Brief History of
HYE CAMP

Hye Camp has hosted thousands of Armenian youths within the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America in the past 60 years.   

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The first Hye Camp took place for the first time in Dinkey Creek in 1964 with only 32 participants, followed by a few years in Frazier Park. For the following two decades camp was held at Camp Sugar Pine, with the exception of the mid to late '80's where camp sites moved around, until our Diocese purchased our own camp in 1987 in Dunlap, CA. Today, Hye Camp hosts up to 480 campers and 200 staff over the course of four weeks every summer.

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The summer camp program originated and formed under the brief direction of Archbishop Torkom Manoogian from its inception in 1963 to 1966.  From 1967 to 1970, Bishop Elisha Simonian was the Primate of the Diocese, and the Director and Spiritual Advisor of the camp program. Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian was elected Primate of our Diocese in 1971, and then took over as the Director of the Armenian Summer Camp program.  In 2003, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian was elected as the Primate, and since that time has been the Director and Spiritual Advisor of the camp. 

During Surpazan Vatche's tenure, he was very instrumental and involved in all aspects of camp.  Even after his retirement, he still enjoyed coming up to camp during the summer months while it was in session.  In 2013 the camp site was named Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian Camp.

As written in the 25th Anniversary Hye Life, in Mark 4:30-32: Again, he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”  We often speak of a small acorn growing into a giant oak tree; such comparisons truly describe our beloved Hye Camp.

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