Horizon's First Camp: 1976

The first Horizon camp was held in December, 1976, at Camp Villa Marie on Pistakee Lake, in the Chain-O-Lakes area of Northern Illinois northwest of Chicago.  The camp was owned and run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, and consisted of a number of heated, smaller bedroom buildings plus a large mess hall and a main activity center.  A little more detail is provided here.  I didn’t take very many pictures, but I used my new 35mm Canon camera.  Out was my beat up old Kodak Instamatic, with its fixed focal length, and in with the new.  Color film was a little too expensive while I learned, but here are my first few efforts.  It looks like we could have used a little more heat.


Visnu Saengmani, Mike Jarrett, and Kathy Sheehan

One year at Horizon Winter Camp (although I'm pretty sure it was not this first year), Rich Westley and I were there for the whole time, about five days as I recall.  We handled a cabin with about five or six disabled guys, helped out occasionally by some able-bodied guys who would be crashing there for a day or too.  One of our cabin mates was Vishnu, who for reasons unknown to science and lost in time needed frequent trips to the bathroom, an experience that was particularly unpleasant for all involved.  In calling out to either Rich or me for help, he would enjoy taunting us with "Ri...Ri...Ri..." before finishing with either Ri...chie or Ri...cky.  It became quite a laugh, although not anywhere as funny then as it is now, and I am sure I can speak for Rich as well as myself in saying that if we ever find ourselves inebriated in the same place together we could reenact the whole course but farcical affair quite faithfully to the original.  

Marian Liptak, Colleen Hoening, & Phil Macak, with Aaron Adams off on the right

Mike Engels

Aaron Adams

Mike Jarrett sitting on right

Johnny Abell

Mike ?Herzovi

Johnny Angelico & Rich Westley taking bets on the 5th at Arlington, with Dave Boffo in foreground and ? Mike Ervin on far left