I know most of you know the general history of Health Camp. This thread is to catch some context around the history and have a discussion about a beloved Waco institution.
Beginnings
Health Camp was started by two brothers-in-law in 1948 as a mobile food truck at Connally Air Force Base (now TSTC).
The timing couldn't have been better for a food truck near Connally. The base was humming with activity as 1948 marked a pivotal year in military history - the newly independent U.S. Air Force had just split from the Army, and Waco Army Air Field was renamed Connally Air Force Base. The base's mission to train pilots and radar operators took on new urgency as Cold War tensions escalated, particularly during the Berlin Blockade. American airmen who trained at Connally became crucial to the massive airlift operation that kept the city supplied.
Jack Schaevitz and Lou Stein
Waco itself was riding the wave of post-war prosperity. The city's population moved toward 90,000 as veterans returned home, many using their GI Bill benefits to attend Baylor University, which saw enrollment increase to nearly 5,000 students.
The brothers weren't alone in seeing the opportunity in fast food. That same year, the McDonald brothers were streamlining their burger operation in San Bernardino, California, while Texas had just gotten its first taste of Dairy Queen in Austin.
The mobile food kitchen was interesting, as it looks like it is just a box on a motorcycle frame.
There are probably just a handful of Waco institutions that have continually existed since 1948. Off the top of my head:
Baylor University
Suspension Bridge
ALICO Building
St. Francis on the Brazos
Cemeteries: Oakwood, First Street
Cameron Park
George's Restaurant
Waco-Trib
Dr. Pepper Museum
The house where Elvis lived (had to look up the build date - 1924)
What other major ones are there?
On the Circle
Health Camp's success with their food truck led them to open a permanent spot on the Circle the next summer. This was back before I-35 existed, when all the traffic between Dallas and Austin went right past their front door. It turned out to be the perfect spot - catching both locals and travelers.
At the time, The Circle was in the suburbs and the area was mostly cotton fields. However, the Elite Cafe had opened just a few years before and was one of Health Camp's only neighbors.
The first building only had a window with a kitchen.
What About the Name - Health Camp?
In a twist of irony, Health Camp's name has nothing to do with health food or summer camp. The quirky name traces back to Youngstown, Ohio, where the father of one of the founding brothers ran a dairy. He would stamp his fresh eggs with the words "Health Camp."
If anyone runs a dairy or sells eggs and can explain what Health and Camp has to do with eggs, that would add alot to this story.
Through the Years
When Interstate 35 opened in the early 1960s, the steady stream of Dallas-to-Austin traffic no longer passed by Health Camp's front door. But by then, the restaurant had woven itself into Waco's cultural fabric.
The 1960s saw a constant flow of Baylor students making the short drive up to The Circle, piling into cars for late-night study breaks or weekend gatherings. The glow of Health Camp's neon sign served as a beacon, drawing them to the walk-up window where burgers, fries, and shakes could be had for less than a dollar combined. Those shakes the priciest items on the menu became the stuff of legend, and likely kept the register ringing for the owners.
When I arrived as a freshman in 1988, the dollar menu was long gone, but the tradition remained unchanged. Health Camp became a special spot for my girlfriend (now wife) and me, just as it had for countless couples before us.
The tradition continues to renew itself with each incoming Baylor class. My nieces and nephews discovered it in the 2000s and 2010s, carrying the torch for the next generation. Now my kids, including my recently graduated daughter and current junior, have made it their own. It's more than just a burger joint it's become a touchstone that connects the generations of our family, each of us sharing our own Health Camp memories across the decades.
Quirks
I remember a trash can that would say 'Thank You' when you put trash inside. When my children were little (2010 or so), I remember them laughing at that same trash can.
Those bathrooms though. They could not have changed since the 60's.
Does anyone know when they opened their interior part of the building?
Owner Jack Shaevitz loved the Homecoming Parade and attended nearly every year. The photos on the walls in the 80's were photos he personally took of the parade.
Jack worked 7 days at week at Health Camp for over 40 years until he retired and sold in 1989, marking the end of an era.
Health Camp: Continues
With Jack's retirement, Health Camp was sold to John David Tinsley with Sammy Citrano as manager. The two had reopened The Elite a few years before in 1986. Tinsley was a successful restauranteur and Health Camp stayed as a Tinsley family business until 2023. Deborah Tinsley Humphrey, who ran Health Camp for the last 10 years or so was his daughter.
Jack Schaevitz and Lou Stein
In 2023, Health Camp sold to another successful Waco restauranteur, Trent Neumann, who also owns Whizzbangs. I look forward to seeing how Trent retains the history while building upon it.
Health Camp has been in operation for over 75 years and has only had 3 sets of owners.
Oh No Tifani! Health Camp Burned Down
Taking a cue from SNL's Jack Handy who took his nephew to a burned out warehouse and told him that Disney had burned down, I remember I called my niece a few years after she graduated from Baylor and told her that Health Camp had burned down. It was such a major deal to her that she started crying. When I told her that I was joking and Health Camp was fine, she did not think it was as funny as I did.
I don't really know what made Tifani cry about Health Camp so easily. She was in her mid-20's with a job and paying her own way. She was a legitimate adult. But, it was clear that something about Health Camp had crept into her personal identity. I don't know if it is the place, or the feeling of being there, or it's association with The Baylor Experience, or a shared bond with her favorite aunt and uncle. But, something about the place was deeply significant for her and likely for most of us.
