History

Point CounterPoint was founded in 1963 by the late Dr. Edwin Finckel, a New Jersey cello teacher, to create summer musical opportunities for his students; among them was his son, David Finckel, now well-known as the cellist in the Emerson String Quartet and as the cellist in the duo of David Finckel and Wu Han. The next owners and directors were Emory Fanning, professor of music at Middlebury College, and Diana Fanning, concert pianist, who directed the camp for ten years.

In 1989 ownership of Point CounterPoint passed to professional violinist/violist Dr. Paul Roby and pianist Margaret Johnson Roby, along with amateur musicians and family members Nick and Sue Jones.

2008, a new era has begun with current owners, Jenny and Steve Beck. The Becks are passionate about continuing the tradition and rich history of this magical camp. Summer 2012 will be the 50th anniversary of Point Counterpoint!

If you are interested in a detailed history, please keep reading. Thank you to Larry for compiling his thoughts and memories this past summer to share with all of us who love PCP!

The area of Naidni that was sold to become Point Counterpoint in 1963 was mostly tall grass before that. The grass hid some log buildings from the summer camp days, and summer staff slept in two of them. Paddywack, a third building, near the main road, was rented to families for sleeping, but did not have a kitchen.

The Summer of 1960 The large log building from the summer camp days that still sits on PCP was were Devy, Margaret and two high school girl helpers slept at night during the summer of 1960 when my sister Jane and I, ages 12 and 13, spent the summer as helpers at Naidni earning our room and board. Jane slept in the log building with the women, and a high school boy and I slept in a small log building facing north right by the water where PCP now has a deck. The building was just a roof and a floor with enough room for two bunks, and a wall on two sides with a very large opening in it. I woke up each morning to a spectacular view of the Lake without even getting out of my sleeping bag.

About half way between the two log buildings was a one seat outhouse for the staff to use at night. There was no electricity and I used a small kerosene lantern for light in the cabin or a flashlight for walking after dark. The cabin just north of PCP was owned by Air Force officer John Horrocks in the summer of 1960, and rented by Devy from time to time. John grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and was a camper at Naidni in the mid 1930’s. His niece who owns the cabin now says Devy was like a second mother to John. I remember an older couple from New York City, concentration camp survivors, as were some of Devy’s other guests, staying at John’s cabin that summer. The man, Alfred Mayer, had limited use of his legs due to polio, and each morning during their stay I carried breakfast on a tray from the kitchen down to them. The area just up the road from there, now owned by Tony Neri, was owned by Cedric Head in 1960. I never talked to Cedric, but remember he was a retired puppeteer, who looked unusual with his beret, glasses and goatee. I remember some trash piles on the property and that Devy and Cedric did not get along. I also remember walking by there one Friday night, and seeing an impromptu puppet show being performed.

Hooker Road The name undoubtedly came from long-time residents further south on the dirt road leading from Naidni to Route 53. According to area resident Donald Scarborough, who with his brother mowed the lawn and did other odd jobs at Naidni in the late 1960’s, an elderly lady, Laura Hooker lived in what is now the 4th to the last house on the right before reaching Route 53. Back then it was the only house on the road. We believe Laura Hooker had two sons. Hugh Hooker was road commissioner for the town of Leicester for many years. Hayden Hooker was a handyman who worked for Devy, and I helped him do some jobs such as putting in a dock for Nancy Smucker who owned a cabin up the dirt road just across the road from PCP. I recall Hayden and Joyce Hooker having two sons, the younger of whom, Tim, was about my age. Don Scarborough, who is younger, remembers only Tim and thinks he may have gotten in to trouble with law. According to Don, when Joyce Hooker died, she willed the house on the road to Leicester that she and Hayden lived in to the caretaker of that property.

The Years After 1960 Some of our family members went back to Lake Dunmore from time to time after 1960, staying at Sunset Lodge or the Tall Pines cabin at Naidni after Devy sold the property to Cathy Fockler of York, PA. I remember being at Naidni when the 1976 Olympics were in Montreal, and that some other guests were going to go there to see them. I also remember a summer when mosquitoes were especially bad, making it impossible to be outside for very long, and leaving to go home early for that reason. On Labor Day weekend in 1982, Barbara and I had gotten together after after dating as college students in 1968. I brought her up to see Lake Dunmore and we stayed at Sunset Lodge and went to Devy’s Labor Day party at her “Hill House” which began being built during the summer of 1960. We talked to John Horrocks at Devy’s party, and he invited us to stop by his cabin that evening for a drink. We did but realized quickly that his wife was not in the mood for company, but we stayed in touch with John. He was firm that he did not want to rent his cottage, but after his wife died and he began to arrive later in the summer, he made his place available for use by friends.

We were fortunate to spend time there in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, when our son, born in 1984, was growing up. The “music camp” as we called it was a very active place at that time, and we never minded hearing the rehearsing, the dining hall “clang,” or the voices of the campers when we did. For a period of years after that family vacations took us out West or to Britain, and by 2002, John had stopped going to Vermont because his health was declining and he did not want to be away from his doctors where he lived in Texas. He hired a Brandon woman as caretaker and told her to let his friends use it, and we spent two nights there in 2002 after touring area colleges with our son. We had planned to visit Dartmouth on the day in between, but the Lake was so beautiful we never left. We returned in the summer of 2007, but the PCP property had a “For Sale” sign on it and there was no activity other than someone mowing the lawn from time to time. I still enjoyed walking around the property and sharing my memories of the area with my wife, and was happy to see the camp had reopened when we returned in 2008.

Larry Griswold September 6, 2009