Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students
Series 19: STUDENTS
GLEN D. CAMP Jr., Student, 1943-1945
Dr. Glen D. Camp Jr. (1930-2011)
179 Students at Jack’s Gap. [garner_ray-179]
TAGS: Glen D. Camp Jr., boarding students, Alice Joy Keith, Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Dr. Glen Darwin Camp Sr., University of California, Nyle E. Camp, principal of PMSS, Burton Rogers, counselors, teachers, students’ self-evaluation letters to parents, teachers’ evaluations of students, Harvard University, Fordham University
GLEN D. CAMP Jr. Student
September 1943 – May 1945
At the end of August 1943, as Alice Joy Keith traveled east from California on a train across the country to resume her Science teaching at Pine Mountain Settlement School, she had with her Glen D. Camp Jr. He was a young boy of about fourteen years old whom she considered “in a figurative sense, my grandson” and for whom she worked hard to have him accepted at the School.
During the time Mrs. Keith was in California, doing war work, drafting of steam turbines at the Joshua Hendy Iron Works, she became aware, through letters from her longtime friend, Dr. Glen Darwin Camp Sr., who was employed in the radio research lab at the University of California in La Jolla, that Glen was in need of a temporary change of scenery to lift his spirit. After the sudden death of Glen’s mother, Nyle E. Camp, in 1940 at age 30, the father and his two sons, in their despondency, had become very close. When the father married a second time and another child was born, Glen’s stepmother found she could not give Glen the kind of attention he needed. The descriptions Mrs. Keith gave of Pine Mountain’s work/study educational program sounded to the parents like the perfect place for Glen.
Subsequently, Mrs. Keith asked the School’s Principal, and Burton Rogers, Counselor, to save a place for Glen Jr., “who needs very badly what Pine Mountain has to offer and who, I think, would be a credit to us in the end.”
However, the PMSS Entrance Committee was hesitant. Mrs. Keith argued, “…I would not have him take the place of a mountain boy …but, too, we always have admitted boys from other high school territor[ies] where we feel they will especially profit by our peculiar advantages; and it is with these that I wish Glen to compete in your consideration for a place. … I feel that with the right boost right now, in emotional and social adjustment, he will come through into a citizen to be proud of.” She provided further details that convinced the Committee to accept Glen, concluding that “It ought to be good for us to have him here to do his bit, unconsciously of course, to off-set some of our provincialism.”
Student at Pine Mountain
What Glen Camp Jr. encountered at Pine Mountain were students from coal camps and farms and most with few of the advantages that he enjoyed; and teachers who held high expectations in studies and conduct for all the students. What the PMSS students and teachers found in Glen was a talkative, precocious boy with an above-average vocabulary and a drive to perform flawlessly. His American History teacher wrote, “Command of English: superior (most remarkable in P.M. history, as I know it.)” He excelled in subjects that interested him, such as Science (taught by Mrs. Keith), History, English, and Civics, but was often nonproductive and absent-minded when assigned tasks that bored him, such as home economics, woodworking and industrial work.
Glen was well aware of his shortcomings, which he described, along with his achievements, in self-evaluation letters that students were required to send to their parents at the end of each semester. However, throughout his two years at PMSS, these letters and the teachers’ evaluations tracked a gradual improvement in his behavior, particularly in his interaction with and understanding of his peers.
After Glen’s first school year at Pine Mountain, Mr. Rogers wrote in July 1944 to Mrs. Keith that, due to an increase in applications from “mountain boys,” there may no longer be room for Glen at Pine Mountain during the upcoming semester. She responded, “Mr. Rogers, I have seen salvation held out to a little boy, seen him grasp at it with clumsy, fumbling, self-conscious fingers. I would not snatch it away before his grip has had time to firm, just to offer it to another boy whose reception of it is still problematic.” Glen himself was eager to return, writing, “I intend to come back to Pine Mountain. The only thing that can keep me is if I am thrown off the train.” The PMSS staff found a place for him to stay at the home of Drs. Emma and Francis Tucker, the School’s physicians, until space opened up in Boys House the following semester.
