The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-11-02
Troop No. )

at that time my Boss Lady" de-
cided something must be done to
revive Girl Scouting in Key
West. A wonderful idea /
thought until she brought a
group Of about twenty girls and
! informed me it was my Troop. /
managed to gasp, I know some
thing about Girl Scouts" Pro-
missing to get me an assistant she
left. i looked at the girls and
how they looked at me. Sure
was looking like a mighty black
day for Girl Scouting when a
ray of sunshine came our way
! in the person of my promised
assistant, Mrs. Lee Thompson.
You know about Girl Scouts,
so you be the Leader, l told her.
Wearing a very startled look she
started to go away from there.
The girls decided they liked her
and helped me fence her in.
Seems she knew as much about
Scouting as | did had brought
her daughter over to join a Girl
Scout Troop and look what hap
pened to her. parents take
warning.) Promising her she
would not have to be Leader and
discovering the girls knew moth
ing about Scouting SO we could
all start even, we borrowed a
twenty year old Girl Scout Hand
Book from Wesley House and
Troop Five was born.
We had our growing pains but,
in Leaders Training they tell US
that if we use our books we
would not have to take training
and we sure used ours. We
worked on Badges, liked, went
camping, had cookouts and
swimming parties. We sent for
books on Policy and Leadership
and anything else we could get
our hands on, and Troop Five
grew.
Our first meeting place was at
the Presbyterian Church Sunday
School room. When they needed
that for a day school we moved
to Wesley House where we stay
ed until they moved the building
for new construction. The Con-
gregational Church kindly Of
fered US the. use of their Service
Center and as the majority OF
our girls were from that side of
town it was very handy for US.
By this move we also gained
sponsor. We have prided our
selves always on taking care of
our meeting room, leaving 1t
clean and in good order. Troop
Five girls have always been not
ed for their good conduct, sense
of Civic duty and pride in their
Troop.
After the first two years Mrs.
Thompson was persuaded to be
the Troop Leader with myself as
Co-Leader. A wonderful arrange
ment it was until illness in her
family forced Mrs, Thompson to
resign from active participation
Ia Scouting. Again was Leader:
Since then we have had mar
velous, talented Co-Leaders. Ami
ira Hartenstine, Randy Cooper,
Janet Daniels, Patricia Robinson
all helped, but none with Mrs.
Thompson's staying power.
We have been sponsored by
the JayShees and The Business
and Professional Women's Club.
This coming year we will be
sponsored by The Congregational
Church Sunday School. Spon-
sors, like Co-Leaders have been
few and far between, but, like
Old Man River, Troop Five JUST
keeps on rolling along. Too much
credit cannot be given the girls
in the Troop, who even when
they had outgrown our program
stayed on TO help with the
younger girls coming up. With
that kind Of spirit how could we
fail? So many girls have helped
that it would be impossible to
start listing names.
This past year we have had a
Troop Committee that has really
shown an interest, not only in our
Troop. but in helping Girl
Scouts. They are Mrs. Joseph Bo-
"a, Mrs. Wilhelmina Harvey,
Judge Eva Gibson and our first
Co-Leader, Mrs. Lee Thompson,
whose daughter, Elsie, one of our
first. First Glass Scouts, worked
with the Troop this past year as
Junior Assistant. We know
when a few more of our glrls
grow little older we are going
to have some wonderful Scout
Leaders in Key West.
Mrs. Bert Skinner kept the
Troop under control this SUM
mer< while was away taking
Leaders Training and things are
really looking fine for Troop
Five now as we are being as
sisted by Mrs. Gerald Saunders
andi another Junior Helper,