Did Any Presidents Go to Overnight Summer Camp?
On this Presidents Day, I found myself wondering: Did any presidents ever go to summer camp?
It turns out the answer is yes.
I discovered that George H. W. Bush attended overnight summer camp as a boy. He went to Camp Pasquaney, a traditional boys camp in Hebron, New Hampshire, founded in 1895. And what struck me most wasn’t just that he went — it’s that he talked about it.
Bush returned to Camp Pasquaney decades later as an adult and spoke about how much it shaped him. He described camp as a place where boys learned independence, responsibility, friendship, and leadership. Long before he became the 41st President of the United States, he was just a camper learning how to live in a cabin with others, try new things, and stretch beyond his comfort zone.
That resonates with me.
At camp, titles don’t matter. Whether someone grows up to become president or a parent, a teacher or a business owner, the lessons are remarkably similar. You learn to make your bed even when no one reminds you. You learn to lose a game with grace. You learn to lead a canoe trip, sing loudly even if you’re off-key, and speak up for someone who needs a friend.
Bush often spoke about the importance of service, humility, and teamwork throughout his life — values that are deeply woven into the camp experience. Camp Pasquaney emphasizes character, citizenship, and community. Those are not small themes. They are the foundations of leadership.
Summer camp doesn’t create presidents. But it does create resilience. It builds confidence. It teaches young people how to live in community with others who are different from them. It gives them safe space to fail, try again, and grow.
And maybe that’s the point.
As the Director of Swift Nature Camp for the past 30 plus years, When I think about Presidents Day now, I don’t just think about history books or monuments. I think about a young campers at summer camp, making lifelong friends, learning to paddle straight, standing a little taller after trying something hard.
I wonder if a future president is sitting around our campfire this summer, At SNC I hope they’re learning the same things campers have learned for generations — that character matters, that service matters, and that leadership begins long before anyone hands you a title.
That’s one of the quiet powers of overnight summer camp. How excited I would be if SHE came from Swift Nature camp a small coed camp in northern Wisconsin.
