Summer campers reconnect many years later

Leah Lasley and Philip Shell were in the same “camp family” at Ferncliff Camp in 1979. They forgot all about that — and each other — until they had a reunion many years later.

They were about 10 years old, Leah from Little Rock and Philip from Conway, when they went to summer camp just outside Little Rock to swim, play games and do arts and crafts all day long. About 10 campers and two counselors — one male and one female — were assigned to each family. Boys and girls bunked in separate cabins overnight but were together all day for activities.

“I just remember her being there, this kid from Little Rock, which, to me, growing up in Conway, was a big city,” says Philip, who would start fifth grade that fall. “She was just kind of the snooty girl from the big city.”

Philip was nonplussed by the rustic campground, with its grandaddy long legs and lack of air conditioning.

“I just remember him being kind of a mama’s boy,” she says. “And he did not last all week.”

And that was that. “Needless to say, there were no sparks by the campfire,” he says.

Years would go by before they would even think about each other again.

Philip went through high school, graduated from Hendrix College and then married his college sweetheart, Hallie. Hallie died in 2002 from non-smoker’s lung cancer, just after their 10th anniversary.

A year or so later, Philip, who had two young sons, was checking the weather online when he came across an ad for Match.com. Online dating still seemed taboo to him, but he decided to throw caution to the wind and set up an account.

“All along, there was a person called ‘Clemsongalinar’ that the algorithms kept throwing out to ‘HappyPhil,’” he says.

Clemsongalinar was, of course, Leah. The handle is short for Clemson gal in Arkansas.

Leah was nervous about online dating, opting to not even upload a photo lest someone recognize her out and about in town.

“That was disconcerting because I lived by myself and you just have to be careful,” she says.

Leah and Philip both worked in the finance industry — Leah is an appraiser and Philip is a mortgage banker — and they had other common connections as well.

“I kind of like to play, ‘Do you know … ’” he says. “I know somebody from just about every town all across the state. We started talking about various places and somehow we started talking about Ferncliff Camp.”

Their first date was to a Junior League of Little Rock event.

“It was the pig party at the Little Rock Zoo,” Leah says. “He loved it, because he ran into all sorts of people he knew.”

Any first date jitters they might have felt evaporated during that social event.

“We had a really good first date at the pig party,” she says.

Philip’s sons, John and Rees, then ages 7 and 4, joined them on their next date.

“We went to her house and John brought flowers to her,” Philip says.

On a subsequent outing to Silver Dollar City, the boys were happy to introduce Leah as someone important.

“They said, ‘This is our best friend, Miss Leah, and we’re dating her,” Leah says. “I have to admit that was pretty sweet.”

Leah made a point of fostering a close relationship with the boys as she and Philip got more serious, and she became close with Philip’s extended family during that time as well. “They love her,” he says. In November 2003, Philip and Leah took a weekend trip to Eureka Springs. He had a ring and he was ready to surprise Leah with a proposal.

“She says I stared at her hand, when we were driving up to Eureka, for a fraction of a second longer than I should have and she knew what was happening,” Philip says. “It didn’t happen until a few hours later.”

Philip had been stealthy when he ventured to her parents’ home before their trip to ask for their blessing.

“I had to sneak around because Leah lived pretty close to her parents and I thought she was going to see my car over there and wonder what was going on,” he says. “But I think it wasn’t totally unexpected when we got engaged.”

She was thrilled when he popped the question over a quiet dinner.

They were married on May 1, 2004, at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. A reception followed at the Decorative Arts Museum.

Philip and Leah lived in Conway for a while after they married, and then moved to Little Rock, though Philip still works in Conway. Rees lives in Russellville and John is in Fayetteville.

Now empty nesters, Philip helps Leah with her annual vegetable garden at Two Rivers Park.

“She says that growing heirloom tomatoes is sort of her therapy,” says Philip, who toils away in spring and early summer so she can make that happen.

They are planning to take a Viking River Cruise later this year through Amsterdam, Germany and Switzerland, inspired by watching Downton Abbey.

“It hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns,” Philip says. “But, oh my gosh, Leah is very much my best friend.”

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(Special to the Democrat-Gazette) Leah Lasley and Philip Shell were married on May 1, 2004. They enjoy traveling together these days, but they had different ideas of vacation when they first met during summer camp at age 10. “I was just having the best time at camp because in my mind that was the ultimate summer experience,” Leah says. “Philip wanted to get home as quick as he could.”

(Special to the Democrat-Gazette) Philip and Leah Shell were pretty sure on their first date that they wanted to be together. “It was just like wearing your favorite sweater kind of deal, like you’re sitting in your favorite chair,” he says. “It just felt really comfortable. And that’s why it worked, and it works today.”