A few years ago when I started leading my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, I became curious about Juliette Gordon Low, “Daisy,” the woman who founded the Girl Scouts in the U.S.in 1912. I couldn’t find the books, articles or information I was looking for. Maybe she wasn’t that interesting? My reporter’s instinct kicked in and I researched her life, traveling to Savannah and New York to read her letters and papers.
She was fascinating, a woman ahead of her time. Daisy faced enormous challenges including becoming mostly deaf (one ear was damaged from a grain of rice thrown at her wedding!), a terrible marriage and difficulty deciding what to do with her life. What she did decide to do, start the Girl Scouts, has had a lasting impact on our lives and our country.
The book coming from my initial curiosity will be published in March, 2012, the 100th anniversary month of the founding of the Girl Scouts. It’s called On My Honor, and I hope you’ll read it.
09 January 2012