There are some people whose stories are so deeply intertwined with Camp Alleghany that it’s almost impossible to tell the story of one without telling the story of the other. Beth Anne Clark-Thomas, lovingly known to generations of Alleghany girls as “B.A.,” is certainly one of those people.
After six decades of connection to Alleghany, including years of service as a camper, counselor, Mini Camp Director, Outreach Director, alumni leader, and so much more, B.A. is officially retiring from the Camp Alleghany Administrative Team.
While we will certainly miss her presence on our year-round team, we are also taking this opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary legacy. Few people have dedicated as much of their lives to Alleghany as B.A., and the contributions she has made to our camp community are both numerous and lasting.
From launching Mini Camp and introducing hundreds of young girls to the magic of Alleghany, to supporting and mentoring generations of counselors, to strengthening the bonds of our alumni community, B.A. has left her mark on nearly every corner of camp.
And thankfully, this isn’t goodbye! More on that later.
But first, let’s take a look back at a truly remarkable Alleghany journey.
Where It All Began: A Little Girl in Cowbell Alley
B.A.’s Alleghany story began in 1966, when she was just six and a half years old.
That summer, my grandfather, S. Cooper Dawson, Jr., who had purchased Camp Alleghany from the Worthington family in 1963, invited B.A.’s father, the Rev. John Clark, to serve as camp Chaplain.
At the time, camp’s religious programming was more formal than it is today, and the Chaplain played an important role in the summer experience.
While her parents and younger sister lived in Cowbell Alley, then just a row of four tents, young B.A. joined in camper activities and events. She also became a member of the Gray Team, a loyalty she proudly carries to this day!
The following summer, in 1967, she returned as a regular camper, beginning a camper career that would continue through 1975. She spent most of those summers as a First Termer, although she stayed for the full term in 1969.
Like so many Alleghany girls, B.A. was building friendships and memories that would last long beyond her camper years. What she couldn’t have known then was just how much of her life would continue to revolve around this special place on the Greenbrier River.
From Camper to Counselor: Wearing Many Hats!
In 1977, B.A. returned to Alleghany as a Maroon counselor, beginning a new chapter that would take her through the summer of 1983.
And to say she wore a lot of hats during those years would be an understatement!
In Junior Camp, she served as a Unit 1 counselor and Unit Head, while also teaching Rifle and Drama. In Senior Camp, her responsibilities included Unit Head, Upstart Mom, Head of Drama, Head of Arts & Crafts, and Head of Evening Activities.
As B.A. recalls:
“In those days we often served several roles simultaneously- I have an old contract from 1981 offering me positions of Head of Sr. Arts and Crafts, Upstart Mom, tent counselor to 2 honor tents, and Family Camp for roughly $800 and I signed it, LOL.”
It’s hard not to smile at that one! Camp has certainly changed over the decades, but the willingness of our staff to jump in wherever they’re needed remains an important part of the Alleghany spirit.
Her final summer as a Term Camp counselor was 1983, when she served as Head of Drama and counselor to two honor tents, today known as Upstart tents.
But her days working at Alleghany were far from over.
A Return to Family Camp
From 1990 through 2002, B.A. returned to Alleghany through our Family Camp program.
Family Camp looked a little different in those days, and B.A. filled a variety of roles over the years. Among her favorites were coordinating evening activities and hosting the children’s hour, giving the younger generation their own special programming while the adults enjoyed time together.
For B.A., Family Camp was another opportunity to share her enthusiasm for Alleghany while creating meaningful experiences for families returning to the place they loved.
And it was during these years that another important chapter of her Alleghany story was about to begin.
The Birth of Mini Camp: A Lasting Legacy
Of all B.A.’s many contributions to Alleghany, perhaps none has had a greater impact on our summer programming than the creation of Mini Camp.
In 2003, B.A. launched Camp Alleghany’s Mini Camp program, establishing a new way for younger, first-time campers to experience the magic of Alleghany.
