Shelly Schneider
Waiter's Group Leader, Head Coach of Waiters' Basketball Team
In 1960, Shelly was one of several key players to arrive at Tyler Hill Camp. Along with Boys' Head Counselor, Gabe Smith, Girls' Head Counselor, Sy Sundick and Girls' Waterfront Legend, Artie Sunshine, Shelly helped to elevate Tyler Hill Camp to the top of the camp pyramid. For 25 years Shelly maintained control of fifty 16 and 17 year old boys. Not only did he make sure that these teenagers served the meals efficiently, but he provided an activity program that made the Waiter Group the envy of camp. Shelly's rule was non-negotiable, and he never stood for any disobedience or non-compliance from his boys. But at the same time, he was known for blindly defending them, and often went toe to toe with Bill Heft, either in their defense, or for something he wanted to do for them.
His partners in running the Waiters over the years included Howie Pike, Jimmy Bongino and Stuart Wittner, who was also one of Shelly's finest players on any of the Waiter/Counselor Basketball teams.
Video Clip: Marian, Sy and Stu reflect on Shelly's THC career
Over the years, the long-term campers considered the opportunity to become a waiter as the penultimate moment of a camper's career. Being a waiter was likened to a rite of passage at Tyler Hill, and Shelly understood the psychology of this. He accorded a fair amount of latitude and leniency to his boys, as he wanted them to acquire a sense of responsibility, independence and self-reliance. He showed them the respect that he felt young men needed as they approached maturity. While his athletic program was similar to what the rest of the older campers enjoyed, Shelly made sure that his boys knew that being a waiter was a valuable service to the camp, and that it was, in it's lowest common denominator, a job. And for most of these guys, it was their first job.
But Shelly was also a formidable Head Coach for the Waiter/Counselor basketball team. In fact, his record can only be matched, but never surpassed, as his teams were undefeated during nearly 25 years of inter-camp competition. On many evenings, the entire camp would watch Shelly's teams destroy their opponents so badly, it looked like an NBA team playing a high school team. A forty point margin of victory was standard fare. No one can ever forget the sight of Shelly, red-faced and soaked in sweat, yelling out plays to the boys from start to finish, no matter the margin of the score.
Many will remember, however, a famous game at Damascus High, on August 8, 1974, where Tyler Hill trailed the local "all-stars" by 9 points with only 63 seconds left on the clock. Tyler Hill (which included players like Bruce Beck, Roy and Jeff Greenman, Jack Eig and Chubbs Schaffer) cut the lead to one, and Jeff Greenman stole the in-bound pass with 3 seconds left, threw a full-court pass to Bob Gewirtz, who hit the winning lay-up. People are still talking about it 30 years later.
When Shelly, after 25 seasons, announced that he wasn't coming back, Bill was devastated and the Waiter program eventually was eliminated. But the impact that Shelly had on Tyler Hill Camp, including a generation of teenage boys, would never be forgotten.