April 2024
By Susan Ramquist
In the summer of 2023, Onaway welcomed Mr. Dave Finnell as the new Property Manager. “Mr. Dave” grew up northeast of Atlanta, Georgia where his family still lives today. He started his professional career as an electrician in Atlanta. Growing up, Dave was a boy scout who loved hiking. In 1996, he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail (a north to south through-hiker!). New Hampshire was his favorite state on the trail, so after completing the AT, he decided to move to New Hampshire and become a carpenter. Dave was a self-employed builder in the Newfound area for fifteen years before joining the staff at Onaway.
In his free time, Dave likes to paddle board, rock climb, hike, ice fish, snowboard, and enjoy all the wonderful views from these different vantage points.
When asked about his first summer at Onaway, Dave replied, “I’ll admit my first summer was challenging but very fun. It was exciting to see the enthusiastic spirit of camp as well as the bright and cheerful faces of campers and staff every day. I was also impressed with the responsibility and discipline and overall character everyone exhibited.” Dave added that, after working alone during the pandemic, it was a lot of fun to have social interaction everyday with such a great group of people. Mr. Dave is now spending the off-season months getting camp ready for summer 2024. A few of his many off-season projects are improvements to Woodworking, Gateway, and Owls Nest. If anyone finds themselves in the area this spring, please stop by camp for a visit and say hi to Mr. Dave!