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Boys Have Speech Defects Corrected While Camping

Boys Have Speech Defects Corrected While Camping image
Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
July
Year
1940
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Boys Have Speech Defects Corrected While Camping

By Watson Spoelstra

John Clancy is a fighting Irishman who won’t take no for an answer. Because of his persistence nearly two score boys with speech defects each summer are trained to overcome their handicaps at Shady Trails, the national speech improvement camp near Traverse City.

This summer John Clancy is director of the 80-acre camp for the ninth consecutive season. Its facilities are crowded by boys from eight to 21 years old who represent a dozen states. A non-profit organization, the camp enjoys the support of the University of Michigan and the Rackham foundation.

John Clancy stuttered as a schoolboy at Traverse City. By the time he was graduated from Notre Dame University and went to work for a Flint automotive company, he was articulate in speech and convincing in argument.

A decade ago he placed his plan for the establishment of the camp before University of Michigan authorities. Surely, he argued, if “normal” boys acquire desirable traits in recreational summer camps, boys with speech problems, for whom the need is many times’ greater, would receive even greater benefits.

Promised limited assistance, John Clancy leased a camp with his own money on the shores of Grand Traverse bay and opened it in 1932. The first year there were four boys; the next year eight. But as he struggled along he won new friends and received fresh financial support. Now the 32 enrollees annually are selected from long lists of applicants.

Health Emphasized

The camp-clinic, believed to be the only one of its kind, is founded on the principle that speech, like other muscular and nervous action, is dependent to a varying degree upon the condition and function of every other part of the body.

Therefore the enrollees receive specialized recreation and good food to build up their bodies. Each day they attend classes taught by trained speech correctionists. Gradually they develop new speech habits along with a physical and personality framework on which these habits may continue to grow.

At the close of the camping season, parents receive a complete report of the camper’s response to training and recommendations for his continued improvement. This also is available to the camper’s school.

The success of Clancy’s venture can possibly be judged best by the reaction of testy speech authorities. Lukewarm to the idea at first, they now are completely sold on it.