Remembering Jane Bell Williams

Jane Bell Williams began her camping career early, growing up at her father’s camp, Camp Mondamin for boys, and later Camp Green Cove for girls. She developed many lifelong passions including flying, traveling, horseback riding, canoeing, skiing, and snake wrangling. She also learned a fierce independence and a strength of will that would serve her well the rest of her life!

It was at Mondamin that Jane met her late husband, Sumner Williams, whom she later married in 1948. They shared many of those same interests, chief among them was a passion for working with children and young adults in an outdoor setting. The dream to direct their own camp was born. They built and then opened Camp High Rocks for its first summer in 1958.

For 30 years, Jane and Sumner operated separate boys and girls camps, focusing on learning about nature, self, and the greater community. Horseback riding was always a focus for Jane who enjoyed raising foals into school horses, teaching generations of campers the equestrian arts, and managing a herd of near fifty horses at times. With legendary steeds like Hunter’s Moon, War Eagle, and Merrybound, some of the stories are still told today.

The people of camp were always at the center of the experience for Jane. Her desire to build campers and counselors into more confident and comfortable versions of themselves was a lifelong goal. Mary Grace Brennan, a long time High Rocks nurse, remembered the first time she arrived as camp nurse as a young city woman, Jane met her in the Dining Hall. Mary Grace, nervous at meeting the boss, was ready to hop to whatever Jane asked of her. Instead, the first thing Jane asked her was “What would you like to get out of this summer?” This floored her, and was the first time any employer had begun that way. In that first summer of work, Jane came to Mary Grace with a new task, one she had never done before. After finishing the instructions, she asked Mary Grace if this was something she could get done. Mary Grace replied that she would try, and Jane stopped her there. “I need to know if you are going to do this, not try. When you say try, I don’t know if you are going to get it done.” After hurriedly confirming that she would indeed get it done, Mary Grace has never said “I’ll try” again.