At the end of the fall/winter 1944 semester, Glen’s father received a letter from the PMSS Principal with this good news: …[Glen] has grown in many ways. Physically, he is shooting up like a reed, emotionally, he is becoming more stable and more thoughtful of the rights of others, intellectually he is progressing normally and I might say rapidly because he sets a high standard for himself and reproaches himself if he falls short.”
Glen’s English teacher also noticed his social and intellectual growth, writing in her student evaluation report that, “Glen is widely read for a boy of his years, has an unusual vocabulary, understands what he reads, gets the finer shadings of character, and sees below the mere surface of the story. He is a great asset to the literature class. … He does excellent work and keeps growing. He has changed much from last year – is a very likable, unassuming boy, who makes his contributions to the class in a modest way. I thoroughly enjoy having him in class.”
In Glen’s last self-evaluation letter to his father dated May 24, 1945, he showed appreciation for his three years at Pine Mountain. “One of the finest things Pine Mountain has to offer the prospective student is work experience in which, I fear, I was sadly lacking. … in my opinion, learning to ‘look at the other fellow’ is the most difficult task, as well as the most necessary in life. In dormitory life this skill needs constant use.” He described the unique features of the School: “work experience, co-op courses and store, … the opportunity of understanding Kentucky’s problems, economic, topographical, social and political, and opportunities for leadership.” He wrote that he organized a study club that analyzed international problems and served as an editor. He ended by writing that other unique features of Pine Mountain were “the beauties of the lilies and rhododendrons.”
After Pine Mountain
The spring semester of 1945 was the last one that Glen D. Camp Jr. attended at Pine Mountain Settlement School. Back in California, he continued his schooling at La Jolla Junior-Senior High School.
By October 1947, Pine Mountain School received a request from Glen, now living in Holyoke, Massachusetts, requesting his PMSS transcript for his freshman and sophomore years at the School, which were necessary for applying to college.
He attended Harvard University, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. After several years teaching at universities at Fordham, Long Island and New York, he served for seven years as policy director in Europe for the U.S. Department of State.
In 1975, Dr. Glen Camp began teaching international relations and political science at Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island. He served in that position for 31 years and, upon retirement, was recognized for his contributions as the year’s recipient of the Bryant Alumni Association’s Distinguished Faculty Award.
A strong supporter of human rights, he was a member of the World Affairs Council of Rhode Island and a founding member of the Rhode Island Chapter of Amnesty International.
Alice Joy Keith’s words were prescient. Glen D. Camp Jr. had indeed become a credit to the School in the end. His wit and vision are evident in this excerpt from the International Journal of Arts & Sciences (IJAS) describing the beginnings of the journal:
“Around the turn of the century, in Rhode Island, a group of Bryant College professors from different departments would frequently meet for lunch, sharing ideas over a Sodexo meal. The members of this group included Pat Keeley, Pedro Beade and Glen Camp.
Pat, known for his Irish wit and resonant voice, would frequently remark sarcastically that a new international journal, a multidisciplinary one, was needed to record the group’s thoughts. Nobody would think anything of Pat’s tongue in cheek comment but the eccentric and affable Glen Camp, a multilinguist, who had spent the early years of his career as a policy director for the U.S. State Department in Europe, would each time raise his glass and reply “Superbe! Magnifique!”
At first it was thought that Camp was acting theatrically in jest but it soon became apparent that he was obsessed by the remark that Keeley would generously repeat over time, if for nothing else, to elicit the predictable reply.
A Harvard alumnus and Fulbright scholar, Camp was the founder of the Rhode Island branch of Amnesty International, and he saw in open and multidisciplinary communications a catalyst for international education and harmony across geographical boundaries. He envisioned how a journal of this nature could promote study abroad programs.
Sitting at the same table would be Dean Earl Briden whose pet project at Bryant was to get the faculty to think outside the box. Bryant students had for decades participated in study abroad programs and Dean Briden was actively involved in the extensive documentation of the programs. One may imagine the Dean’s generous words of encouragement to Camp. This led Camp to prod Pedro Beade for advice about securing funding for the journal and academic conferences. As a board member of the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, Beade was an expert in grant writing and had the right connections. Camp was the favorite professor of the international students at Bryant, and Beade who had been raised in Cuba believed in Camp’s vision. ….”
