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Notable alumnae

Since 1912, nearly 50 million women in the United States have been members of Girl Scouting. It's no surprise, then, that many of those young girls went on to become accomplished professionals in a variety of fields. Girl Scouting lays the foundation for a solid future. Girls are offered a splendid opportunity to develop their leadership abilities, polish their problem-solving and critical thinking skills and learn how to function as team players.

Many women who are leaders in their fields credit Girl Scouting with helping them build the set of skills that paved their road to success. In fact, Girl Scouts USA commissioned Louis Harris and Associates to see if there was a link between Girl Scout membership and later career achievements. Using Who's Who in American Women as a source, 473 women were surveyed. Of that number, 64 percent said that they had belonged to the Girl Scouts. Today, these women are distinguished professionals, representing such fields as medicine, law, journalism, education, science, politics and finance.

Below is a small sampling of notable former Girl Scouts:

Eloise Morris Wright

Marietta resident, Eloise Morris Wright, turned 100 years old this year (2009). Mrs. Wright has recently been recognized by her church and community for the impact she made and the history she witnessed, organized and created in her many years as a community activist. She was among the first female graduates of Morris Brown College in 1928 and never lost her quest for education. During her lifetime, Wright has not only paved the road for the creation of the Cobb branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), but she also organized the city's first black Girl Scout troop.

On Girl Scout Sunday, March 8, 2009, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta History/Archives Committee Chair Linda Bishop and staff member Kathy Ray went to honor Mrs. Wright bearing gifts of her favorite Girl Scout Cookies, Thin Mints, a special letter from the CEO, Marilyn Midyette and a bunch of daisies. During their time together, Mrs. Wright shared many memories of the early days of the troops' formation and experiences. Mrs. Wright's daughter, Joy Holladay, was also present. As the guests were leaving Joy said, “everything I am is because of my mother.” She was reminded, “everything that every Girl Scout is today is because of women like Mrs. Eloise Morris Wright.”

Val Ackerman
President of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She serves on the Board of USA Basketball and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson was born Feb. 27, 1897 in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of six, she sang in the Union Baptist Church Choir and members of the church gave a benefit concert to raise money for Marian to take private lessons. When she was nineteen, she began studying with Giuseppe Boghetti. In 1925, Boghetti helped her enter a contest in which she competed with 300 singers for the Lewisohn Stadium Concert Award. The prize was an opportunity to perform with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. She won the contest and sang with the Orchestra Aug. 26, 1925. Afterwards she received a Rosenwald Foundation Fellowship and had the opportunity to go to England and Germany. She gave concerts throughout Europe and received rave reviews and accolades for all 116 of her performances.

In 1939, she wsa refused the opportunity to give a concert in the Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. because she was African American. Eleanor Roosevelt, was outraged at the prejudice shown, helped arrange for Anderson to give a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Anderson performed in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln for an audience of 75,000 people. She began the concert by singing "America." From this time on, Anderson refused to sing in an venue that was segregated. In 1943, a mural was unveiled on the wall of the Department of the Interior building depicting the Lincoln Memorial concert.

In 1941, Anderson received the Bok Award from the city of Philadelphia, given to the citizen of which it is the most proud. She was the first African American to receive the award. The $10,000 award was used to establish the Marian Anderson Scholarship Fund for music students of all races. In 1943, Anderson married Orpheus Fisher, an architect, who designed their home in Danbury, Connecticut named "Marrianna Farm."

On Jan. 7, 1955, Anderson performed with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York as Ulrica, the Gypsy fortune-teller, in Verdi's opera "The Masked Ball." With this appearance, she became the first African-American to sing an important role at the Metropolitan Opera as a regular company member. In 1956 Anderson made a farewell tour throughout America and Europe. In 1957, she toured twelve Asian nations on behalf of the U.S. State Department. In 1958, she was named to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. In 1986, Anderson received the National Medal of Arts. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. In 1991, she appeared at the dedication of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children's pediatric sickle-cell anemia clinic and research center, which is named in her honor. Marian Anderson died in 1993 at the age of ninety-six.

