AUTHORS

KEITH FARGO

My ties to the San Diego YMCA started in 1973 when my father, Navy Captain Bill Fargo, decided it would be a good “life experience” for me to spend my last summer before graduating from college as a counselor at Camp Surf. While I pleaded my case that I had other summer plans and was not “camp counselor material,” my father prevailed. My family’s ties to the San Diego YMCA actual started with my sister, Barbara Fargo, who was a summer Counselor at Camp Marston in 1967-1968 and worked in the San Diego YMCA headquarters’ office the following summer. Due to my sister’s positive experiences with the YMCA, my father volunteered to be the Navy representative on the YMCA Camp Committee.

My father prevailed again in the fall of 1973 when he strongly encouraged me to apply to the U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS). Upon graduating from the University of Southern California and completion of OCS in 1974, I was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps. My first assignment was as a Supply Officer on a nuclear submarine. Following that tour, I spent much of my career in submarine related jobs including managing supply operations on ships and shore-based activities that directly supported submarines. The best part of my Naval career was I was able to see the world, including two overseas assignments with a very supportive family that enjoyed the journey.

After I retired as a Navy Captain in 2003, I decided it was time for me to give back to the community and honor my father’s legacy. I joined the YMCA Overnight Camp Board in 2006, and was the Board’s chair from 2013-2015. Over the last 50 years, Camp Surf facilities have changed quite a bit, but more importantly, Camp Surf continues to change people’s lives, as it changed mine.

MARK THOMPSON

I found YMCA Camp Surf by accident in 1992 on a backpacking trip along the west coast from Vancouver, Canada to Imperial Beach, California. The people I met and the Southern California environment were exactly what I was searching for. Six months later I returned to work at camp on an 18-month leadership development visa through YMCA of the USA.

The plan was to save some money, then continue my backpacking journey into Central America. The YMCA of San Diego County had other plans for me. The Y mission drew me in and I was excited about what camp was doing. I worked hard, learned a lot about myself, and grew personally and professionally over the course of a 25-year career with this great organization.

YMCA Camp Surf was my first professional position and was the most rewarding role in my career so far. The work I did at camp is what I am most proud of, and the people I met there are some of the best on earth. I met my wife at Camp Surf, we worked at Camp Marston, got married at Raintree Ranch, and then moved back to Camp Surf where we raised our son. We are a camp family.

The YMCA has also taught me how to lead a nonprofit successfully. I have developed strong business skills thanks to the organization investing in me as a professional. Strategic planning, executive leadership, prudent fiscal management and strong fundraising boards were how this Y became so successful and it is humbling to look back and see what we have accomplished.

My experiences led me to USD to earn a graduate degree in Leadership and Nonprofit Management. While working at the YMCA I volunteered for several nonprofits and I continue to partner with nonprofit leaders as a volunteer and consultant. The Y set me on the right path, and I feel compelled to share what I have learned to support organizations that are addressing some of the country’s most pressing issues.

Camp developed my passion for conservation, the outdoors, and amateur carpentry. I also love to surf, ski, golf, and camp with family and friends.