Editor,
It is wonderful Warwick bought the former Kutz Camp and towns folk await learning more about the future plans for the site. As we look to the future, we must also honor the past. Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton has put out a call for suggestions for a new name. If we totally lose the name, I fear we will also lose an important part of Warwick history.
Kutz Camp was a magical place for Jewish children with special programs that allowed many campers to feel safe and welcomed. Many campers worked on community projects. Perhaps, the name Kutz can be included in the future name of the site. Most everyone in town still calls the Warwick Valley Office & Technology Corporate Park “the old prison.” That suggests that the citizens of Warwick have a soft spot for history and an aversion to cumbersome names.
We should also remember before it was Kutz Camp, it was a camp for the employees of Chock full o’Nuts, many of whom were African Americans. Jackie Robinson was on the Board of Directors and, according to his widow, Rachel Robinson, “Jackie kept thinking of ways to improve the quality of the employees’ lives. He decided that they and their families needed a recreational place to go in the summer, free of charge. Thus, Camp Utopia in Warwick, NY, was born.” Jackie Robinson would visit the camp.
Whatever the final decision, a plaque should be installed that honors the diversity of the groups that enjoyed the grounds.
GAIL BUCKLAND
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