In 1948, as the world recovered from World War II, Interlochen was close to paying off the debts that had posed an enormous burden during the Camp’s first two decades. The Camp’s positive financial situation prompted our characteristically upbeat and ambitious founder, Joe Maddy, to pursue even bigger dreams.
In late 1948, Dr. Maddy sent the trustees a 31-page document titled, “Expansion Plans for the Period 1948-1953.” He wrote: “it is inconceivable that the operations of this ‘parent’ institution should be limited to eight brief weeks of each year.” Surprisingly, his initial concepts for expansion focused primarily on university-level studies, with a high school program seemingly an after-thought.
The seeds that Maddy planted during 1948 grew over the next fourteen years. The concepts changed and evolved, eventually leading to the opening of the nation’s first fine arts boarding high school in 1962.
Notable Events from January
JANUARY 12, 1970 - Interlochen took an interdisciplinary presentation to Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. It was the second in a series of three presentations created by Karl Haas, who was then president of Interlochen. Haas was recognized across the country for his award-winning radio program “Adventures in Good Music.”
JANUARY 17, 1975 – Thor Martin Johnson died following surgery intended to remove a brain tumor. After serving as the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for eleven seasons (1947-58), he was among the first American-born conductors to lead any of our country’s major orchestras. Johnson came to Interlochen where he served as both the orchestra conductor and director of the Academy from 1964 to 1968.