BY LOGAN LEE, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSISTANT
Rock Springs Ranch holds a special place in Tony and Deb Glaum’s hearts. When they received a postcard invitation to attend the Camp Beatification Day in honor of the 80th year anniversary they jumped at the chance to go.
“We had such a great time there and I hadn’t been back for 40 years so we saw it as a great opportunity to volunteer. We also have been meaning to start donating to the Ranch, so we thought this would be a great way to start.” Tony said.
On April 12, when they arrived at the event, their visit stirred up many memories and reminded them just how special the state 4-H center truly is.
Neither Tony nor Deb were members of Kansas 4-H but their time as staff members made them appreciate the 4-H roots of Rock Springs Ranch. In 1945, J. Harold Johnson had a clear vision for a state-wide leadership center where Kansans of all ages could learn and thrive.
Since opening its doors in 1946, more than 1.5 million youth and adults have learned about 4-H and leadership development while attending an event at Rock Springs Ranch. Although it is known for summer camp, it is also host to various organizations, clubs and groups of all sizes year round.
Tony and Deb first learned about Rock Springs Ranch when they were both students at Kansas State University. The Collegian had an ad looking for summer camp counselors and staff members. Both answered the call, and Tony became a maintenance worker and Deb became a horse wrangler. Tony’s job consisted of him mowing, splitting wood and picking up trash. At the Camp Beatification Day, Tony had the opportunity to relive those days by helping split wood. Deb’s job consisted of taking care of the horses and teaching the campers horse safety and riding lessons.
Tony found any excuse he could to stop by the horse barn just to see Deb. One evening when Tony was helping the horse trainer, Byron Patton, put away the horses for the night. Byron said, “I have seen a lot of young couples in my life, and if you two aren’t the perfect match then I don’t know what is.” Tony took Byron’s statement to heart and proposed to Deb by mid-summer.
Their connection to Rock Springs Ranch didn’t stop there, though. They also built lifelong friendships with the other staff members.
“We still have some very dear friends from our time there that we keep in touch with. You are kind of isolated there, so you’re making friendships maybe more quickly than you would in a normal situation,” said Deb.
Both Tony and Deb have many fond memories of camp, but a few stood out to them over others. Tony’s favorite memory was rounding up the horses in the morning.
“Every morning, we had to have the horses rounded up, fed and saddled before the first ride, which happened right after breakfast, so we had to get up right around dawn. We’d go get a couple horses and pasture them over by Washanga across the road. So we would ride horses half to three quarters of a mile to round up 25 other horses and herd them back to the barn. You know, it’s right at the crack of dawn and seeing the whole herd of horses ahead of you was pretty spectacular.” Tony said.
Deb’s favorite memories were watching the Fort Riley army helicopters fly in and watching hot air balloons light up in the sky on those summer nights.
The Camp Beatification Day was a reminder to Tony and Deb how special Rock Springs Ranch truly is. From falling in love, making lifelong friendships and creating great memories, it is a time in their lives that they will forever cherish and they hope that everyone has the opportunity to experience it for themselves one day.