Some Milestone Events (1966-2006)
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I hope you enjoy this brief history of the first 25 years. A description of the most recent years is planned next. If you have any events you would like to include, corrections ,comments etc.
Contact Frank Pearce , historian@ocsj.org |
BEGINNING IN THE MID 1960’S FAMILIES IN THE MT HOLLY, NJ AREA BEGAN INFORMALLY TO DISCUSS A CLUB AROUND KITCHEN TABLES ESP. THOSE OF WALTER AND NORA HAYES.
WALTER IS PARAPLEGIC AFTER WAR INJURIES. BUT HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THE PINES WHICH HE PASSES ON TO NORA WHO THEN CHECKS OUT THE AREA. . SHE USES THIS INFORMATION TO LEAD GROUPS.
A PAPER WRITTEN BY NORA HAYES STATES THAT THE CLUB WAS STARTED IN 1966 BY DALE & KAY KNAPPSCHAEFER, THEN LIVING IN PENNSAUKEN, NJ. IN 1967 THE OUTDOOR CLUB WAS FORMALLY ORGANIZED. (2 OR 3 OUTING A MONTH FOR TEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR).
BY 1969 IT STATES THE SMALL GROUP OF SIX FAMILIES AND ADDITIONAL SINGLE MEMBERS (A TOTAL OF 10 CHARTER MEMBERS) WAS ENOUGH TO APPLY FOR A CHARTER BY THE AMERICAN YOUTH HOSTELS. A 1969 ARTICLE IN THE BURLINGTON COUNTY TIMES SHOWS BERT NIXDORF, THE OCSJ PRESIDENT, AT THE HAYES HOME IN WILLINGBORO, NJ
THE ARTICLE BEGINS. - WHAT IS THE OLDEST AND LEAST EXPENSIVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITY? HIKING. WHERE CAN YOU FIND PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS ON WEEKEND JAUNTS? THE AMERICAN YOUTH HOSTELS OUTDOOR CLUB OF SOUTH JERSEY. HOW SOON CAN YOU CATCH UP WITH THEM? TOMORROW…. Oct. 26
AN AYH OUTDOOR CLUB OF NEW JERSEY “DITTOED” SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY-JUNE 1969
MENTIONS THE DEPARTURE OF THE PRESIDENT (DALE KNAPACHAEFER) AND (BERT NIXDORF) AS THE NEW PRESIDENT.
THE OLDEST (IN OUR RECORDS) TRIP LISTING:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5,1969 SNOW HIKE, COOKOUT AND SLEDDING IN VALLEY FORGE STATE PARK
MEET AT 1:00 P.M. AT THE FORT WASHINGTON PICNIC AREA AND PARKING LOT ON ROUTE 23 (ALSO KNOWN AS PORT KENNEDY RD.) BRING YOUR HOTDOGS AND HAMBURGERS. WE’LL ALL HAVE LUNCH FIRST, THEN GO FOR ABOUT AN HOUR’S HIKE. FOLLOWING THE HIKE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SLED ON THE SLOPES, SNOW CONDITIONS PERMITTING. SO…REMEMBER TO PUT YOUR SLED IN THE CAR. TOO! LEADERS: BERT AND BETTY NIXDORF
MARCH 23, SUNDAY ENTRY SEE THE PINES BEFORE THE JETPORT ARRIVES!
IN THIS SCHEDULE JANUARY - JUNE SCHEDULE THE NAMES OF NORA & WALTER HAYES, BERT NIXDORF, DAVID JACK, BOB REICH, CAROLINE & KENT RINGO & DUTCH MUETZ AND SHIRLEY BURWELL (Secy.)
TRIP FEE 10 CENTS PER CHILD, AND 15 CENTS PER ADULT
EVEN THEN SAFETY WAS A TOP PRIORITY.
ON SUNDAY, APRIL 13, BOB REICH OFFERED A BICYCLE SAFETY CLINIC
ORIENTEERING WAS LEAD BY KENT RINGO.
ON SUNDAY, MAY 25, A CANOE TRIP WAS LEAD BY DUTCH MUETZ ON THE OSWEGO RIVER. ($2.00 DEPOSIT&RESERVATION NEEDED) NON-SWIMMERS AND CHILDREN MUST WEAR LIFE VESTS.
A WALK WITH BETTY WOODFORD ON HER PROPERTY WAS OFFERED.
ONE ACTIVITY NOT OFFERED TODAY IS SLEDDING.
TRIPS WERE GEARED TO FAMILIES. (HIKE AND FOSSIL HUNT, SNOW HIKE, COOKOUT AND SLEDDING IN VALLEY FORGE, 15 MILE BIKE RUN TO CLEMENTON AMUSEMENT PARK, AND THE HARDLY ABLE BIKE TRIP). THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE 15 ACTIVITIES OFFERED.
1970 THE CLUB WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE AMERICAN YOUTH HOSTELS. MEMBERSHIP IN 1970 WAS LESS THAN 50 PERSONS.
1972 MARCH ACTIVITY SCHEDULE FOR MARCH-JULY
HIGHLIGHTS
OSWEGO RIVER TRIP IN OCTOBER 1971 WAS A RECORD BREAKER: 76 PERSONS, 28 CANOES.
CRANBERRY FARM TOUR WAS ANOTHER RECORD WITH 67 PARTICIPANTS AND A COLORFUL TRIP.
