Orton P. Camp, Jr., Bethany
The Preservationist
Orton P. Camp, Jr. had a great affection for Waterbury’s history. He quietly did a lot for the city.
He loved the city’s stories, which he first learned growing up in the house his grandparents built in the Hillside neighborhood. A student of history, he enjoyed sharing his knowledge of Waterbury’s people and places. He was a proud keeper of the city’s industrial heritage, having served on the board of Platt Brothers Co., the business his family started more than 200 years ago.
“I don’t know many people who know as much as he did about the city of Waterbury,” said his sister, Nancy Camp. “You could go for a ride with him, and he could tell you who lived in each house.”
He was also the foremost champion of the city’s collector and interpreter of history, the Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center. He served on the museum council for many years and stayed closely involved even after his terms of service ended. Julie Keggi, who served with him, said it would be difficult to overstate his contributions to the institution.
“The museum would not be here today without Orton Camp,” she said.
His legacy includes the museum’s current home, designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli. During the 1980s, he headed the capital campaign to raise funds for the new building and later led the building committee. Mrs. Keggi remembers his leadership during those years, noting how his love of architecture and his belief that the museum’s new building must be of the highest quality, guided the project.
“In order to be responsible to the collection, you had to get better quarters, and he did everything in his power to make it happen,” she said. “Waterbury’s had a huge history of wonderful architecture and he was very aware of that. Orton was just devoted to Waterbury and the museum and trying to make it the best possible place.”
Though the museum was a favorite beneficiary, Camp gave his funds and his time to many Waterbury institutions. He served as president of the Community Foundation from 1975 to 1977 and also served on the board of the Y.M.C.A., the Visiting Nurse Association, Waterbury Hospital, the United Way, Taft School, Riverside Cemetery, and what was then St. Margaret’s-McTernan School, with which his mother, Miriam, was closely connected.
The unrestricted fund he established by bequest at the Connecticut Community Foundation will continue to be his legacy of giving forever.
