Lee and Jan Lyon
Class of 2005
In July 2005, Lee and Jan Lyon became the first two inductees into the Camp Shi’ini Hall of Fame. The Lyons owned Camp Shi’ini from 1969 through 1990. During their tenure, Camp Shi’ini doubled in size. Only the Navajo, Apache, and Blackfoot tribes existed when Lee and Jan took over the camp. Over the course of the next two decades, the Lyons would introduce the Kickapoo, Comanche, and Mohawk tribes. Moreover, the Lyons replaced the old-style station wagons with modern 15-passenger vans. The Lyons also made many of the camp’s activities (such as archery, horseback riding, hiking, and crafts) into the modern success that they are today. But their legacy goes beyond traditional camp activities. The Lyons taught the campers to be honest, to play fair, and to enjoy some “good old-fashioned fun.” They worked day in and day out to make Camp Shi'ini an exciting adventure camp for kids. Lee and Jan loved Camp Shi’ini, and Camp Shi’ini still loves them!

Gene and Nancy Koester
Class of 2006
Gene and Nancy Koester joined the Camp Shi’ini Hall of Fame in July 2006. The Koesters owned Camp Shi’ini from 1991 through 2002. During their ownership, Camp Shi’ini continued to grow in popularity; and as school principals, Gene and Nancy were able to draw from a diverse assortment of children. Under the Koesters’ tenure, Camp Shi’ini took on a more casual, family-run atmosphere. The Koesters were the first to assign junior counselors to every tribe. Their daughters, Jessica and Natalie, were the first to pave the way for dozens to follow. Gene and Nancy also pioneered a robust sports program that included baseball, soccer, and swim competitions. Much like their predecessors, the Koesters’ legacy goes far beyond actual camp activities. Gene and Nancy became icons at Camp Shi’ini, and to this day remain two of the charismatic individuals to have ever been associated with the organization.

Natalie Mosley
Class of 2007
In 2007, Natalie Mosley [Koester] became the fifth inductee into the Camp Shi’ini Hall of Fame. As the younger daughter of Gene and Nancy Koester, the majority of Natalie’s tenure at the camp overlapped with her parents’ ownership. Natalie was the first junior counselor to receive the “call to the Hall of Fame.” For over a decade, Natalie was the premier junior counselor at the camp, and she has cemented her legacy as the most popular junior counselor of all time! Natalie singlehandedly transformed the role of a junior counselor from a behind-the-scenes assistant to a forefront leader at the camp. She paved the way for many of the young men and women that have followed in her footsteps. In 2003, Natalie became the very first counselor to ever be “taken hostage” by Shish-Boom-Rah. In 2007, she returned to the camp for one final year as a senior counselor, at which point she was voted the Co-Counselor of the Year.

Liz Deurmeier
Class of 2007
Since her arrival in 1996, Liz Deurmeier has been a staple at Camp Shi’ini. Her 15 years as a senior counselor at Camp Shi’ini is longer than any active streak at the camp. Liz is the “conscious” of Camp Shi’ini. Throughout her camp career, nobody has come close to her degree of professionalism and passion for the camp. Her leadership has stood the test of time throughout both the Koester and Kazanjian eras. In 2003, Liz was voted the Senior Counselor of the Year, and became the first person to ever take home the coveted trophy. The following year, she won the Senior Counselor of the Year again, and became the first person to ever win back-to-back summers. In 2008, Liz was promoted from senior counselor to executive counselor, and currently directly manages one-third of the Camp Shi’ini staff. In 2009, the ruthless Ma Parker seized control of the camp from the Kazanjians, and fiendishly attempted to un-induct Liz from the Hall of Fame. But luckily, the Kazanjians took back control of the camp from Ma Parker, just in time to preserve Liz’s legacy and prevent her from being ousted from the elite club. To this day, Liz Deurmeier is the only active camp counselor in the Camp Shi’ini Hall of Fame!

