In 1960, John F. Kennedy clinched the Presidential election, Chubby Checker had radio listeners in a twist, and the U.S. entered the Vietnam War. Closer to home, the Johnson family rolled down Sandy Cove Road for the very first time. 

They’ve returned every year since.

During Week 5 of Family Camp, the Sandy Cove community was privileged to honor the Johnsons — matriarch Dorothea, late husband Harry, and children Jamie, David, and daughter Ruth DePalma — by renaming Wilderness Campground The Johnson Family Wilderness Campground.

It is a fitting tribute to a family whose name is synonymous with the Sandy Cove seasonal campground community. Stretching back to the days of Saturday night concerts in the Palmer Auditorium, the Johnsons have connections and memories in every corner of the campus, including decades of volunteer service as well as work at the ministry.

Notably, Dorothea was the first female member of the Sandy Cove Board of Directors. Her work and expertise as a general physician, and later the first female vice president at AT&T, proved to be a valuable asset to the ministry for more than 38 years.

“I love the place so much and loved being able to work with heads of departments; everyone listened to you and wanted your input,” recalls Dorothea, now 90. “Those were exciting board meetings.”

In addition, all three Johnson kids worked in the kitchen and dining room and were members of the ministry’s popular choral group, The Choralaires. “What didn’t I do?” laughs Jamie, now Producer of Opera at Temple University. I started out helping my sister in the Snack Shop at 13…started working officially at 15, and worked for 10 summers as a busboy, waiter, and then head of the dining room.”

While the Johnson family resumé of summer jobs and experiences is exhaustive, their accommodations are not. Since 1971, they’ve planted themselves in the Wilderness Campground in the very same spot: Site #10. Ruth notes that her parents did change the direction of their camper when they upgraded to a larger model with slideouts for their 50th anniversary.

Now a nurse in Colorado, Ruth’s earliest memories are coming to Sandy Cove Friday night and leaving again Saturday night after the concert because her dad had to preach Sunday morning.

“When we moved to New Jersey, the drive was three hours long,” she says. She also worked at Sandy Cove for seven years as a waitress, and later as a camp nurse, back when they would summon her via the intercom system.

David, a retired OBGYN now living in Oregon, remembers working as a pot boy and in the pantry with Mrs. Palmer. He credits his love of cooking to early skills he mastered at Sandy Cove.

While Harry passed away two years ago, Dorothea returns each summer with her kids, grandkids and great-grandchildren for a week that includes their annual crab feast. Summer gatherings are now focused on the grandchildren, who enjoy some of the same activities as their grandparents years before.

“You drive here and all kinds of memories flood in...you can’t wait to get down 272 and turn in,” says Ruth. “All three of us have formed lifetime friendships. We love coming back.”