History: Edward B. Desenberg and the Pretty Lake Fresh Air Vacation Camp

Edward B. Desenberg and the Pretty Lake Fresh Air Vacation Camp

by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library

Music was clearly Edward Desenberg’s fi rst love. Formally educated in Kalamazoo and abroad, “Eddie” grew to become an instructor, composer, and entertainer of substantial merit. Desenberg was also an astute businessman with an ability to make things happen. His immense talent and inherent drive clearly helped awaken Kalamazoo’s growing cultural awareness. Born in Kalamazoo in 1867, Edward B. Desenberg became an accomplished musician at an early age and performed for many societal and literary functions. He played a solo piano piece during the Kalamazoo College commencement exercises in 1886 and gave a xylophone performance during the Kalamazoo High School commencement in 1889. It was said that Desenberg was the fi rst person in Kalamazoo ever to play such an instrument.

While music was undoubtedly Ed Desenberg’s fi rst love, his compassion for children—especially those who were less fortunate—was a close second and would indeed prove to be his lasting legacy… to create a place that would help make life a little bit better for the “kiddies” of Kalamazoo.

Ed’s mother, Bertha L. Desenberg, was instrumental in bringing the Fresh Air School movement to Kalamazoo. The idea of open-air schools originated in Great Britain around 1907 and came in response to illness brought on by malnutrition, poor living conditions, and tuberculosis. To improve the health of children who were too sick to attend school, the movement emphasized the importance of education in an environment of fresh air, exercise, and adequate nutrition. As part of her effort, Mrs. Desenberg arranged a two-week encampment for some twenty-one needy children during the summer When asked to deliver an extra tent to the cottage they had rented for the children, Ed was aghast when he saw that the pump for drinking water was located just a few feet from the outhouse. Realizing for the fi rst time the importance of his mother’s work, Desenberg immediately set out to solicit fi nancial help from able community members with a goal to build a safe, permanent camp for the children. Within six weeks, Desenberg was able to raise $6,000, enough to establish a fresh air camp, complete with suitable sleeping quarters and proper water and septic systems. A fi ve-acre site was chosen on the north side of Pretty Lake, a few miles southwest of Kalamazoo.

Opened in 1916, the Pretty Lake Fresh Air Vacation Camp initially provided 15 children with six weeks of summer camp away from the dirt and heat of the city. Within two years, the facility grew to accommodate 35 children during each two-week period. By 1923, more than 500 needy kids were able to stay at the camp each summer. After more than a century of operation, the Pretty Lake Vacation Camp has provided a costfree summer camp experience to more than 50,000 at-risk youth from Kalamazoo County. Edward Desenberg left Kalamazoo in 1930 and moved to Chicago, although he always identifi ed himself as “a Kalamazoo man.” Ed retained a close association with the Pretty Lake Camp and spent each summer there until his death in 1940 at the age of 72. More at kpl.gov