Alumni News

Great story about a former Alpine staff member – Phil Tharel from Arkansas. We are very proud of this Alpine man!

Be sure to click on ‘Continuation’ at the very top of the first page to read the second page of the article.

Great story about former Alpine camper and counselor Hardie Buck from Birmingham. We are very proud of this Alpine man!

Very proud of one of our camp doctors (and former camper and counselor) Tim Lindsey and his wife Laura. Wonderful article about their calling. We are blessed to have them as a part of the Alpine family.

I’m staring out at the Himalaya range from my window in Kathmandu, Nepal having just had a wonderful phone conversation with my Mother about our days at Alpine. I’m flooded with so many wonderful memories. We were a full-on Alpine family with three boys as campers (me, Rob and Jay) and a sister (Melissa) at Desoto. What a long trip it has been since my Hunter year in Crazy Horse cabin. I remember thinking back then that a month away from home was like a lifetime. Yet, I soon learned that the days were filled with so much activity that time always slipped by too fast. Probably one of the most valuable gifts from my years as a camper was all the friends I made. Having been both a 1st and 2nd termer, a Mohawk (only once) and a Cherokee, a Medicine Man one year and Chief the next, by the time I arrived at Ole Miss as freshman, I felt like I already knew the entire school. Always a highlight during those cold winter months, was Mr. Dick turning up on his annual recruiting tour to show us the year’s highlight reel. I imagine Kathmandu might be a little too far for him to travel? And slaughter ball may be the greatest game every invented. I still can’t believe there isn’t a pro league!

Personal Update
I got married about 10 years ago to Marcela Sandoval from Texas whom I met while working in Washington DC. We have 3 children: Zoey who is 7, and 5 year old twins Carter and Emma.

I’m working as a Diplomat for the United Nations and currently serving as the Representative to Nepal for the UN World Food Program. Oddly enough for a boy from the Mississippi Delta, I’ve become a high altitude climber and big mountain snowboarder so Nepal, which is home to 8 of the 14 highest mountains on earth, is Nirvana! Over the years, we’ve lived in China, Zambia, North Korea, Nepal, and the Philippines.

We had 4 inches of snow today on Lookout Mountain.  Check out this video of Bully snowboarding at the pool!  A new activity perhaps??  It was a great day.  Pictures coming soon.

Untitled from Alpine Camp on Vimeo.