R E K I N D L I N G SEQUOYAH Honoring the past, rebuilding for the future. “THE SEQU OYAH M ISSION IS TO ASSIST A YOU NG MAN TO

GROW AS A TOTAL P ERSON BY HELPING HIM U NDERSTAND HIS

OW N INNER RESOU RCES AND LIM ITATIONS, TO DEV ELOP AN

AW ARENESS AND M ORE SENSITIV E RELATIONSHIP B ETWEEN

HIM SELF AND THE ENV IRONM ENT, W ITH HIS FELLOW HUMAN

B EINGS AND IN HIS OW N SP IRITUAL REALM OF LIFE.”

-- SEQUOYAH MISSION STATEMENT

“I’ve returned numerous times over the past few years to the summer of my youth and gone full cycle. It has helped me appreciate where I’ve come from and where I’m going and

in the process paid homage to those important influences in my life.”

Mark Ramsing, Sequoyah ’62-’64, ’66 n 1923, c. walton johnson, known to all as “chief”, developed an idea to enrich the lives of young people when he founded Camp Sequoyah, a camp for boys in the Blue Ridge Mountains, near the town of Asheville, . Chief chose to name his Icamp after the great nation leader, Sequoyah. In his estimation, Sequoyah stood for all that is great in human existence: integrity, honor, fairness, compassion, courage, & selflessness. When Chief chose to use Sequoyah’s name, he did so to evoke these same character traits in the boys who attended his camp. He hoped that, given good guidance and a pristine natural setting, boys would follow Sequoyah’s example. This hope is part of the legacy that both Chiefs have left to Camp Sequoyah. Sequoyah would teach boys to

“See with their eyes, Feel with their hearts, Do with their hands and Live together in a spirit of brotherhood.”

These were the words of C. Walton “Chief” Johnson, founder of Camp Sequoyah, “a camp with a purpose”. Our philosophy today remains the same. Sequoyah is much more than activities and entertainment. Our program will encourage boys to share adventure, develop self- reliance and resourcefulness, and gain a sense of values and character as a measure of success. As they spend nights under the stars in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hike to the summit of Bald Knob, guide a canoe through a challenging rapid on the Nantahala River or fall asleep to the tumbling waters of Laurel Fork Creek, they will share an experience to cherish for a lifetime.

Generations of young men before them have shared the spirit of Sequoyah and it is our dream to see Sequoyah’s spirit lifted again. Location

Sequoyah alumni are passionate about their camp and its setting. It is the ideal location for a summer camp, located just eighteen miles northeast of Asheville, North Carolina, near Weaverville, the closest town. The property is secluded and quiet, surrounded by wilderness that will simply take your breath away. At an altitude of 3000 feet, Sequoyah is nestled in a sheltered mountain cove on 150 pristine acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, lushly forested with massive hemlocks and towering tulip poplars. The climate is ideal, fresh and invigorating, with warm days and cool nights.

Pisgah National Forest is just a short hike from the front gate. Mount Mitchell, at an elevation of 6,684 feet, the highest peak in the eastern , is just 20 miles from camp. Facilities

Sequoyah’s legacy needs to be restored and celebrated. Stewardship of the property means responsible decisions for its sustainability and preservation. There are many important improvements that need to be made and celebrated to restore Sequoyah to the glory of its past. Rebuilding the infrastructure systems for energy efficiency, erosion control and health standards. There remains a fine balance between renovation and leaving it alone.

Boys live in rustic tulip poplar cabins with 4 to 6 other boys and a counselor. The charm of the cabins is that they will remain as they have for nearly 80 years. Laurel Fork Creek runs through the middle of camp with the constant sound of cascading water. The lake in the center of camp will need to be rebuilt as the dam was destroyed in 1978. The main dining hall lies in a breathtaking view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Seven hand-hewn cabins, circa 1870, serve as activity headquarters for different programs as well as housing senior staff. The Alumni Lodge is an ideal building for evening and rainy day activities. The open-sided chapel is an inspiring facility, located on Inspiration Point, with commanding views of the Craggy Mountains. Ball fields, tennis courts and other activity areas make this an ideal camp setting – “a boys’ place”.

To balance his own wants and needs with those of a larger group; to accept responsibility for his actions; and to approach challenges with the knowledge that regardless of the outcome, it is the act of challenging one’s self to overcome pre-conceived limits, that is real success.