Sources:
Wacohistory.org
wacohealthcamp.com
Claude.ai
Beginnings
Health Camp was started by two brothers-in-law in 1948 as a mobile food truck at Connally Air Force Base (now TSTC).
The timing couldn't have been better for a food truck near Connally. The base was humming with activity as 1948 marked a pivotal year in military history - the newly independent U.S. Air Force had just split from the Army, and Waco Army Air Field was renamed Connally Air Force Base. The base's mission to train pilots and radar operators took on new urgency as Cold War tensions escalated, particularly during the Berlin Blockade. American airmen who trained at Connally became crucial to the massive airlift operation that kept the city supplied.
Jack Schaevitz and Lou Stein
Waco itself was riding the wave of post-war prosperity. The city's population moved toward 90,000 as veterans returned home, many using their GI Bill benefits to attend Baylor University, which saw enrollment increase to nearly 5,000 students.
The brothers weren't alone in seeing the opportunity in fast food. That same year, the McDonald brothers were streamlining their burger operation in San Bernardino, California, while Texas had just gotten its first taste of Dairy Queen in Austin.
The mobile food kitchen was interesting, as it looks like it is just a box on a motorcycle frame.
There are probably just a handful of Waco institutions that have continually existed since 1948. Off the top of my head:
Baylor University
Suspension Bridge
ALICO Building
St. Francis on the Brazos
Cemeteries: Oakwood, First Street
Cameron Park
George's Restaurant
Waco-Trib
Dr. Pepper Museum
The house where Elvis lived (had to look up the build date - 1924)
What other major ones are there?
On the Circle
Health Camp's success with their food truck led them to open a permanent spot on the Circle the next summer. This was back before I-35 existed, when all the traffic between Dallas and Austin went right past their front door. It turned out to be the perfect spot - catching both locals and travelers.
At the time, The Circle was in the suburbs and the area was mostly cotton fields. However, the Elite Cafe had opened just a few years before and was one of Health Camp's only neighbors.
The first building only had a window with a kitchen.
What About the Name - Health Camp?
In a twist of irony, Health Camp's name has nothing to do with health food or summer camp. The quirky name traces back to Youngstown, Ohio, where the father of one of the founding brothers ran a dairy. He would stamp his fresh eggs with the words "Health Camp."
If anyone runs a dairy or sells eggs and can explain what Health and Camp has to do with eggs, that would add alot to this story.
Through the Years
When Interstate 35 opened in the early 1960s, the steady stream of Dallas-to-Austin traffic no longer passed by Health Camp's front door. But by then, the restaurant had woven itself into Waco's cultural fabric.
The 1960s saw a constant flow of Baylor students making the short drive up to The Circle, piling into cars for late-night study breaks or weekend gatherings. The glow of Health Camp's neon sign served as a beacon, drawing them to the walk-up window where burgers, fries, and shakes could be had for less than a dollar combined. Those shakes the priciest items on the menu became the stuff of legend, and likely kept the register ringing for the owners.
When I arrived as a freshman in 1988, the dollar menu was long gone, but the tradition remained unchanged. Health Camp became a special spot for my girlfriend (now wife) and me, just as it had for countless couples before us.
The tradition continues to renew itself with each incoming Baylor class. My nieces and nephews discovered it in the 2000s and 2010s, carrying the torch for the next generation. Now my kids, including my recently graduated daughter and current junior, have made it their own. It's more than just a burger joint it's become a touchstone that connects the generations of our family, each of us sharing our own Health Camp memories across the decades.
Quirks
I remember a trash can that would say 'Thank You' when you put trash inside. When my children were little (2010 or so), I remember them laughing at that same trash can.
Those bathrooms though. They could not have changed since the 60's.
Does anyone know when they opened their interior part of the building?
Owner Jack Shaevitz loved the Homecoming Parade and attended nearly every year. The photos on the walls in the 80's were photos he personally took of the parade.
Jack worked 7 days at week at Health Camp for over 40 years until he retired and sold in 1989, marking the end of an era.
Health Camp: Continues
With Jack's retirement, Health Camp was sold to John David Tinsley with Sammy Citrano as manager. The two had reopened The Elite a few years before in 1986. Tinsley was a successful restauranteur and Health Camp stayed as a Tinsley family business until 2023. Deborah Tinsley Humphrey, who ran Health Camp for the last 10 years or so was his daughter.
Jack Schaevitz and Lou Stein
In 2023, Health Camp sold to another successful Waco restauranteur, Trent Neumann, who also owns Whizzbangs. I look forward to seeing how Trent retains the history while building upon it.
Health Camp has been in operation for over 75 years and has only had 3 sets of owners.
Oh No Tifani! Health Camp Burned Down
Taking a cue from SNL's Jack Handy who took his nephew to a burned out warehouse and told him that Disney had burned down, I remember I called my niece a few years after she graduated from Baylor and told her that Health Camp had burned down. It was such a major deal to her that she started crying. When I told her that I was joking and Health Camp was fine, she did not think it was as funny as I did.
I don't really know what made Tifani cry about Health Camp so easily. She was in her mid-20's with a job and paying her own way. She was a legitimate adult. But, it was clear that something about Health Camp had crept into her personal identity. I don't know if it is the place, or the feeling of being there, or it's association with The Baylor Experience, or a shared bond with her favorite aunt and uncle. But, something about the place was deeply significant for her and likely for most of us.
Sources:
Wacohistory.org
wacohealthcamp.com
Claude.ai