Martha W. Barnett
Partner in the global law firm of Holland & Knight LLP in Tallahassee, FL. She was the second female president of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the first woman to chair the ABA's policy making House of Delegates.

Elizabeth Dole
Formerly President, American Red Cross and the former Secretary of Transportation. She served six years as a member of the Federal Trade Commission; two years as Assistant to President Reagan for Public Liaison; and was elected to the United States Senate to serve the people of North Carolina in 2002.

Dorothy Hamill

Dorothy Hamill was born in Chicago, Illinois, but her parents soon moved to Riverside, Connecticut, where she began skating at the age of eight on a pond behind her grandparents' home. Frustrated when she was unable to keep up with her older sister on the ice, Dorothy asked her parents for skating lessons and soon discovered her life's passion. She spent every possible moment on the ice and by age 11 was entering and winning figure skating competitions in New York City.

At 13, Dorothy was spending her weeks in New York City, working with coach Gus Lussi at Lake Placid, and traveling to competitions around the country. In 1969 she won the National Novice title and took home a silver medal from the Junior Nationals the following year. One year later she was competing as an adult and reached the top five in the National Championships. By 1973 she had reached second place in U.S. National competition and number four in the World Championships. She won her first U.S. Championship in 1974, and successfully defended the title for the two following seasons.

At age 19 Dorothy won a triple crown, snagging both the U.S. and World Championships and winning the Gold Medal in the 1976 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria. After her triumph in the Olympics and at the World Championships, she relinquished her amateur status, and went professional, undertaking a grueling touring schedule with the Ice Capades. She remained with the Ice Capades for eight years, and also appeared in a series of popular television specials with film and music stars Gene Kelly, Perry Como and Andy Williams and a televised production of Romeo and Juliet on Ice. She also toured in Nutcracker on Ice and with the show Stars on Ice. She continued to participate in professional competition, winning the World Professional Championship for five years running, from 1983 to 1987.

Dorothy Hamill was inducted in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1991. Dorothy's charity work has included the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the International Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, and AIDS research foundations, and teaching blind children to skate through the March of Dimes.

Judge Glenda Hatchett
Hosts Judge Hatchett, a syndicated daily television show that is a diverse mix of family court, juvenile court and unusual small claims cases. This show's trademark is their on-location "intervention" segments.

Tamara Jernigan, NASA Astronaut:
"One thing Girl Scouting did for me was encourage my natural curiosity. They foster that curiosity, they give you the opportunity to learn about new things and all that goes into reinforcing the natural instinct to learn about the world around you."

Gladys Kamakakuokalani
Well-known Hawaiian educator and community leader. She was appointed `Ainoa Brandt by the Governor of Hawaii as Trustee, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Regent, University of Hawaii. She also serves as Advisory Council to the President of Kamehameha Schools.

Nancy Lopez

Lopez started playing golf at the age of 8 under the guidance of her father, Domingo. Lopez was only 12 when she won the New Mexico Women's Amateur and in the following years she won the USGA Junior Girls Championship twice (1972 and 1974). She won the Western Junior three times and the Mexican Amateur in 1975. Also in 1975, Lopez entered the U.S. Women's Open as an amateur and finished in a tie for second. The next year, she claimed the AIAW National Championship and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. Lopez was a 1976 All-American and Tulsa University Female Athlete of the Year. She turned professional after her sophomore year at Tulsa.

In 1978, her rookie year, Lopez won nine tournaments, including a record-setting five in a row. In 1978 she was named the Rolex Rookie of the Year, Rolex Player of the Year and earned the Vare Trophy. In 1979, she captured eight tournament victories and was awarded Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors. In 1985, Lopez won the Rolex Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy Award for the third time in her career. 1987 was highlighted by her 35th career victory at the Sarasota Classic (the same event in which she claimed her first career win in 1978), which qualified her for the LPGA's Hall of Fame. She was inducted on July 20, 1987 as the 11th member.

