Danny’s first year at Muscular Dystrophy Camp was in 1973 at
Camp Hastings in Cabin 15. He was turned
on to Camp by his friend Bob Medrala, who spread the word at their high school –
St. Lawrence on Chicagoland’s southwest side – after attending camp
himself. Danny’s camper that first year was
Mike Engels. Timmy Sullivan was another
camper in that cabin. Many years later, in
the summer of 2015, give or take, he spent a week at Horizon summer camp once again as Mike’s
attendant. I don’t have a photo of Danny
from that week at Camp Hastings; I didn’t take many photos then on my little
Instamatic camera, and have only 11 in all from that week in my photo album.
Danny returned to camp in June of 1974 as a volunteer for
both one-week sessions at MDA Camp, first at Camp Ravenswood East and then at
Camp Hastings. At Ravenswood, he was in
Cabin A paired up with Phil Potyen.
Lasting friendships and memories came out of that experience. Other campers included John Lianos (for whom
Danny and I both served as attendants at one time or another), Richie Conway,
and the remarkable one-year-wonder of great memories Antonio Cristofaro. Danny, a world-class master of impersonation,
would lovingly recreate Antonio for all the years after that single week, and we
shared a thousand laughs and tears over his recreations. Also in that cabin were my brother Ron
Balsamo, as cabin leader, and our fellow Fenwick Friar Pat Wilsey, who would
become a dear friend of Danny’s.
I have just one photo of Danny from 1974 Ravenswood. Here he is, on the far right of course,
kneeling looking at Antonio Cristofaro, with his camper Phil Potyen in the
middle, during a skit in the dining hall:
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| 1974 Ravenswood (L to R): Antonio Cristofaro, Phil Potyen, and Danny Martin |
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| 1974 Hastings: Danny Martin and Earl Higgins |
I was camp program director those two weeks in 1974, and in
moving about the camps I quickly saw how much laughter and joy this newcomer brought
to everyone about him. Danny and I became
fast friends that week and someone took a picture (it may have been with Danny's camera):
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| 1974 Hastings: Danny Martin and Rick Balsamo |
In 1975 at Ravenswood East, Danny was in Cabin A paired up
with Glen Davis, a very shy, extremely quiet young man. Danny gave him the time of his life, and I
mean that literally. Glen had a broad smile
on his face the entire week. He still
didn’t say much, but one could easily see the great time he was having with
Danny. Imagine, having Danny Martin all
to yourself for an entire week! Also in
that cabin, fellows who would become part of Danny’s closer camp world, were
campers John Lianos, Aaron Adams, and Phil Macak. Phil Potyen was also in that cabin, and Pat
Wilsey was cabin leader.
At 1975 Hastings Danny was the cabin leader of Cabin
13. At Hastings pairs of cabins were
connected by a shared washroom in between and occupied one building. Danny’s fellow unit leader in attached Cabin
14 was Ron Balsamo. That year, just down
the lane a bit, Bob Medrala and I were cabin leader partners of the connected Cabins
17 and 18. Once again, I took few photos in 1976 and have none up closer of Danny.
In 1976, because of the demands of medical school I was able
to attend only the one-week session at Hastings and missed the first week session at Ravenswood East. But I did visit, and have this photo of Danny in the iconic red carnival coat:
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| 1976 Ravenswood = Danny Martin in his iconic red carnival coat |
At Hastings, Danny was cabin leader of 15, partnered
with Bob Medrala as cabin leader of 16, whose crew included campers Mike Engels
and Mike Goodman.
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| 1976 = Bob Medrala |
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| 1976 = Danny in his iconic red coat |
In 1977 at Ravenswood, Danny was cabin leader of Cabin E, whose campers included Kenny Gilford, Johnny Sugrue, and Earl Higgins. That year I was next door to Danny in Cabin F, with, among others, Pat Wilsey.
In 1977 at Hastings, Danny was cabin leader of 13, with,
among others, Pat Wilsey, Pete Muzzy, Johnny Abell, Tim Sullivan, and Scott
Plocharczyk. That was the cabin of King
Turd fame. The Cabin 14 crew included
Johnny Angelico, Mike Engels, and Tim Stagg.
Danny’s brother Jimmy was in Cabin 6 with King Jake Weier (I was next door
as cabin leader of 5), and close cousin Freddy Martin was in 15 with Alvin
James.
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| 1977 Hastings = Danny Martin with Cheri Bourbon |
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| 1977 Hastings = Jimmy Martin, Rich Westley, & Danny Martin |
