Last December, Emily Swan fully retired from Pine Island after more than 30 years as the camp’s Business Manager. This was a woefully inadequate job title; Emily seamlessly handled everything from finances and payroll to logistics and endlessly frustrating regulations. Her attention to detail touched every aspect of camp life, both during the summer and throughout the year. As she finally settles into full retirement, it felt essential to recognize Emily’s sweeping contributions, so at the 2024 Farewell Feed, we took a moment to honor her legacy.
Years ago, Ben Swan shared a story that aptly described Emily’s role. A camper, seeking trivia for a campfire game, asked Ben for information about staff that most people on the island wouldn’t know. Ben said, “Well, did you know that Emily graduated from Harvard Law School?”
The camper replied: “Duh, anyone who could run this camp single-handedly would’ve gone to a school like that!”
That camper’s wisecrack was actually quite astute. A (very) broad overview of Emily’s off-season duties alone includes: preparing and tracking the PIC budget; depositing funds and reconciling accounts; processing donations and generating donation reports from the PIC database; sorting and processing incoming mail; ordering all office supplies; preparing and processing all camper forms mailed to parents; preparing annual updates of the Staff Manual, Health Policy Manual, Emergency Procedures, Infirmary Manual, Kitchen Manual, and Driver’s Bible; handling “all insurance matters”; preparing and submitting the annual Maine State Fundraising Report and Charitable Solicitation Registration application; ensuring annual renewal of PIC’s Maine state operating license; preparing, distributing, and tracking all paychecks, tax forms, and benefits documents; copyediting the Pine Needle, parent and prospect letters, camper address list, fundraising letters, e-newsletters, and other major communications; and preparing minutes for all Board meetings.
And that doesn’t even include Emily’s work during the summer, a great deal of which was also behind the scenes, unnoticed in the daily lives of Pine Islanders. She staffed the Mainland Office every morning, stocked and managed the Camp Store, conducted periodic safety checks, tended to flower boxes, tested drinking water, arranged camping permits, and made countless other contributions that went far beyond logistics. She was the heartbeat of Pine Island, working tirelessly to keep the camp running smoothly while nurturing its unique community spirit.
Emily also managed to incorporate her hobbies of foraging and birdwatching into her work. She participated in Belgrade Lakes’ annual loon count and carefully monitored the algae levels in Great Pond each summer. During meetings at the mainland office, she would often hop up suddenly, grab her binoculars, and rush outside to catch sight of a bird she had just heard calling. On other occasions, she’d return to the island with a basket full of edible mushrooms—black trumpets, chanterelles, or hen of the woods—from some undisclosed location in the woods. In recognition of these passions, Pine Island has dedicated a section of its library to books on birding and foraging, along with binoculars and foraging tools. These additions ensure that Emily’s love of the natural world will continue to inspire campers for generations.
Most meaningfully, though, Emily’s name has been added to Pine Island’s Loyalty Award—a testament to the qualities she embodies and instills in others. This prestigious award celebrates Pine Island’s core values: honesty, good humor, independence, cooperation, responsibility, and generosity. Emily’s name now joins those of past leaders—Molly Swan, Eugene L. Swan, Jr., and Katharine W. Swan—who exemplify these principles that define the Pine Island community. As Director of Operations Sarah Hunter reflected, “Pine Island is better because of Emily’s commitment, dedication, and loyalty.” Pine Islanders far and wide wish her a happy retirement; she has certainly earned it!
