The History of the Kawaga Alumni Association

What began as a simple conversation regarding a small get-together, has with ever mounting enthusiasm and tremendous momentum, evolved into a dedicated organization, fueled by the common feelings we all share about our remembrances of Camp Kawaga.  The Kawaga Alumni Association began in 1995, as  Mark Loewenstein and Richard Korengold were on their way to work one morning.

The story goes like this:

Mark was driving on the expressway in Chicago when he noticed Richard in the car beside him.  It had been a while since they had seen one another, and while driving they were able to get in touch on their cell phones.  After the small talk, they thought it would be fun to get a modest sized group together for a camp reunion.  They recruited Eddie Adler and Dave Zazove, and the four of them created a list of their camp buddies from 1965 through 1980, which were the years they spent at Kawaga.  As they went through Pineneedles for names and searched the White Pages for numbers, the list grew from 75 to 150 in one day.  Craig Sommerfield was brought onboard, and as they located more alumni, someone suggested they contact Bob Sideman, an alum from the ‘50s and ‘60s.  Then Bob suggested they call ?Tom Lewy, a camper and counselor from the ‘40s and ‘50s.  Soon the list of Kawaga alumni expanded to over 800.  The seven board members were able to find Kawagians who had attended camp all the way back to the teens, including some from the first year in 1915.  The board worked diligently to organize the first reunion, accumulate old photos and memorabilia, and put together the alumni publication, the Kawaga Spirit.  The first reunion brought over 300 Kawaga Braves to Chicago in April of 1996.  Former campers and counselors traveled from all over the United States, and even from Europe, to attend the event.  Following the reunion, Mark Loewenstein created the Kawaga Alumni website, which has become a place for alumni to get the latest news and information about the association.

In 2002, with the hiring of David Tasner as the new director of Kawaga, the KAA continues to flourish, and looks forward to working with Taz to help Kawaga remain the finest camp around.

Board Members

Doug “Woogie” Heilbrun

Mark F. Loewenstein

Richard “Murray” Korengold

Honorary Board Members

Robert Fisher

Michael Fisher

Marc Fisher

Lois Ehrenreich-Mecklenburger

Liz Silverstein

Past Board Members

Eddie Adler

Thomas J. Lewy

Bob Sideman

Craig Sommerfield

David Zazove