In 1997 Lopez won her 48th career title and also finished second in the U.S. Women's Open Championship after firing rounds of 69-68-69-69. She is the first woman in U.S. Women's Open history to shoot four rounds in the 60s, yet still finished one stroke behind Alison Nicholas. It was Lopez's fourth runner-up finish in the Open, a title she has never won. In 1997 she also crossed the $5 million milestone in LPGA career earnings after the season-ending ITT LPGA Tour Championship.

Among her many honors Lopez was given the 1992 Flo Hyman Award by the Women's Sports Foundation and is the recipient of the USGA's 1998 Bob Jones Award to recognize distinguished sportsmanship in the game of golf. Lopez represented the victorious U.S. team in the 1990 inaugural Solheim Cup.

During the 2001 season she played a limited schedule due to continuing knee problems. She did record her second career hole-in-one at the AFLAC Champions, where she tied for 37th, her season-best finish. [Information credit: golfweb.com; photo credit: LPGA]

Carol Moseley-Braun, U.S. Senator:
When asked what she got out of Girl Scouting, the senator replied, "The whole idea of having a duty and a responsibility and caring about nature." She also said, "Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. It's not just what is, but what you think ought to be that's important."

Marilyn Carlson Nelson
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Companies, Inc., Minneapolis, MN. The Carlson Companies include: Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, TGI Friday restaurants, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Sandra Day (O'Connor) was born March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas. She spent her early childhood on the Day family's 198,000 acre cattle ranch. Sandra Day attended Stanford University, where she received her B.A. in economics in 1950. She continued at Stanford for her law degree, graduating in two years rather than the customary three, and graduating third out of a class of 102.

O'Connor served as an Arizona assistant attorney general from 1965 to 1969, when she was appointed to a vacancy in the Arizona Senate. In 1974, she ran successfully for trial judge, a position she held until she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. Eighteen months later, on July 7, 1981 President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court . In September 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor became the Court's 102nd justice and its first female member.

Sandra Day O'Connor made it clear that the high court's role in American society was to interpret the law, not to legislate. Her votes were generally conservative, but she frequently surprised observers with her political independence. A quietly determined woman who has blazed new trails for her sex, Sandra Day O'Connor has become a role model for Americans of both sexes and all ages.

On July 1, 2005 Associate Justice O'Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court after 24 years of service on the bench.

Alma J. Powell
Vice Chair, America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth. She also serves as Vice Chair, Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Chair, Advisory Board, Pew Center for Civic Change; and is the wife of Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Janet Reno

Janet Reno was the first woman Attorney General of the United States of America. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993. Ms. Reno was born July 21, 1938 in Miami, Florida. Her father, Henry Reno, came to the United States from Denmark and for forty-three years was a police reporter for the Miami Herald. Jane Wood, Reno's mother, raised her children and then became an investigative reporter for the Miami News. Janet Reno has three younger siblings.

Reno attended public school in Dade County, Florida, where she was a debating champion at Coral Gables High School. In 1956 she enrolled at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she majored in chemistry, became president of the Women's Self Government Association, and earned her room and board. In 1960 Janet Reno enrolled at Harvard Law School, one of only sixteen women in a class of more than 500 students. She received her LL.B. from Harvard three years later.

In 1971, Janet Reno was named staff director of the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. She helped revise the Florida court system. In 1973 she accepted a position with the Dade County State's Attorney's Office. She left the state's attorney's office in 1976 to become a partner in a private law firm. In 1978, Reno was appointed State Attorney General for Dade County. She was elected to the Office of State Attorney in November 1978 and was returned to office by the voters four more times. She helped reform the juvenile justice system and pursued delinquent fathers for child support payments and established the Miami Drug Court.

The strength, vision, tenacity and commitment of Janet Reno makes her a role model for all who seek justice.

