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Health & Fitness

Memories of Girl Scouts Troop 35

How Girl Scouts enhanced one Alameda girl's life, starting in 1962.

 

I was a member of Girl Scouts of America Troop 35 at Paden School on the Island. I joined as a Brownie in the second grade in 1962.

To an overprotected girl with too many fears and no sense of adventure, girl scouting’s grand array of possibilities was intimidating at first.

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I learned that we would sell calendars and cookies, camp and earn badges. We’d learn crafts, go to meetings and form patrols within our troop. We would learn songs, march in parades, perform skits and hold Mother’s Day teas.

Whatever guidance or general encouragement that was missing at my home or in school, I found with Girl Scouts. Because I already knew knitting and embroidery, I was able to excel at those crafts and show other girls how. Through cookie and calendar sales, I had to get over some shyness, learn to add figures in my head and make change. Camping taught me that planning was more important than anything else and the true meaning of “be prepared.” Being elected a patrol leader showed me how to work cooperatively with others.

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As a Girl Scout, I learned to aspire, set goals and strive. Earning badges was just part of it. I saw myself gain confidence and occasionally, reach for the stars. I found myself defending a girl who was being teased and I even stood up for myself once in a while.

Our troop leader was Dorothy Jacklin, mom to my classmate Nora. Mrs. Jacklin’s camp name was “Kanga,” (her youngest child, Buddy, was “Roo”). Sometimes she convened our after school meetings on her bed while she applied makeup and did up her hair for her evening shift as a waitress. We loved seeing our beloved troop leader transform from a standard mom to a glamour queen while we discussed our next cookie drive or camping trip.

Troop 35 was a true reflection of our West End community. Some girls had every available Girl Scout item – from official socks to a lunchbox – while a few relied on the quiet generosity of the Jacklin family for their basic uniform and hat. Our troop included girls from Navy and civilian families, girls with and without disabilities and at least one girl from every ethnic group at Paden School.

I drifted away from scouting when the flag waving and parade marching seemed at odds with my family’s opposition to the war in Vietnam. I left too soon to take advantage of the “girl power” message that was soon to come in the late sixties.

Now, just from reading Girl Scout cookie boxes, I know that teaching empowerment and self respect are a significant part of Girl Scout culture and I’m glad for today’s girls.

I saw on Alameda Patch that the centennial of Girl Scouting will be commemorated at South Shore Center on March 12. I hope it will be a reunion for former Girl Scouts as well as a celebration for current scouts. It sounds like fun and I plan to be there!

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