True, Grace Hall was only a building but it meant many things to different people. That is probably why the Save Grace Hall campaign was embraced by so many people.
My dad says some called it Grease Hall. I don't know why. They must have been weird campers.
When I was an elementary camper everyone crowed around the Grace Hall porch to play in and/or witness ping pong tournaments. It was very important to play as many games as you could, even though the tables slanted down in the middle and the balls were always dented.
Grace Hall is also where my mom regesterd me when I was little and where for two years I met my campers for the first time.
The kitchen area especially will be missed. Banners hung above, made for the staff by different groups of campers. I had my kids make one in the Wigwam last year, and they had a lot to say about their favorite staff.
I also remember helping kids hop (okay, bringing the kids to Grace Hall, setting them loose, and then going into the kitchen for my morning hugs and chat time). I remember hopping myself and how nobody ever wanted to hop in the morning.
When my dad was a dean, he stayed in one of the upstairs rooms of Grace Hall. That room was eventually turned into a 'junk room' out of which we got our tarps for the all camp beach sleep out (but that's a
different story ).I remember sitting on the roof with my friends and talking while enjoying the view of the lake. Jessica and I had great talks about brain farts (long story; not nearly as gross as it sounds), poor old
Jacques, and many other things.