What began as an opportunity to introduce young girls to camp in a shorter, more accessible format became a beloved Alleghany tradition and an important stepping stone for generations of future Term Camp campers.
B.A. didn’t simply help create Mini Camp. She poured her heart into building it, shaping its traditions, developing its staff, and guiding the experience year after year.
For 20 summers, she served as Mini Camp Director, welcoming nervous first-time campers, reassuring their families, and helping young girls discover the independence, confidence, friendships, and joy that make summer camp so transformative.
Outside of camp, B.A. built an impressive career in higher education, serving as a tenured professor of education for 20 years and later as Dean of Retention and Student Success. She now holds the title of Professor of Education Emeritus. Her extensive knowledge of education and child development made her especially well-suited to lead Mini Camp, where she understood the unique needs of young children, the importance of a nurturing and supportive environment, and how to help campers take those first big steps toward independence.
The ripple effects of that work are enormous.
So many girls who first stepped off the barge as Mini Campers went on to become Term Campers, counselors, Leadership Team members, and lifelong Alleghany alumnae. For countless families, Mini Camp was their very first introduction to our camp community, and B.A. was a central part of making that introduction a positive and memorable one.
In 2022, B.A. celebrated three remarkable milestones: Camp Alleghany’s 100th season, her own 50th year at camp, and Mini Camp’s 20th anniversary.
100 / 50 / 20. What an extraordinary combination!
It was a fitting moment for B.A. to step away from her role as Mini Camp Director, leaving behind a program that continues to thrive and welcome new generations of Alleghany girls.
But retirement from Mini Camp certainly didn’t mean retirement from camp!
Supporting the Next Generation: Outreach, Staff Training, and Mentorship
From 2022 through 2026, B.A. served as Camp Alleghany’s Outreach Director, continuing her dedication to camp in a different but equally meaningful role.
Throughout her years at Alleghany, B.A. has always been passionate about making connections, whether with prospective families, longtime alumni, or the young women serving on our staff.
Over the decades, she traveled and hosted recruiting gatherings alongside my grandfather Cooper and later my father, Sam Dawson, helping introduce families across many states to the Alleghany experience.
As Outreach Director, B.A. played an important role in supporting both new and returning camp families. She helped analyze our camper retention data, providing valuable insight into our enrollment trends and the ways we could continue strengthening the camper experience.
She also took on a particularly special responsibility: serving as a dedicated resource for our brand-new Term Campers and their families.
Making the transition to overnight camp for the first time is a big milestone, and B.A. helped make that journey a little easier. Through special communications, personal attention, and guidance throughout the preparation process, she offered new families additional support as they became part of the Alleghany community.
Her experience directing Mini Camp, combined with her professional expertise in education and child development, gave her a wonderful foundation for understanding the questions, concerns, and excitement that accompany a child’s first summer away from home.
But one of her most valuable contributions in recent years has been the time, energy, and care she’s invested in our summer staff.
B.A.’s professional background in education, particularly her experience working with student development, retention, and success, brought an invaluable perspective to her work with both campers and counselors.
She led Staff Training sessions on topics such as managing homesickness (or, as we call it at Alleghany, “Missing Home”), large-group management, planning and leading evening activities, and the art of making announcements and using effective attention grabbers, to mention just a few!
These are practical skills that make an enormous difference in the everyday camp experience, and B.A. had the unique ability to combine her professional expertise with real-world examples from her many years at Alleghany.
Beyond the formal training sessions, she has been a wonderful source of camp history, wisdom, and encouragement for our counselors. Through conversations and shared experiences, she has helped younger generations understand not just how we do things at Alleghany, but why our traditions, values, and community matter.
She has also brought a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and spirit to the staff experience, organizing morale boosters and special moments throughout the summer to help our counselors feel appreciated, supported, and connected.
And our counselors absolutely adore her!
There’s something special about a young counselor learning from someone who once stood in her shoes decades earlier. B.A. has been able to offer that perspective in a way few others can, connecting the Alleghany of yesterday with the Alleghany of today.
