A long, long time ago my oldest son Patrick made a new friend. He was his classmate at Rose Hawthorne, a Catholic school in Concord. His friend’s name was Mark Taylor, who lived in Sudbury, MA. Patrick loved to be invited to Mark’s home to play. He would tell me all about the woods, the hills, the trees, and the pure beauty of the pond and the sky above it all.
One day, at a camp event, an Indian program was held at the pond area. By now, I had met Alba, who was Mark’s mother. She shocked me by asking me if I would consider becoming the camp nurse that summer. I was an R.N., a graduate of Mass General Hospital School of Nursing, and I always loved children, and I still do. To make a long story shorter, for the next fifteen years I was a camp nurse and loved every minute of my summers at Camp Sewataro.
To make it even more special, my five children were fortunate to attend camp with me. Patrick, Kevin, Monica, Julia, and Kasey were all campers. For me to be able to work at a day camp was so special because I truly believe that God led me to such a special place. It was so perfect for all of us.
My children realized how blessed they were to attend camp and looked forward to camp each summer. I hated to give up the camp position, but my full-time position as an occupational health nurse required I leave camp. By now, my children had grown and were fortunate to become camp counselors.
It wasn’t Kevin’s desire to become a counselor, as he loved working with Papa Secatore. He learned many skills from him. The rest of my children continued to work at camp throughout their college years. Monica came back to camp after many years in the working world. In turn, her three sons have gone through camp as campers. My grandsons now are all in college and continue at camp as counselors.
I deeply admired Alba. She had all the decisions on camp programs made with the intention of creating a happy environment for children. Children’s happiness was always at the forefront of her goals for the camp. Her own children, Mark, Chris, and Rob, all were leaders in camp. They assisted in the development of Camp Sewataro as it became a beloved summer day camp.
I miss Alba for many reasons. Look how she took care of my family by hiring all of us for so many years. Even as it was sad to see her aging. she did it in great style. I will never forget her and my love for her will never diminish. Her husband Bill was there for her and all of us. He took great care of her in her long illness. My children and grandchildren have been blessed by having known Alba. None of us can ever forget her.
Sincerely written with great love for Alba and Camp Sewataro
Bio: Kathleen Dee Horgan was born and raised in Concord, MA. Her father, Major Michael J. Dee, was the superintendent of the Concord Reformatory. She and her husband Bill had six children. Kathleen was a pioneer in the field of Occupational Health Nursing, managing a health clinic for many years at NMI in Concord. For fifteen summers, Kathleen was the camp nurse at Sewataro. Alba Taylor was her best friend and those Sewataro summers hold a special place in her life.
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