Camp Alexander Mack’s director of guest services, Mike Kauffman, is retiring after 38 years. An open house in his honor will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Aug. 27, in Camp Mack’s Kate Warstler Dining Room. A short program will be held at 3:30 p.m. Written memories or photographs of his years at camp may be sent to [email protected]. (Photo by David Hazledine)

MILFORD — In 1979, an overheard phone conversation led to Mike Kauffman’s hiring as a full-time employee at Camp Alexander Mack at Waubee Lake in Milford. At summer’s end, Kauffman will retire from his “dream job” after 38 years. An open house in his honor will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, in Camp Mack’s Kate Warstler Dining Room.

In many ways, said Kauffman, Camp Mack has changed very little since he was himself a camper. “I hear them talking to their parents when they leave, the excitement in their voices … ‘I learned how to swim … I climbed to the top of the climbing tower.’”

For Kauffman and many of those campers, Camp Mack provides a sanctuary where kids from different backgrounds meet together on “an even playing field.”

At camp, “the kids are able to be themselves a little more,” he observed. They also make new friends, or even their first friends. “For some, it gives them hope they haven’t found elsewhere.”

Camp Mack reminds Kauffman of the line of scripture, “Be still and know God.” It is a rare place where people of all ages can, he said, “sit and contemplate the beauty of nature … God made these beautiful things for us to enjoy and we don’t take the time to do that.”

Kauffman stands in front of a 140-year old stained glass window depicting Jesus Christ as the good shepherd. It was donated to Camp Mack in 1933 by the Grace Reformed Church in Ft. Wayne. (Photo by David Hazledine)

Early on, as a volunteer counselor, Kauffman saw lives changed, and not just the kids. “Counselors learn and grow as leaders, too.” After nearly 40 years, he has watched multiple generations of campers and counselors grow into leaders in the church and the community. “It’s pretty rewarding.”

Kauffman grew up on a farm south of Fairfield High School where he learned a wide array of skills “the hard way,” working on tractors, trailers, silos.

After high school, he served three years in the Army as a radar operator. Back in Indiana, he found work in the local manufacturing industry, but he continued volunteering at Camp Mack.

Kauffman was 27 when Arden Ball, then the camp director, overheard him talking about his pending unemployment due to the closing of the company where he worked. “Have you ever thought of working here?” Ball asked, “We have an opening in maintenance.”

After maintenance, he coordinated the kitchen, followed by a stint as program director before becoming guest services director. “All those steps help you understand how things work,” Kauffman reflected.

He also developed as a leader in the church, holding several positions in the Maple Grove Church of the Brethren, including deacon, board member, Sunday school teacher and ministerial board chair. At the district level, he served on the board, ethics and personnel committees and as district moderator.

Kauffman and his first wife, Lana, who has passed away, have two grown children, Erin and Kent, both of whom worked at Camp Mack as summer staff. Erin continues to be involved with youth camps and Kent’s sons are now enjoying Camp Mack as campers, just as he did. In fact, Kauffman recently enjoyed grandchild and grandparent day with his own family. Kauffman and his current wife, Deb, have been married five years.

After retirement, Kauffman said he looks forward to “enjoying a summer like everyone else,” spending more time with family — altogether, he and Deb have 12 grandchildren from their previous marriages — and traveling around Indiana and Michigan. He also plans to continue serving others as a handyman. “I enjoy working with my hands.”