I met Lee McAdams during the Summer of 1988 when Shirely Yaussy, one of our fellow Beavercreek Church of the Brethren members and a close friend of our family, suggested that I might carpool with Lee to camp Woodland Altars for our week at Youth camp. Lee lived in Tipp City and immediately accepted me as a friend after I was dropped off at his place. For the next few years of camp, our names synonymous with ‘hell-raisers’ – or at least as close as you can come to that at church camp. Our counselor Mark from 1989 saw me again about a dozen years later and remembered me as ‘one of those Metallica guys.’ Obviously he had confused me with Lee.
As the two blonde guys who were less than the sterotypical church campers – me with my very long blonde and poofy hair, and Lee with his jean jacket, deep voice, and obsession with heavy metal – we were certainly two of the most popular campers each year. Sometimes we let others into our fold as well – and of course we were always chasing after our female cohorts – but for three solid years we remained the best of friends.
In fact, in addition to attending other church functions like the Regional Youth Conference in Manchester and Fall Rally at Woodland Altars, we even exchanged visits to each others’ homes on occasion. Lee once came to see me in the Fall of 1988 and brought me a keychain that had the words “Heaven and Hell” (the name of my old ‘gang’ of friends) carved out for my birthday. We went out that night with my friends and Lee ended up making out with Lori Tobias. Lee’s ability to hook up with the ladies never ceased to amaze me.
This visit was not long after I had been to his place where after a few beers (how we got those I have no clue…), I taught Lee how to make me pass out and later pierced his ear with a needle and earring. One of Lee’s standard catchphrases after describing something stupid we just did was “heh heh, pretty funny.” What can I say? We were morons.
Lee often called me after we last saw each other during our Woodland Altars week in the Summer of 1990, but eventually we just drifted apart. Lee graduated the year after I did and a few years later moved to Orlando, Florida and stayed with a friend for four years. When he finally returned to Ohio, it wasn’t long before he got into a wicked car accident (with a police car no less) and broke his neck. His girlfriend Amanda stood by him and helped him heal and they have been together ever since. Lee thinks that she was about to break up with him before the accident, so the wreck may have given him the last eight years of his life with her. Throughout the current decade, Lee was working as a bartender, but is currently exploring other avenues.
More serene in the current day…
I met up with Lee on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Pointe Tavern, not far from his house in Columbus. It was great to reminisce and catch up with Lee – and he had an amazing array of photos to share with me from our days at camp. Friends from camp have a special place in my heart, for we all shared some of the greatest times of our lives at Woodland Altars, I’m sure we would all agree. I’m grateful to back in touch with Lee and I’m already thinking about the possibility of another weekend at the old stomping ground with one of my former campmates.
…but the bartender who took our picture suggested that we recreate our classic pose above from the Summer of ’89
Return to January 2008…
Continue to the next reunion…
Wow, I never would have recognized Lee now, or you for that matter if not for facebook and here.
Ben
February 9th, 2009