In 1960 the census of Mapleton Beach, Geneva-on-the-Lake, included a Mr. Adolf Haefely, a Swiss immigrant.
Born in Schoenenwerd, known for its large shoe factory, Haefely came to GOTL in 1938 to work in the resort. He married a Cleveland woman of Swiss descent in 1945 and they had two daughters, Susan and Heidi.
Travel was Haefely’s pastime, and he documented his travels with photos and movies. He had thousands of color slides and prints, and 40,000 feet of motion picture film. He frequently made trips to Switzerland, where he toured the country with his motion pictures of the United States. It was common for traveling cinematographers to share their films in motion picture houses on Sunday afternoons.
An avid skier, he also was vice president of the Swiss-American Gymnastic Association. The first two winters he lived in Geneva, he skied to church services.
One room of his Mapleton Beach house was dedicated to his Swiss heritage and included family heirloom furniture, including a table with an inlaid slate top. The table was used by his father and friends when they played poker; they could write the score on the slate and then wipe it off at the end of the evening.
Haefely managed the Swiss Chalet from 1947 until moving to Florida in 1972. His widow, Millie, is still alive as of Feb. 2, 2016, and living in Apopka, Fla.