Bookplate ex libris Kenneth and Susan Webb
Plymouth, Vermont (?): Kenneth and Susan Webb. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Bookplate. Approximately 3 inches by 4 inches. Illustration on front of a body of water, a near shoreline and a distant shore, with trees and rocks in the water. Gummed on reverse. This was found inside a Quaker related pamphlet but shows no signs of having been affixed. Susan Howard Webb co-founded the Farm & Wilderness Camps in Plymouth, VT, with her husband, Kenneth Webb in 1939, based on values of simplicity and tolerance. Susan was the director of the girls camp, Indian Brook, for 30 years. She was the pragmatic half of the partnership with her visionary husband, and retained an active interest in the camps after they incorporated the camps in 1972 as the Farm & Wilderness Foundation. Upon retirement, Susan won a seat in the Vermont State Legislature, serving as a Representative from 1973 to 1980, chairing the committees on Health and Welfare and Education. She also served on the boards of many Vermont institutions for children. Susan Webb died on September 9, 2011 at the age of 103. She received her A.B. from the U. of Vermont and a Masters in Classics from Radcliffe. She married Ken in 1932. They lived in Lincoln, MA during the 1950s. Susan mentored or taught numerous Vermont politicians. Susan's husband predeceased her in 1984. This is an opportunity to own a memento of a couple who devoted their lives to service and who established an entity that exists, and thrives, to this day. Farm & Wilderness is a non-profit Quaker educational organization that has carried forward the traditions and programs launched in 1939 by the F&W co-founders, Kenneth and Susan Howard Webb. F&W became a nonprofit organization in 1973. Ken and Susan Webb came to camping through their interest in education. The Webbs were influenced by the progressive education movement and the social justice philosophy of John Dewey, an American pragmatist born in Burlington, VT. In 1939, the Webbs started Timberlake, a Vermont summer camp for boys on Woodward Reservoir, on a piece of abandoned farmland. Soon, families who had sons attending Timberlake wanted a similar camp for their daughters, so Indian Brook summer camp for girls followed in 1941. As these boys and girls grew into teenagers, the idea of a co-ed work camp emerged, known as the Senior Work Camp. This was renamed in 1953 to Tamarack Farm. All the subsequent camp programs were born out of the dual emphasis embodied in the name Farm & Wilderness — the work required for life on the farm, and the adventure pursued on wilderness trips. The Wilderness Corporation (now the Ninevah Foundation) was formed to purchase and preserve a large tract of land on Lake Ninevah near some F&W camps. In 1962, Saltash Mountain summer camp (SAM) was formed on a portion of this property. Initially, SAM camp was intended for boys who wanted to live in a small community dedicated to hiking, canoeing and exploring wild areas. Later, SAM became a small, co-ed camp with a strong emphasis on community living and wilderness trips, and more recently drama and skits. In 1965, Flying Cloud summer camp was formed and named in honor of an American Indian who was a much-loved counselor at Timberlake. At first, Flying Cloud’s program emphasized the values, skills and traditions of Native Americans. As collective discomfort grew over the years that F&W might be co-opting some aspects of native cultures, Flying Cloud’s emphasis shifted to a simple community living close to the land and natural rhythms. All camps and programs follow the values inherent in our Quaker philosophy. These central values are simplicity, peacemaking, integrity, community, equity and service. These values underlie all the programs, activities and practices that are alive and well at F&W today. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Susan Webb, Kenneth Webb, Ephemera, Bookplate, Farm and Wilderness Foundation, Plymouth, Vermont, Timberlake, Indian Brook, Summer Camp, Quaker, Values, Pictorial Work, Pastoral Scene
[Book #82481]
Price: $25.00