Sally Ride

Photo courtesy of NASA

Former Girl Scout Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was recently featured in Smithsonian magazine's "35 Who Made a Difference" anniversary issue. The article describes Ride as being on a mission to pique girls' interest in math and science - and to keep it piqued. When she speaks to groups of elementary school students, an equal number of girls and boys say they want to be astronauts. However, when she speaks to college physics classes, would-be female astronauts have disappeared. "What happened to those fourth-grade girls?" asks Ride.   Her company, Sally Ride Science, has created everything from science camps to a Web site to attract children, especially girls, to science as a career. The former astronaut, who made history when she flew on the Challenger in 1983, says science isn't just a "guy thing" and has a passion for getting girls involved in the pursuit of science. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

Photo by Robert Kurtis

Esmeralda Santiago

The eldest of eleven children Esmeralda Santiago spent her childhood in Puerto Rico, moving back and forth between a tiny village and Santurce, a suburb of San Juan. With her mother and siblings she moved to New York in 1961, at the age of thirteen. She attended junior high school in Brooklyn, and Performing Arts High School in Manhattan. After the extraordinary years described in her two memoirs, When I Was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman, she graduated from Harvard University and received a master's degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Santiago is also the author of América's Dream and is coeditor, with Joie Davidow, of Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories. She has also published in many national media including New York Times, LA Times, LatinaGirl, and Boston Globe. In 1999, she was named Latina of the Year by Latina magazine.

Kathryn D. Sullivan
President and CEO of the Center of Science & Industry (COSI) and a Captain (Sel) in the U.S. Naval Reserve. She headed up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where she held the title Chief Scientist. She is a former NASA astronaut, serving on three shuttle missions and she was the first American woman to walk in space.

Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine:
"My daughter and I both were Girl Scouts, and it's open to all who share its values."

Barbara Walters, Television journalist

Barbara Walters was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Lou and Dena Walters. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with her B.A., she continued her studies with the intention of receiving a master's degree in education. She planned to become a teacher. However, she had already begun writing news releases for WNBT in New York, and she pursued a career in broadcasting. Early in her career she became the youngest producer with WNBC-TV, a local station in New York. She was hired as a writer for NBC's Today show and ended up being a cohost thirteen years later. She won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Hostess for the show. Two years later she became the first woman to deliver the ABC Eevening News and began the Barbara Walters Special. That year she became the highest paid television journalist with a million dollar contract.

Vera Wang
Vera Wang has spent more than twenty-five years in the fashion industry. After her sixteen-year tenure at Vogue as Senior Fashion Editor, Vera Wang served as a design director for Ralph Lauren. In 1990, she ventured out on her own, opening a luxury salon at the esteemed Carlyle Hotel in New York City to showcase her bridal collection. The discipline Vera Wang brings to her work and to her life was developed early by her parents, who encouraged academic excellence and athletic prowess. She studied at Chapin, Sarah Lawrence and at the Sorbonne and competed in international skating competitions.

Today, Vera Wang's position as the preeminent designer of bridal gowns is only one aspect of her fashion vision for the future. The editorial success of her ready-to-wear shows demonstrates her presence beyond bridal. She continues to challenge herself as a designer, pursuing fragrance, fine jewelry, eyewear, footwear and a home collection that capture her vision for the future. Vera Wang's philosophy remains simple and elegant and her voice clearly distinguished from other designers. She is a design expert that women turn to for advice.

And the list goes on...

* Denotes a former Girl Scout living and/or well-known in northwest Georgia.
Denotes Girl Scout Gold Award recipient

Sarah Louise Arnold, Dean of Simmons College
Martina Arroyo, Soprano
Lucille Ball, Actress
Carol Bellamy, Politician
Candace Bergen, Actress
Polly Bergen, Actress
Veronica Biggins, Assistant to President Clinton
Dr. Joyce Brothers, Doctor/Writer
Erma Bombeck, Writer
Margaret Bourke-White, Photographer
Donna Caponi, Golfer
Peggy Cass, Actress
Susie Chaffe, Skier
Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice-President, AFL-CIO
Joie Chen, CNN Reporter
Kitty Carlisle, Actress
* Carol V. Clark, Managing Partner, McCalla, Raymer, Padrick, Cobb& Clark
Martha Layne Collins, Governor
Katie Couric, TV News Anchor
* Cathy Cox, Georgia Secretary of State
* Chris Curle, WSB-TV News Anchor
* Diana Davis, WSB-TV Health Reporter

