Sheila Ann Thompson recalls growing up in Cleveland’s Cedar-Central (Fairfax) and Lee-Harvard neighborhoods and describes how her experiences of outdoor recreation shaped her life. She discusses attending Camp Mueller from age seven until age fourteen in the early to mid-1960s, following in the footsteps of her mother, who had attended the camp decades earlier. Thompson remembers Camp Mueller’s predominantly Black campers and counselors, its songs and traditions, and activities including swimming, hiking, nature study, and overnight camping. She compares these experiences with a summer at the more racially mixed Hiram House Camp, where she participated in horseback riding, archery, canoeing, and fishing. She also recalls family day trips to Midway Lake, a popular recreational destination for African American families, where she rode horses, picnicked, and enjoyed the lake and surrounding grounds. Around 1979, Thompson returned to camping as an adult staff member in Cleveland’s school camping program, working at Camp Mueller, Camp Koinonia, River Road Camp, and Camp Hope. She reflects on how these experiences fostered independence, discipline, resilience, lasting friendships, and a lifelong love of nature. Thompson also reflects on her eight years of driving the electric cart at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport and the close bonds she formed with flight attendants.

Thompson, Sheila Ann (interviewee)

Rosser, Arrye (interviewer); Souther, Mark (facilitator)

Phillis Wheatley Association

10-2-2026

Oral History

87 minutes

"Sheila Ann Thompson Interview, 02 October 2026" (2026). Cleveland Regional Oral History Collection. Interview 110011.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/1462

May include audio transcription (.doc, .docx, .txt) and/or audio log (.csv, .pdf)

110011 Sheila Thompson.txt (87 kB)

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