Luther & Charlotte Gulick

Founded Camp Fire in 1910 as America's first nonsectarian, interracial organization for girls, with boys joining in 1975. The organization provided opportunities and real-life lessons that contributed to the development of the "whole" person: giving service, pursuing knowledge, glorifying work and achievement, and being happy.

"The primary purpose of Camp Fire is to promote service to others, team work, and opportunities for a well rounded life — a vivid, intense life of joy and service."

— Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick

Luther H. Gulick
Born: August, 1865, Honolulu, Hawaii
Died: July, 1918, S. Casco, Maine

Charlotte V. Gulick
Born: December 12, 1865, Oberlink, Ohio
Died: July 28, 1938

With the success of the Boy Scouts of America in the early part of the 20th century, increasing demands from young women for a similar organization led Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick and his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick, together with a small group of educators, to establish the Camp Fire Girls in 1910. Boys were invited to join Camp Fire in 1975.

Today, through programs such as the core after-school curriculum, youth leadership, in-school programming, service-learning and camping and environmental education, Camp Fire USA helps build caring, confident youth and future leaders. Camp Fire USA's programs and activities are now delivered through hundreds of local and statewide Camp Fire USA councils and community partners, serving nearly 1 million participants and providing life-enriching experiences for thousands of adult volunteers. Fifty-four percent of the participants are female, 46 percent young men. Fifty percent are children and youth of diversity.

Camp Fire USA programs build skills and confidence, and they are linked to age-appropriate academic standards. Post program surveys have shown that 90 percent of participating youth responded that Camp Fire helped them use words, not hitting, to resolve conflicts. And 81 percent of youth reported that, because of Camp Fire, they have a greater understanding of different cultures, religions and people with disabilities. Additionally, 90 percent of parents surveyed said their children were more confident because of Camp Fire USA.

Although best known for his role in making the Camp Fire Girls organization one of America's premier youth groups, Luther Gulick was also known for his work in other achievements. He had a role in helping found the Boy Scouts of America, the American Folk Dance Society, and the American Social Hygiene Association. He also played an important role in the early development of the YMCA and the game of basketball was invented when Gulick suggested to young protégé James Naismith that he devise a new indoor game.

Luther Gulick graduated from Oberlin College and received his M.D. from New York University Medical College. In 1887, he married Charlotte Vetter, a graduate of Drury College in Springfield, Missouri who later attended Wellesley College and the American Missionary Institute in New York.

Luther Gulick was by instinct and heritage a missionary. His mother and father were foreign missionaries in the days when such work was an arduous and perilous adventure. He had an unquenchable enthusiasm and curiosity and was always on the watch for new fields to conquer.

An advocate of physical fitness for young people, Luther Gulick was an early promoter of integrating gymnastics and physical education into the daily lives of young people. His ultimate interest was the enrichment of human life through education and his greatest contributions to education were the inspiration and direction that he gave to physical education.

His work as a leader in physical education began with the YMCA in Jackson, Michigan in 1886, and a year later when he became the head of the physical education department in the training school of the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA. In addition, Luther Gulick also headed up the physical education department of the International Committee of the YMCA. Under his influence, the YMCA incorporated his ideas about gymnastics and physical education into its programs. He founded the YMCA Athletic League and set standards for a code of ethics.

His concept of the "whole person"-the interrelation of the physical, mental, and spiritual-was incorporated into the triangular symbol he designed for the YMCA, representing the "body," "mind" and "spirit." The YMCA still honors Luther Gulick as the "Father of the YMCA Triangular Logo", which he developed in 1891.

Luther Gulick became Director of Physical Education in the New York Public Schools in 1903. He was a prime mover and first President of the Playground Association of America (later called National Recreation Association). He served twice on the Olympic Games Committee and was a frequent delegate to health and recreational meetings in Europe. As head of the Department of Child Hygiene (health, education, recreation) at the Russell Sage Foundation, he spent hours serving on the organizational committee that laid out the groundwork for the Boy Scouts of America, and he influenced the Russell Sage Foundation to support the movement.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Gulick had begun running a family camp she and her husband had established for their own daughters and their friends in Connecticut. It was in this setting that Charlotte Gulick designed many of the educational elements that later became part of the Gulick's work with their several youth organizations.

As larger numbers of children began attending the Gulick's family camp in Connecticut, Charlotte Gulick decided to establish a regular summer camp for girls in Maine. Camp Wohelo grew from a small number of girls living in tents into a community extending over a mile of lakefront and providing almost every form of camp activity and equipment. This was at a time when it was still considered inappropriate for young girls to enter into activities outside the home.

The word "Wohelo" was coined by Charlotte Gulick to embody the principles of Work, Health and Love. She devised an upright, triangular logo to represent these three words, similar to the inverted triangle her husband had developed previously for the YMCA to represent the "body," "mind" and "spirit." The logo was later applied to the Camp Fire Girls organization.

In the summer of 1910, the nearby town of Thetford, Vermont was planning to celebrate its 150th anniversary. As part of the town "play", a number of young women wanted to share in the activities. Organizers set up three categories of achievement for the girls; Wood Gatherers, Fire Makers and Torch Bearers, with a group leader known as the "Guardian of the Fire". The group did not disband when the festivities were completed and became an active part of the community for young women.

By summer's end, the Gulicks and officials of the town joined to incorporate the Gulicks' camp and the town's girls group into one permanent organization. The girls made special outfits - simple brown cotton dresses with fringe. They decorated their dresses with symbols and designs from Native American tribes and wore them to campfires where they received beads and emblems as acknowledgment for the activities they had completed.

In 1912, Camp Fire Girls was officially incorporated, when Charlotte Gulick traveled to Washington, DC to sign the charter authorization papers. The new organization was enthusiastically received by the public. Magazines and newspapers wrote about it and by 1913, there were over 60,000 members. Many of Charlotte Gulick's ideas for the successful new organization came from her management of Camp Wohelo and became an integral part of the Camp Fire program.

Luther Gulick served as President of Camp Fire Girls from 1912 to 1918. He died in the summer of 1918 at Camp Wohelo in South Casco, Maine. The Camp was renamed the Luther Gulick Camp in his memory and still exists to this day. Charlotte Gulick, played a significant and leading role in the expansion of Camp Fire Girls. During the early years of the organization she devoted much time to the preparation of its literature and development of its symbolism. Her every effort was directed toward providing every girl with an opportunity to live "more abundantly." She established the Camp Fire Girls magazine titled Wohelo, after her camp, and served as its first editor.

The rich history and traditions established by the Gulicks remain an important part of Camp Fire USA today. "Give Service" is the organization's slogan and has been an important aspect of the organization since its founding by the Gulicks. This commitment to the ethic of service, first outlined by Charlotte Gulick, is strong and continues to thrive today.


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