Ozark History
The Beginning
Incomparable Camp Ozark, originally known as Ozark Boys Camp, began as the dream of one man, Carey Selph, a native of Central Arkansas and a star athlete at Ouachita Baptist University. Carey and a partner, John Froehlich, both from Houston, acquired the present acreage on which the camp is located and began constructing the original camp buildings including cabins, a dining hall, a bathhouse, a gymnasium, an infirmary and a small office on March 1, 1949. On June 10, 1949, Camp Ozark opened its gates for the very first time to 27 boys, mostly from Houston,Texas.
The Ankenman Years (1953-1984)
In 1953, John Froehlich sold his interest in Ozark Boys Camp to a recently retired professional baseball player named Pat Ankenman. Pat had been a professional baseball player for 14 years in the organization of the Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. Although small in stature, Pat was a man of immense and impeccable character. He brought with him strong Christian values and a desire to teach boys a wide range of activities centered around baseball, but including basketball, tennis, golf, swimming, canoeing, horseback riding and more. In 1956, Pat purchased Carey Selph's interest in Ozark Boys Camp and became its major stock holder. Pat, his wife, Betty, and their 4 children, Norman, Lyndal, Damon and Decie, dedicated the next three decades of their lives to laying the firm foundation upon which Camp Ozark rests today. There were many additions and changes throughout the Ankenman years, but perhaps most significant was the decision in 1977 to open the camp to girls as well as boys. And so it was that Ozark Boys Camp became Camp Ozark. At the end of 1984 when Pat Ankenman retired, he left a camp with 18 cabins and variety of programs and support facilities. More than that, he left an example of how to live your life to thousands of kids, including a 5 year camper from Houston named Sam Torn.
Sam and Susan Torn
On January 2, 1985, Sam and Susan Torn acquired the assets of Camp Ozark from the Ankenman family. At the time, Sam was a business man in Houston, Texas, but his association with Camp Ozark was long and memorable. Sam had first come to the camp with his family in 1951 at the age of 3 for what was known for many years as "Family Week." In 1959, at the age of 10, Sam spent the first of his 11 consecutive summers at Ozark Boys Camp. During that time, Sam experienced Ozark Boys Camp as a camper, Junior Counselor and Counselor and developed a deep love and intense loyalty for the Ozark experience. Armed with a "can do" positive attitude, a penchant for perfection and a creative flair, Sam and his wife, Susan, a R.N., set out to make Camp Ozark the premier residential summer camp in the United States. Since 1985 Camp Ozark has grown from 18 cabins to 78 cabins, from 375 campers per summer to 4,200 campers, and has truly become Incomparable Camp Ozark. In 2004, Sam was approached by the Walton Family Foundation of Bentonville, Arkansas concerning the establishment of an "Ozark like" camp for underserved children. Out of these discussions, Camp War Eagle opened its gates in 2006 and currently serves nearly 4000 underserved children per summer in northwest Arkansas. In addition to his Camp Ozark responsibilities, Sam serves as the Executive Director of Camp War Eagle.
