50 Years of AEOE! By Janice Smith, AEOE Historian

It was a beautiful spring day in May 1954, when a large group of outdoor educators had come together at Camp Hi-Hill to exchange ideas, share techniques and discuss the challenges they were facing at their school camps. Sitting around a stump out in the woods were Howard Bell, who had started Outdoor Education for LA Schools at Clear Creek O.E. Center, J. Holley Ashcraft, the founder of Outdoor Education in Long Beach, Jack Davidson, Director of O.E. programs for Los Angeles, and Kenneth Pike, the Principal at Camp Hi-Hill. There were others present but unfortunately, I do not know their names. As they shared their concerns about the future of Outdoor Education in California and, for that matter, the nation, when one of them said, “Hey, what we need is an organization!” They all clamored with agreement, but remarked how starting an organization takes a lot of money. So, without hesitation, one of the men stood up and opened his wallet. He took out a dollar and placed it on the stump and said, “Well, here’s my dollar!” A momentary hush fell over the group, and then everyone else instantly went for their wallets and added their dollars to the small pile on the stump. And so it had begun The Association for Outdoor Education (A.O.E.) was born.

As we gather together this spring day in Malibu, 50 years later, I can’t help but believe that our founding fathers would be humbled to know that their vision planted a seed on that warm spring day. And with time and the dedication of many talented environmental educators, that seed has blossomed and grown into the professional organization that we know today as AEOE, the Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education.
AEOE has grown and changed a lot over their years. It’s had lots of ups and downs and there were times when it almost fell apart all together. Through it all, AEOE has held on and is now stronger than ever.

While at the conference, please stop by the history display and take a trip back in time to our roots. Browse through the old newsletters or look back at old conference programs to see what the hot topics of the time were. Check out the old memorabilia or see if you can find yourself in photos of past conferences. It’s always interesting to look back. History opens our eyes to the past and shows us where we are today. It may even leave you wondering where AEOE will be 50 years from now. Please stop by and take a look.

Take A stroll through AEOE History: the timeline Janice put together for the conference on defining moments of our last 50 years (with some additions since!)