Linda Wilkinson has lived along the First Coast for her entire life and has always loved it. A former director for ROCK camp, an avid reader and a beach lover, she’s happy in her Ponte Vedra beachside home.
Where are you originally from?
Jacksonville. I was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital and raised in Riverside.
How did you get to the Beaches?
My husbands family had a summer place in Neptune Beach that they built in 1932. I always wanted to end up out here.
How did you get to Ponte Vedra?
We lived in Neptune Beach for awhile then Jacksonville Beach for 15 or 16 years. I moved to Ponte Vedra in 1995.
What does ROCK camp stand for?
Reaching out to cancer kids.
How did you get involved?
I was a pediatric oncology social worker and worked at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital and Nemours. The camp was started in 1976 by a doctor from UF for children with cancer. I started at Nemours in 1977 and people would say you ought to send [the kids in the clinic] to camp.
How did you end up as camp director?
I didn’t like sending kids to a camp I had never been to so in 1982 I went to see what it was like.
How long did you participate in ROCK camp?
In 1998 I retired from ROCK camp. It [Rock camp] was a wonderful experience and the happiest week of my whole year.
What was your favorite thing about the camp?
The kids and the fact that you knew them in a clinic setting and went through a great deal with them, but you got to see them in a whole different light.
What are some of your favorite memories?
Kids leaving their wigs in the cabins. Also when we were at the Lake Wales camp, which was a camp for visually handicapped kids, there were peacocks all over the camp. Our kids weren’t visually impaired and by the end of the week those peacocks had ratty looking tails!
What were some of the challenges of ROCK camp?
Trying to find activities that were interesting for six and seven year olds that were also good for the 14 and 15 year olds. It was a constant battle to vamp and revamp each summer.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Donald Duck. He runs a close race with Mickey Mouse.
What is your greatest achievement?
I’ve never been prouder than when I finished the River Run.
What are your hobbies?
I love music and I read constantly.
sara kaufman/the recorder
