Juliette Gordon Low
Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon-Low founded the Girls Scouts of America. The founder of Scouting, Robert Baden-Powell and his wife were Mrs. Gordon’s close acquaintances (Aller 5). On her estate as Glenlyon, Scotland, Mrs. Low set up a group of Girl Guides. She instituted an organization of young girls in 1912 upon her return to Georgia. The following year, the organization adopted the name Girl Scouts. Three years following its institution, the organization was incorporated. Washington, D.C. is home to its headquarters. Mrs. Low was recognized as the organization’s president for eight years. She assumed the title of Founder in the year 1920 (Aller 112).
Born on the 31st day of October in 1860, she is the second child of William Washington Gordon II and Eleanor Lytle Kinzie (Aller 7). The nickname Daisy was given to her by her uncle (Aller 6). From that time on, she was better known by that name than by her given name.
At around the age of 25, she contracted an ear infection (Women in History). A silver nitrate was intended to treat the infection but it caused her to be partially deaf instead. She was born in Savannah, Georgia, the daughter of a general. Daisy was wed to a rich British heir by the name William M. Low. In the course of their wedding ceremony, her good ear was stuck by a grain of rice that caused an infection. The physician’s attempt to remove the grain caused damage to her nerves and resulted in total deafness. The couple lived in England, Scotland, and the United States (Women in History).
Mrs. Low was already in her fifties when she started working to establish the organization which gained her a niche in history (National Women’s Hall of Fame). The Girl Scouts of the USA developed to be the largest voluntary organization of women and girls in America. Mrs. Low dedicated fifteen years of her life to this cause. She enlisted family members and friends to the organization and traveled extensively with the intention to recruit prospective leaders and members alike. It was her who drafted the set of laws which govern the organization. The composition of the first handbook in 1913 was done under her supervision. The financial needs of the organization during its formative years were largely shouldered by Mrs. Low (National Women’s Hall of Fame). The organization will forever be indebted to the lady who personified a unique combination of traits and resources.
Mrs. Low’s determination, generosity, and vision enabled a large number of young girls to grow up as honorable citizens of the world (Women in History). At a time when girls with disabilities were generally excluded from several activities, GSUA stood up as an exception. This approach appeared to be quite natural for the lady who never allowed her disability to serve as a hindrance in the fulfillment of her mission in life. She exaggerated her deafness and proved it useful as a pretense of not hearing her friends refuse commitments to serve the organization (National Women’s Hall of Fame). Even while she joked about her disability and never allowed it to hinder her daily activities, her deafness nonetheless brought her frustration and was a factor in her series of depression and melancholia (book #).
She was diagnosed with cancer in 1923 (Women in History). Daisy busied herself with concerns of the organization. She kept the illness a secret for as long as she can. She succumbed to death on the 17th day of January 1927, all of 66 (Cadorette 75). The lady who was not only the first but the best Girl Scout of them all was laid to rest clothed in a uniform which represents the organization she instituted that remains to be an agent of change in the world until this day.
Works Cited
Aller, Susan Bivin. Juliette Low. Minnesota: Lerner Publications, 2007.
Cadorette, Merana. Gates of Savannah. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2007.
“Juliette Gordon Low.” 2009. National Women’s Hall of Fame. 27 February 2009
<http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=100>.
“Juliette Gordon Low biography.” Women in History. 27 February 2009
<http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/low-jul.htm>.