Sequoyah places young people in a safe, challenging setting that allows them to succeed in just such a manner. “Two of the most memorable years of my life were 1958 and 1959, my two summers at Camp Sequoyah. Sequoyah touched me more deeply than i can briefly express (a feeling which I am sure other old Sequoyans share). It was a formative experience in my life and the lessons i learned there continue to shape the person i am- -for the better, i hope. I only wish Sequoyah was still in business, as i would love for my two sons (11 & 14 yrs.) to experience a Sequoyah summer”.

Sonny Williams, ’58 – ’59 Why Camp & Why Sequoyah?

Few influences in life can be as powerful as that of a summer camp. How can one identify perhaps the single most important educational tool in a young person’s life?

Sequoyah is a boys’ paradise, a group of young men exploring the very restlessness of human nature. It is a place for boys to grow and to grow up. Sequoyah remains steadfastly committed to the philosophy of total growth for the individual boy. We recognize the importance of skills, but consider the development of skills our least important function to our teaching. If you are simply teaching a subject, you are not teaching children. With an extensive wilderness program, Sequoyah takes boys out of camp into outlying wilderness areas. A hike up a mountain requires a trail map, not a remote control. Pisgah National Forest lies adjacent to Sequoyah with thousands of acres for boys to explore.

Sequoyah encourages friendship, cooperation, trust, exploration and community and challenges boys to a finer and more purposeful life.

“What I would not give (‘be careful what you wish for...’) to awaken tomorrow at 7:00 am to the sounds of Pop Hollandsworth playing Reveille on his coronet. Climbing out of that hard canvas bunk on a cool, delicious July morn I would put on my Camp Sequoyah t-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes and head off to the beautiful quiet cathedral-like setting of the hemlock grove for a brief time of contemplation.”

Walter Graham. ’55 – ’61 Restore

With environmental stewardship and historic preservation in mind, we are committed to “building green” for the future. Our master plan is to develop a campus that utilizes and conserves natural resources — land, water and energy — in a manner that is environmentally and economically sound. This includes making use of the best technology available for energy conservation, erosion control and waste treatment. Replace

Wherever possible, we will restore existing structures but we recognize that some buildings are not salvageable and will need to be replaced. In all cases, the construction process will be guided by the principals of historic preservation and environmental stewardship. Preserve

As originally conceived by C. Walton “Chief” Johnson, Sequoyah was built to support a two-month summer season. Since closing its doors in 1978, the campus has fallen into disrepair. Our long-range goal is to develop a facilities plan for potential year-round use that will preserve Sequoyah’s rustic tranquility while addressing the shortcomings of the physical plant. Sustain

Furthermore, we will place a conservation easement on a predetermined amount of property so the land will forever remain in its natural state. By implementing this plan, we can preserve for the next generation a rustic, yet modern, facility that honors the legacy of Chief’s Sequoyah. Leadership

Hayes Hitchens

Hayes is a native of Charlotte, NC and a third generation Since his early days at Deerhorn, Hayes has longed to camp director. His great aunt and grandfather both return to camp life. As he began the extensive search for founded camps in northern Wisconsin — Bryn Afon a site, Hayes discovered Camp Sequoyah in 1993 and was in 1918 and Camp Deerhorn 1930. instantly drawn to its legendary history Deerhorn, now in its 78th season, is and unsurpassed natural surroundings. still family owned and operated. After years of negotiation, first with the A legacy of his family’s great Johnson family and later with owner tradition, Hayes has dedicated Katherine Lauder, Hayes purchased himself to working with young the property in the fall of 2006 and people since 1975. During high Sequoyah will once again operate as a school and college, Hayes served boys’ camp. as a volunteer coach and spent 8 A graduate of Charlotte Country Day summers as a counselor at Deerhorn. School and the University of Alabama, Following a 12-year tenure as Dean Hayes has participated in outdoor of Students and Director of Summer Programs at the education programs with the North Carolina Outward Lovett School in Atlanta, Hayes founded Moondance Bound School, the National Outdoor Leadership School Adventures—a wilderness education program for teens (NOLS), and the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). offering leadership programs worldwide. Moondance, Hayes, his wife, Michael and daughter Hunter recently now celebrating its 12th year of operation, has changed moved to Asheville, where he will be coordinating all the lives of thousands of young men and women. Sequoyah and Moondance programs.

“This is where i connected with the outdoors, and it’s been fulfilling ever since. As a 2nd generation Sequoyan, everything my father taught me, and everything i teach my boys, is connected to our roots at Sequoyah.” Robert McCreary (’77 — ’78)

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We invite and encourage all Sequoyah alumni to join us as we restore this legendary summer camp to its former glory. Please share the news with others who may be interested so that future generations may once again walk the sacred grounds of Sequoyah.