Melvin Coburn At home, Newtonville, Mass., circa 1957

The camps were within bungalow colonies, which meant the parents were near, or on, the grounds. It added pressure to the job. He often needed to play mediator or diplomat between warring kids, counselors or parents. I also learned a lot from him about resource management, particularly as funds for equipment and crafts were low. The job was well-suited to his action-oriented disposition.

I started working as a counselor-in-training when I was 12. Dad taught me how to care for kids without resorting to coercion or yelling at them. He eventually put me in charge of the crafts program as well as the campers’ theatricals, which were invariably musical shows.

My brother Norman and my dad May 1960

Basically, all the acts were very short. Not quite, “Wait a minute, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” it was more like “Wait a minute, your kid will be on soon.”

And all the kids got parts, if only in a chorus. It was important to him that all the kids got equal treatment. Instead of passing out only a few awards for excellence at the end of camp, all the kids got modest presents.

One of dad’s most striking features was his sense of fairness. All kids were treated equally, even his own. We, as his sons, never got special treatment or favors. During camp time, we didn’t call him “dad.” We called him “Uncle Mel,” just like everyone else.

Dad was not only a very good provider, he was a good example of how to deal with people and manifest justice.