WHERE ARE THEY NOW? with Greg Canally

What are some of your fondest memories from your camper days?

My first year in cabin 5, I came for Second Month (1st Month was all full!) - i got to play and pitch in Little League World Series on that Thursday morning of Banquet. Seemed like the whole camp was there - we sang the national anthem before the game, lined up for introductions along the baselines, had a a ceremonial first pitch. Pretty cool for an 11 year old. And we won!

In cabin 15 in 1984, it was our goal to get pizza from the Casino as many nights as possible - even though we were only supposed to get it 1x per month. It was the first summer at Shohola for both of our counselors, so we kinda of tricked them and told them it was OK for the Seniors to get it whenever we wanted. We found another 1st time Counselor to pick up the pizza - I had already called the order into Dottie, using the pay phone outside the dining hall. It was getting close to midnight, no pizza yet - but then Chris showed up with a bunch of soda, but no Pizza. He had left them all top of his car and they were splattered all over the road.

As Working Seniors - we had one of the all-time Shohola best 15-U basketball teams (Matt Gordon, Andy Rodin, Larry McKay, Jeremy Carver, me, etc). We won lots of games against Pine Forest, Log N Twig, Owego - and had a big attitude. So we challenged the Counselor team to a game (also one of all time best) - Sunday night after dinner, before Campfire. Whole camp down there to watch - we took them right down to the wire .. My memory is that the ref made a bad call right at the end, but it was nearly 35 years ago, so my memory may be a bit hazy :)

What were some of your fondest memories from your counselor days?

One year, we put together the first ever camper trip to Cooperstown. Myself and Ken Gross came up with idea - that instead of just the normal "sign up by the Big Rock after dinner" we would announce a "daily winner" over a 2 week period - a camper who excelled at an activity, or most improved in an activity, or showed the best sportsmanship with another camper. We made a big deal about it every dinner - in the end we took 30 campers up there. Fantastic trip. Great memories. [See photo from the trip above]

Working with Carlos Verdia et al on creating "The A and B Days of Our Lives" for campfire every Sunday one summer. If we only still had those scripts ...

Favorite camp activity?

As a longtime Landsports guys, I loved street hockey. 15-u hockey 4th period after rest hour was the best. Someone would bring a boom box. Counselors we had over the years - Johnny Davis, Duke Schneider - practiced us hard; some of the best hockey!

Favorite camp meal?

Sunday morning breakfast on the hill.

Favorite cabin and why?

Cabin 12. Both a camper and counselor. Fantastic summers.

Where do you live now and what do you do?

I live in Austin, TX and have worked in finance for the City of Austin for the last 20 years

How did you wind up doing what you do?

****I moved to Austin in 1995 - after a few years in NYC - to study economics at The University of Texas at Austin. I ended up getting interested in local economics and public policy. And it was Austin after all, so no reason to leave! I started work in the City of Austin, doing budget analyst work, then eventually became the City's Budget Director. Inn My current role as Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the City, i oversee the City's Treasury functions - working on bond elections to fund public infrastructure needs, issuing public debt for the City's general needs such as roads, parks and buildings, but also for the Airport, Electric Utility , and Water Utility; we have about $5 billion in debt for these functions, issuing $400-$500 million each year. I also manage all the procurement functions for the City - contracting for big capital projects, but also for all the goods and services its takes to run a City of 15,000 employees for City with a population of 1 million. Finally, i work on many economic development and real estate transactions with the private sector - redevelopment of the City's former 700 acre airport, public-private partnerships to build new City office buildings, and most recently leading the effort to bring a Major League Soccer team - Austin FC - to Austin, working with them on a new $250 million stadium on City land. Construction is underway with 1st game in Spring of 2021!

Anything else you would like to share?

One of my all-time Shohola memories is more recent ... dropping my son Declan off for his first summer 4 years ago. To see the joy he gets from his summers up there is truly special - brings back lots of memories and nostalgia for me. That he and i can share the same experience - 30 years apart - is a testament to how wonderful Camp Shohola is.