. Through the help of a member of the Camp Fire Girls (can not remember her name, sorry) I’ve been able to get this far. And if your search yo reunite the girls that were on this voyage, maybe I can reunite with Miss Jopling and Miss Holland.
Thank you for all you can do.
I am the niece of Gwen Harper, who was the director of the 1966 Horizon Club Afloat. I wanted to share with you that Gwen just passed away in November, her memorial is to be held this Saturday in Portland, Oregon. Gwen always enjoyed recounting memories from that trip. It was a point of pride for her that she had organized, planned and executed such a trip for 1,004 young women, and a highlight of her nearly 40 years of work with Camp Fire Girls. To read that it had such an impact on Peggy’s life and maybe the lives of others gives such wonderful validation of all Gwen’s efforts, and brings such joy to me! Thank you for sharing!
I was also a participant in the Conference and it had a huge impact on my life. My name was Claire Harper at the time. I have so many treasured memories of people, places and events from that trip. I came across the article quite by accident just today; otherwise I would have responded sooner. Meeting and getting to know young women from across our own country was also a powerful part of the influence of cruise. It fostered in me a much deeper understanding of the richness, diversity and yet interconnectedness of our human nature. Our human experience is so intertwined; the things we believe and the choices that we make truly effect and are effected by others. Community is a treasure and a responsibility. I also think that for me it helped me build confidence in my own ability to “go out and do things” that I might not otherwise have developed. I am deeply thankful for my Camp Fire experiences, for the organizers of that wonderful trip, the families, young people and collaborators who made it possible, and young women with whom I shared the trip. It is wonderful that the spirit of the trip is still alive and flowing in the world.