BICYCLE TRIPS, A NEW ENDEAVOR, WERE QUITE SUCCESSFUL AT LEAST TWO RIDES A MONTH.
HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO ELIMINATE $1.25 MEMBERSHIP FEE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AND SURVIVE ON ONLY THE PARTICIPATION FEE WHICH REMAINS $0.15 FOR ADULTS AND $0.10 FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS UNDER 18. YEARS .WE WILL DEPEND ON GROWTH AND PARTICIPATION IN EACH ACTIVITY.
BY 1973 THE PROGRAM HAD BECOME YEAR ROUND. MEMBERSHIP WAS BETWEEN 450-500.A SLOGAN USED IS OUTWARD BOUND ALL YEAR LONG
THE OCSJ EXPERIENCED DRAMATIC GROWTH FROM 1971 TO 1979.
1971 200 MEMBERS & 50 ACTIVITIES
1973 500 MEMBERS & 63 ACTIVITIES
1975 750 MEMBERS & 109ACTIVITIES
1977 850 MEMBERS & 146 ACTIVITIES
1979 1300 PLUS AND 213 ACTIVITIES
INCORPORATED 1980 AS THE A.Y.H. OUTDOOR CLUB OF SOUTH JERSEY, INC. RECORDED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE ON JUNE 11, 1980
SIGNED BY THOMAS P. BROOKS, PRESIDENT AND 6 OF THE INITIAL TRUSTEES.
BERT NIXDORF
DELEANA A. ADAMS
BOZIE MARIE SHEPARD
ANNEMARIE SEIFRIED
JOSEPH N.TRUJILLO
RICHARD GREVE
SEPTEMBER 1981 MARKS THE FIRST MEMBERSHIP INCREASE SINCE 1974 AND THE END OF LIFETIME MEMBERSHIPS ($15 INDIVIDUAL AND $30 FAMILY). MEMBERSHIP IS INDIVIDUAL $2.50 AND $5.00 FAMILY.
1982 A BALLOT CONCERNING A CHANGE IN NAME TO OUTDOOR CLUB OF NEW JERSEY. I GUESS WE KNOW THE WINNER
THE OCTOBER 1982 OCTOBER –MARCH 1983 PUBLICATION HAS A COVER STORY “END OF THE TRAIL” THAT FEATURED DICK GREVE REACHING 2000 MILE MILESTONE. HE FINISHED THE TRAIL ON JULY 4,1982 AFTER STARTING IN 1975.
FIRST ANNUAL VOLUNTEER WEEKEND AT THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONFERENCE HEADQUARTERS IN HARPERS FERRY, WV
1983 JULY-SEPTEMBER SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF QUARTERLY ACTIVITY SCHEDULES
JUNE 25-AUGUST 10,1984,DON MOUNT COMPLETES 3,375 MILE CYCLING TRIP ACROSS AMERICA
SEPTEMBER 22, 1984 SAW THE FIRST BATONA TRAIL END TO END IN ONE DAY EVENT
(40.6 MILES). FOR LATER HIKERS IT REALLY DID GET LONGER AS THE YEARS PASSED.
*trail is approx. 50 miles today*
THE WINTER ACTIVITY BOOK ON 1985 INTRODUCED THE FAMILIAR OCSJ LOGO. THE AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY GEORGE MUSCAT, RAN A CONTEST IN THE CLUB BOOKLET AND SELECTED THE WINNING DESIGN FROM MANY ENTRIES. THE ARTIST WHO CREATED THE DESIGN WAS SUSAN JARVIS. DROPPED WAS THE AYH OUTDOOR CLUB OF SOUTH JERSEY LOGO WHICH PICTURED A CHILD IN A DIVIDED CIRCLE IN THE MIDDLE WALKING, BIKING, AND CANOEING AND AN OUTER CIRCULAR BAND THAT SAID OUTDOOR CLUB OF SOUTH JERSEY AND AYH AT THE BOTTOM AND UNDER THE CIRCLE INCORPORATED 1980
MEMBERSHIP INCREASED TO $4.00 SINGLE, $6.OO FAMILY.
1985 SAW WEDNESDAY HIKING BECOME A REALITY. THE “BEAST OF THE EAST” METRIC CENTURY BIKE RIDES COMMENCE AND THE CUB HAD1600 MEMBERS. MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASES TO INDIVIDUAL $4.00 AND FAMILY $6.00
FALL 1990 BICYCLING APPOINTS COORDINATORS FOR THE DIFFERENT RIDE CLASSIFICATIONS
THE FALL 1990 PUBLICATION HAS THE NAME “RAMBLER’
THE WINTER 1991 PUBLICATION HAS THE NAME “WAYFARER “
THE SPRING OF 1991 INTRODUCED THE NAME “TREKKER”
FALL OF 1991 THE CLUB REACHED A NEW MILESTONE 2000 MEMBERS. MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASES TO INDIVIDUAL $8.00 AND FAMILY $10.00
NOVEMBER 7,1992 WAS THE OCCASION OF THE 25 TH. ANNIVERSARY DINNER AND DANCE.
JOSEPH N. TRUJILLO IS PRESIDENT.
PAST PRESIDENTS
1967-1968 DALE KNAPSCHAEFER
1968-1970 BERT NIXDORF
1970-1971 WALTER HAYES
1971-1972 JOE SIGONA
1972-1981 BERT NIXDORF
1981-1991 TOM BROOKS