Excerpt from the International Journal of Arts & Sciences (IJAS) about “IJAS’ History.” internationaljournal.org
**********
Glen D. Camp Jr. was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on June 17, 1930. His father was Dr. Glen Darwin Camp Sr., a physicist and college professor, born c. 1905 in San Francisco, California.
His mother was Nyle (Thompson) Camp, born c. 1910 in Mediapolis, Iowa. She had a BA in education and had been a teacher and artist.
At the time of the 1940 U.S. Census, she was employed as a social worker and the Camps had two sons, Glen D. Camp Jr., age 9, and Thomas F. Camp, age 1. After Dr. Camp Sr. remarried, Glen Jr.’s stepsister, Sandra, was born.
Dr. Glen D. Camp Jr. died on July 14, 2011, in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 80.
See Also:
GLEN D. CAMP Jr. Correspondence
ALICE JOY KEITH Staff – Biography
ALICE JOY KEITH Correspondence
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Title |
Glen D. Camp Jr. |
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Alt. Title |
Glen Camp ; Dr. Glen D. Camp ; “Glennie” ; |
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Identifier |
GLEN D. CAMP Jr. Student |
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Creator |
Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY |
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Alt. Creator |
Ann Angel Eberhardt ; Helen Hayes Wykle ; |
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Subject Keyword |
Glen D. Camp Jr. ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ; boarding students ; Alice Joy Keith ; Joshua Hendy Iron Works ; Dr. Glen Darwin Camp Sr. ; University of California ; Nyle E. Camp ; principal of PMSS ; Burton Rogers ; counselors ; teachers ; students’ self-evaluation letters to parents ; teachers’ evaluations of students ; Harvard University ; Fordham University ; |
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Subject LCSH |
Camp Jr., Glen D., — 1930 – 2011. |
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Date |
2020-11-19 aae |
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Publisher |
Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. |
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Contributor |
n/a |
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Type |
Collections ; text ; image ; |
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Format |
Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet. |
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Source |
Series 09: Biography – Students. |
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Language |
English |
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Relation |
Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students and Series 19: STUDENTS. |
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Coverage Temporal |
1905 – 2011. |
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Coverage Spatial |
Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; La Jolla, CA ; Holyoke, MA, Long Island, NY ; New York, NY ; Smithfield, RI ; San Francisco, CA ; Mediapolis, IA ; Providence, RI ; |
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Rights |
Any display, publication, or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. |
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Donor |
n/a |
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Description |
Core documents, correspondence, writings, and administrative papers of Glen D. Camp Jr. ; clippings, photographs, books by or about Glen D. Camp Jr. ; |
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Acquisition |
n/d |
|
Citation |
“[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. |
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Processed By |
Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ; |
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Last Updated |
2023-10-22 aae ; |
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Bibliography |
Sources “Glen D. Camp Jr. Correspondence,” Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students and Series 19: STUDENTS. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource. “In Memoriam.” Bryant Magazine, Fall/Winter 2011, p. 44. [Accessed 2020-11-19.] “Professor Glen Camp’s Enduring Commitment to Students Marked by Legacy Estate Bequest.” Bryant University Planned Giving website. [Accessed 2020-11-19.] Internet resource. “United States Census, 1940,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9QQ-35G : accessed 11-19 2020), Glen D Camp, Berkeley, Oakland Judicial Township, Alameda, California, United States; … Records of the Bureau of the Census. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 188. Internet resource. Bibliography (Selected) Camp, Glen D. Berlin in the East-West Struggle, 1958-61. New York: Facts on File, Inc, 1971. Print. Camp, Glen D. City in the Middle: Berlin in the East-West Struggle, 1950-1953. Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1964. Print. Camp, Glen D. The End of the Cold War and US EU Relations.Bonn ZEI, 2003. Print. Camp, Glen D. “Greek-Turkish Conflict over Cyprus.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 95, no. 1, 1980, pp. 43–70. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/2149584?seq=1 ; Accessed 18 Nov. 2020. Internet resource. |
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