It All Started at a Knicks Game
New York, Madison Square Garden, courtside, 2001. The Knicks against the Pacers. The score was tied, and halftime was about to end.
I could sense that I was about to be approached by a stranger. His intent, I assumed, was to offer a comment about a new ride at Disney World or hand me a movie script.
Instead, he gave me a card identifying himself as George Stein, head of the Tri-State Camping Conference. Above the noise of an impatient crowd as the second half began, he said he’d heard I was an enthusiast of summer camp. His group was holding an annual conference and wanted me to speak about my experiences. Without hesitation, I said, “yes.” The word camp had taken away my usual reflex to slow things down and come up with a polite no.
Sitting next to me was my oldest friend, John Angelo. He looked at me quizzically. “I thought you only speak at colleges where one of your sons is applying,” he said. “True,” I replied, “but this is about camp, after all.” As I turned my attention back to the game, and Reggie Miller sank a three-point shot, I was already thinking about what I’d say at the conference.