Her commitment to nurturing our staff, sharing her professional knowledge, and passing along her years of camp experience has been an invaluable gift to our community.
An Award in Her Honor: Celebrating Outstanding Counselors
B.A.’s dedication to our counseling staff is so significant that, in 2009, Camp Alleghany established an award in her honor.
The Beth Anne Clark-Thomas Award for Outstanding Counselor was created to recognize exceptional members of our summer counseling staff, and B.A. herself was surprised with the announcement that the award would bear her name.
Each summer, the award is presented at Banquet to one or two counselors who have demonstrated outstanding service and dedication in their roles.
It’s a particularly fitting tribute to someone who has spent so much of her life teaching, mentoring, supporting, and encouraging young people.
And perhaps what makes this recognition most meaningful is that it isn’t simply an honor bestowed upon B.A. for her years of service. It is a living tradition, one that continues each summer as we celebrate the very qualities of outstanding counseling and leadership that B.A. has worked so hard to cultivate.
Long after her retirement from the Administrative Team, the Beth Anne Clark-Thomas Award will remain an important part of Alleghany’s tradition of recognizing excellence among our staff.
Keeping Alleghany Connections Alive: The Alumni Association
B.A.’s love for Alleghany has never been limited to the summer months.
In 2009, she was part of the group of dedicated alumni who established the Camp Alleghany Alumni Association (CAAA), which officially became incorporated in 2011.
Since those early days, B.A. has remained deeply involved in helping strengthen the connections between Alleghany and the women who have called it home.
Over the years, she has served two terms as CAAA President, as Treasurer, on the Membership Committee, and most recently as the Camp Alleghany, Inc. Liaison on the CAAA Board.
Her dedication to the Alumni Association reflects something we believe deeply at Alleghany: the friendships formed here don’t end when the summer does.
And B.A. is living proof of that.
She remains especially close with a group of women she grew up alongside at camp. Lovingly known as the “16s of ’75,” this group of approximately a dozen friends still gathers three or four times a year in destinations around the country.
More than 50 years after their final summer together as campers, these friendships are as strong as ever.
What a beautiful example of Alleghany’s mission of naturally inspiring growth through honor, loyalty, and friendship!
Labors of Love: Giving Back to the Place We Love
In 2015, B.A. brought another wonderful idea to life when she launched Labors of Love Weekend, affectionately known as LOL Weekend.
Each June, before the summer season begins, Alleghany alumnae and friends come together to roll up their sleeves, tackle projects around camp, reconnect with one another, and help prepare our beautiful property for another summer.
Over the years, LOL volunteers have contributed countless hours of work and improvements to camp, all while enjoying the simple pleasures of being back at Alleghany.
As B.A. describes it, the weekend is about “enjoying fellowship, crickets at night, rain on the tent flaps, and great food in the dining hall!”
It’s such a wonderful expression of the loyalty and generosity that make the Alleghany alumni community so special.
And of course, B.A. has remained at the heart of it, organizing the weekend and bringing people together year after year.
Another Lasting Contribution: Free Cycle
Sometimes the most meaningful contributions begin with a simple act of generosity.
Following the flood of 2016, which caused significant damage to camp and the surrounding area, B.A. recognized that many of our Term Camp counselors had lost or damaged personal belongings.
She began collecting items that Mini Camp Counselors could leave behind or donate for use by the counselors arriving for Term Camp.
What started as a small collection that could fit into a tote on her golf cart eventually grew into our Free Cycle program.
Today, Free Cycle occupies the entire Senior Camp side of the old Dry Room cabin and provides a wonderful resource for both Term Camp counselors and international support staff each summer.
It’s a perfect example of B.A. seeing a need, taking initiative, and creating something that continues to benefit the Alleghany community years later.
Camp Alleghany: Woven Into Every Part of Her Life
If you know B.A., you know that her love for Alleghany extends well beyond the camp gates.
As she puts it:
“Camp Alleghany is part of the fabric of my life.”
And she means that quite literally!
