FORT MCPHERSON, Ga. - Forrest Gump may believe life is like a box of chocolates, but women's accomplishments in history can be better compared to a box of cookies.
Girl Scout cookies, that is.
After all, the creator of the Girl Scouts of America and a Georgia native, Juliette Gordon Low has a story indicative of many characters in women's history ... she was an active participant in her life, and she made a difference.
Called Daisy by her Family and friends, Low was born Oct. 31, 1860, in Savannah to parents who were historical figures in their own right.
Family members on her father's side were early settlers in Georgia, and her mother's Family played an important role in founding Chicago.
Low developed what was to become a lifetime interest in the arts, an interest she would later share with millions.
She wrote poems, sketched, wrote and acted in plays and later became a skilled painter and sculptor.
She had many pets throughout her life and was particularly fond of exotic birds, Georgia mockingbirds and dogs.
Daisy was also known for her great sense of humor.
In her teens, Daisy attended boarding school at Virginia Female Institute in Staunton, Va., and later attended Mesdemoiselles Charbonniers, a French finishing school in New York City.
Following her school years, Low traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe, even after her marriage Dec. 21, 1886, to William Mackay Low, a wealthy Englishman.
In her youth, Low suffered from chronic ear infections and lost most of her hearing in one ear because of improper treatment.
At her wedding, she lost hearing in her other ear after a grain of good-luck rice thrown at the event lodged in her ear, puncturing the eardrum and resulting in an infection and total loss of hearing in that ear.
Yet she didn't let her disability limit her activities.
During the Spanish-American War, Low came back to America to aid in the war effort.
She helped her mother organize a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers returning from Cuba.
After the war, Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life.
Her search ended in 1911 when, in England, she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement.
Less than a year later, she returned to the United States and made a historic telephone call to a distant cousin, saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!"
On March 12, 1912, Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides.
Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member.
The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts the following year.
In developing the Girl Scout movement in the United States, Low brought girls of all backgrounds outdoors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness.
She encouraged girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional women and for active citizenship outside the home.
Girl Scouting welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were excluded from many other activities.
From the original 18 girls, the Girl Scouts has become the largest educational organization for girls in the world and has influenced the more than 50 million girls, women and men who have belonged to it.
Low maintained contact with overseas Girl Guides and Girl Scouts during World War I and helped lay the foundation for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
She died from breast cancer in 1927 and is buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah.
While Low's program has influenced millions of people, she isn't commonly known outside of the Scouts.
The theme for the 2010 Women's History Month observance is "Writing Women Back into History." I invite you to do your own research on women in history who have influenced you, whether through their activism, programs, inventions or other means.
(Editor's note: Biographical information on Juliette Gordon Low was extracted from the official Web site of the Girl Scouts of the USA)
Social Sharing