Shish-Boom-Rah
Class of 2007
Throughout the 63-year history of Camp Shi’ini, no character has had a more dynamic impact than the incomparable Shish-Boom-Rah. In 2003, the villain remerged when the campers took it upon themselves to seek the location of his personal treasure. Shish-Boom-Rah returned once more in 2004, when he attempted to create a replica of the Fountain of Youth to raise the Army of the Zuni. But once again, the campers foiled his plan by destroying the Diamond of Life. In 2005, Shish-Boom-Rah joined forces with the Scorpion and tried to bring about a second Ice Age so he could bring down the Eskimo Legion and re-conquer the West. When that failed, the fiend returned in 2006, and attempted to cause a second Black Plague by melting down the cured gold of El Dorado and pouring it into the Navajo River. But once again, the campers foiled his devious plan! Then in 2007, Shish-Boom-Rah manipulated Camp Shi’ini into splitting in two while he sought the mythical Godseye – the key to the Underworld capable of releasing the ominous Thunderbird. Luckily, the two halves of the camp rejoined just in time and defeated the villain once again. However in 2008, the unimaginable happened when Shish-Boom-Rah actually turned good and saved Camp Shi’ini from the vile Thunderbird. What an epic moment it was when the former villain and the campers finally made peace! But at the end of Summer 2009, the epic hero was betrayed by his longtime companion, Don Diego, and was captured by the notorious Colonel Thomas Soyer. To this day, Shish-Boom-Rah remains imprisoned by the arch villain, hoping and praying that the Camp Shi’ini campers will somehow find and rescue him!

Suzann Magrdichian
Class of 2009
From her humble beginnings as a camper, to her position as a part-time lifeguard, Suzann Magrdichian evolved into one of the most decorated counselors in the camp’s rich history. In 2004, this former camper was promoted to the position of senior counselor, and from there, she never looked back. By the end of her first summer as a counselor, Suzann has established herself as the “Diva of Camp Shi’ini.” Her assertive leadership and positive attitude helped propel her to legendary status amongst the campers. Perhaps Suzann’s most defining moment was her epic rendition of My Heart Will Go On — which she sung as Reilly Dinius serenaded Erin the Eskimo Queen while under the influence of Dr. Fogerdy’s Love Potion #9. Undoubtedly the strongest testament to Suzann’s epic status is that her popularity soared in a time when many counselors had treasure hunt roles to fall back on. Suzann never had any special powers, never wore a costume, never wielded a weapon, never battled a villain, and never had any glorious moment where she saved the camp from some type of unimaginable peril. Yet she willed herself into a larger-than-life diva that rose above just about every other counselor around her. Suzann Magrdichian retired from Camp Shi’ini on August 1, 2008. On that same day, she achieved her six-year dream and was voted the 2008 Senior Counselor of the Year by a landslide!

Danny Buckley
Class of 2009
Danny Buckley attended Camp Shi’ini in the mid-1990s as a camper, and returned as a junior counselor in 2004. Throughout the next half-decade, Danny would emerge as the single most dynamic junior counselor of the 2000s. In only his rookie year alone, Danny was voted Co-Junior Counselor of the Year. That same summer, he had worked with the youngest tribe while suffering from a broken arm. The legend of Danny Buckley only grew from there, as he would be featured in almost all of the major treasure hunt storylines over the course of the next four summers. In 2005, Danny Buckley had his most celebrated role, by taking on the burden of the Scorpion’s amulet ... an ancient medallion that if were to fall back into the hands of the sinister villain, could result in a Second Ice Age! Danny went on to destroy the amulet atop Camel’s Hump and thus defeated the Scorpion – only to later be injected with venom and become a second personification of the mighty warrior in 2007. To this day, Danny still holds the record for most major treasure hunt scenes by a junior counselor – more than either representation of Rah-Boom-Shish or Eskimo Queen. Danny Buckley became the ninth inductee into the Hall of Fame in 2009, and remains an inspiration to campers and counselors alike.