Her home is filled with Alleghany artwork and memorabilia, along with books written by fellow alumnae or featuring references to camp.
On her dining table sits a special quilted runner, lovingly crafted by a camp friend of more than 50 years. The runner illustrates her journey from tent row, down the Greenbrier River, and ultimately to her forever home.
And that forever home has an Alleghany connection of its own.
As a young camper on canoe trips down the Greenbrier River, B.A. would regularly pass a house near Camp Greenbrier with a big front porch and a huge American flag.
She remembers telling her friends that one day she wanted a house just like it.
Decades later, in 2012, while hosting a Mini Camp Counselor winter retreat in Greenbrier County, she spotted that very house in a real estate magazine.
And she bought it!
Her first houseguests were none other than her beloved “16s of ’75” girlfriends, who gave her a giant flagpole and American flag as a housewarming gift.
Talk about a full-circle moment!
Even the smallest pieces of Alleghany history hold special meaning for B.A.
She remembers that Cooper once sent her parents a bill for bringing an oversized trunk to camp. It became a longtime family joke, and today that very trunk remains at Uncle Bill’s, the camp cabin where B.A. has stayed in recent summers.
As she jokes, at least no one has to lug it across the river again!
But perhaps one of the most touching stories came just this past summer.
During LOL Weekend 2026, volunteers took on a makeover of Cowbell Alley. In the process, they discovered an old bookshelf dating back to the days when Cowbell was first being converted from tents into a more permanent structure.
On the shelf was an inscription:
“A Parson’s Product 1968 The Year of Cowbell Hilton”
And beneath it, a signature: “John Clark.”
B.A.’s father.
The very same man whose role as camp Chaplain had first brought B.A. to Alleghany 60 years earlier.
What a remarkable discovery, and what a beautiful reminder of the generations of people, families, and memories woven into the history of our camp.
A New Chapter, But Not Goodbye!
Although B.A. is retiring from her position on the Camp Alleghany Administrative Team, we are delighted that she plans to remain actively involved in the Alleghany community.
She will continue serving on the Camp Alleghany Alumni Association Board in her role as Camp Alleghany, Inc. Liaison, helping maintain the strong relationship between our camp and its alumni.
And we’re especially happy that she intends to continue leading Labors of Love Weekend, bringing our alumni and friends together each June to give back to the place that has given them so much.
We also hope you’ll stay tuned to the Camp Alleghany podcast, where we’ll be featuring B.A. in an upcoming alumni episode. With 60 years of Alleghany history and memories, we know she’ll have plenty of stories to share!
Thank You, B.A.!
It’s difficult to adequately capture six decades of devotion to a place in a single blog post.
B.A. has witnessed tremendous changes at Alleghany, from the days of my grandfather’s leadership, through my father’s years as Director, and into the camp we know and love today.
But she has done far more than witness that history. She has helped shape it.
She created a program that has welcomed generations of first-time campers. She has shared a lifetime of educational expertise while training, mentoring, and encouraging countless counselors. She has provided guidance and reassurance to families beginning their Alleghany journeys. She has helped foster an alumni community that remains connected long after the summer ends. She has launched traditions, supported families, preserved memories, and contributed her time and talents in more ways than we could ever hope to list.
And each summer, as we present the Beth Anne Clark-Thomas Award for Outstanding Counselor, we are reminded that her influence extends beyond the programs she created and the roles she held. It lives on in the young women who carry forward the values and traditions she helped instill.
As Camp Director, I am grateful for the many ways B.A. has contributed to Alleghany over the years, and especially for the lasting programs and traditions that will continue to benefit our campers, counselors, and alumni for many years to come.
B.A., thank you for your extraordinary dedication, your years of service, and the many ways you’ve helped make Camp Alleghany what it is today.
Your legacy is woven into the fabric of this special place, and we are so thankful that your Alleghany story isn’t finished yet.
Once a ‘Ghany Girl, always a ‘Ghany Girl!
With love and gratitude,
Elizabeth
