Dr. Joel W. Bloom

Dr. Joel W. Bloom, 93 OTISFIELD -- Dr. Joel W. Bloom, 93, a pioneer in progressive summer camping, died on July 6, 2009. He leaves his wife Evelyn (Kerner) of Otisfield; two sons, Mark of Worcester, Mass., and Charles of Lafayette, Colo., a daughter, Jane Ira of New York, N.Y.; and three grandchildren, Michael, Amanda and James. Dr. Bloom was born and raised in New York City and later lived in Newton, Mass. and in Otisfield. From 1947 through 1996 he was Director of Camp Powhatan for Boys on Pleasant Lake in Otisfield. Dr. Bloom graduated from the University of Arizona and earned a master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University before serving in the Navy in World War II as a PT Boat officer. In 1951, Dr. Bloom earned his doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, writing his thesis on interest- motivated camping, which posits that campers most benefit from selecting activities rather than being assigned them. Dr. Bloom promoted racial and socioeconomic diversity in camping. He started a scholarship fund which brought campers from diverse backgrounds to Powhatan and in 1971 helped Governor Ken Curtis start the Susan Curtis Foundation to provide camping to disadvantaged Maine children. In 1993, he assisted in starting Seeds of Peace, a summer camp to empower young leaders from conflict regions around the world with leadership skills to advance reconciliation and coexistence. Seeds of Peace now operates where Powhatan was located. Dr. Bloom served as President of the New England Camping Association and Vice President of the American Camping Association. He was also President of the Pleasant Lake & Parker Pond Association, spearheading efforts to eradicate variable water-milfoil from Maine lakes. Donations may be made to: The Joel W. Bloom Campership Fund at Seeds of Peace 370 Lexington Ave. Suite 401 New York, New York 10017 or online