Harriman Camps curator to speak at the HSRC

Evening Lecture
100 Years of Group Summer Camps in Harriman State Park
Sue Scher
Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 7:15 Sharp
Admission:  Free (donations greatly appreciated)
For Reservations:  call 845 634 9629 or email info@rocklandhistory.org

The group camping program in Harriman State Park started 100 years ago with the belief that parks should be for all people, particularly the underprivileged that did not have fresh air or leisure time.  To address the needs of the urban poor, particularly in NYC, the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission instituted social relief programs at more than 100 camp facilities in Harriman State Park.  Sponsored by social and philanthropic organizations, thousands of New York and New Jersey children came to the park every summer to experience nature.  The program was so successful that it was repeatedly emulated throughout the country.

To commemorate this centennial, the HSRC has prepared an exhibition entitled:  “Greetings from Summer Camp – 100 Years of Group Camping in Harriman State Park.   The Guest Curator of this exhibition is Sue Scher.  We are delighted to welcome Sue to the HSRC Thursday Evening Lecture series. 

Sue Scher is Professor Emerita of Social Work, Ramapo College. She taught social work practice and child welfare and directed the social work internship program. Prior to that, she was Assistant Professor of Social Work Southern Connecticut State University.  She is co-chair of Sterling Forest Partnership during the effort to save Sterling Forest from development and during efforts to control the negative effects of the mulching operation in Tuxedo.  In the past she has been a Medical Social Worker/ Yale New Haven Hospital and Meriden Wallingford Hospital, Connecticut,  and was an Administrator of a battered women’s shelter.  Sue has been a Camper, a counselor and camp administrator at four different organizational and private camps in NY and Connecticut. 

In addition, Sue has spent the last 10 years researching, writing and documenting the history of the group camping programs in Harriman State Park.  2013 marks the centennial of these programs, so it is the perfect time to explore this topic.  

Please join us at the Historical Society of Rockland County, 20 Zukor Road, New City, NY  10956
 
Admission is free, space is limited and  reservations are required.
 
As a courtesy to the speaker,  please arrive early to avoid interruptions. 
Lecture will begin promptly at 7:15, latecomers with reservations may forfeit their seat.  Walk-ins will only be admitted if space permits.
 
Please email us at info@rocklandhistory.org or call 845 634 9629 to make a reservation.

Admission is free, reservations are required – email us at info@rocklandhistory.org or call 845 634 9629 to reserve your spot!

This exhibition and the associated auxiliary programming have been made possible by generous contributions from United Water, Orange & Rockland Utilities, The Sheridan Family, The Len Camber Trust, The Palisades Park Conservancy and  Sotheby’s.  In addition, the HSRC gives special thanks to The Palisades Interstate Parks Commission for the use of their archival photographs.

The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County.  Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House located at 20 Zukor Road, New City, New York  10956.