Kristin Davis, Actress
Sandra Dee, Actress
Bette Davis, Actress
Jan Davis, Astronaut
* Jocelyn Dorsey, WSB-TV Public Service Director
* Jean Duncan-Aiken, Judge, Floyd County Probate Court
Virginia Edwards, Editor, Education Week, and President, Editorial Projects in Education
Joy Fawcett, 1999 US Women's World Cup Team
Dorothy Felton, State Representative, Fulton County
Millicent Fenwick, Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Politician
Pam Fields, Mrs. Fields Bakery
Dr. Anna Fisher, Astronaut
Carrie Fisher, Actress
Peggy Fleming, Skater
*Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
Marie Gaudette, Writer/Songwriter/Poet
Phyllis George, Actress
* Connie Glaser, Best-selling author and consultant for women in business
Linda Goodman, Astrologer
Ella Grasso, Governor
* Dana Greene, Dean and CEO, Oxford College of Emory University
Cathy Guisewite, Cartoonist
* Elizabeth Harris, Former First Lady of Georgia
Helen Hays, Actress
Phyllis Heller, President, Buckhead Publishing

Paris Hilton, Actress
Celeste Holm, Actress
Lou Henry Hoover, Former First Lady

* Valerie Jackson, WABE Public Radio Host, Between the Lines, Former First Lady, Atlanta, Ga.
* Monica (Kaufman) Pearson , WSB-TV News Anchor

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic Gold Medalist
Nancy Kassenbaum, Senator
Grace Kelly, Actress/Princess
Ethel Kennedy, Matriarch of Political Family
Martha Keyes, Politician
Jean Kirkpatrick, Politician
Ann Landers, Advice Columnist
Dorothy Lamour, Actress
* Mary Wells Lawrence, Advertising
Shari Lewis, Puppeteer
Shannon Macmillan, 1999 US Women's World Cup Team
Christa McAuliffe, Teacher/Astronaut
* Jewell Jackson McCabe, Businesswoman
Natalie Merchant, Musician
* Peggy Merriss, City Manager, Decatur
Barbara Mikulski, U. S. Senator from Maryland
* Shirley Miller, Former First Lady of Georgia
Patsy Mink, Politician
Mary Tyler Moore, Actress
Minnie Mouse, Actress
Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Former President's Daughter
Pat Nixon, Former First Lady
Trisha Nixon Cox, Former President's Daughter
Jessye Norman, Opera Singer
Deborah Norville, TV News Anchor
* Nan Orrock, State Representative Fulton County
Betsy Palmer, Actress
Jane Pauley, TV News Anchor
Dixie Lee Ray, Governor
Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady
Judy Resnick, Astronaut
Debbie Reynolds, Actress
* Deborah Richards, WKHX-TV News Director
Cathy Rigby, Olympic Gymnast and TV Commentator
Pat Schroder, Politician
Dr. Gloria Scott, Educator
Celestine Sibley, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Columnist
Dr. Rhea Siddon, Astronaut
* Katherine Sherrington, Tax Commissioner, Gwinnett County
* Jane Shivers, Executive Vice President, Ketchum Public Relations
Dinah Shore, Actress
Samantha Smith, Girl Ambassador
Le Nett Stanley, State Representative, Fulton County
Gloria Steinem, Editor/Author/Women's Rights Activist
* Judy Sullivan, Principal, B.B. Harris Elementary, Gwinnett County
Catherine Switzer, TV Sports Reporter
* Susan Thigpen, Group Vice President, Trust Co. Bank
Marlo Thomas, Actress
Cheryl Tiegs, Model
Abigail Van Buren, Advice Columnist
* Elizabeth Wilson, former Mayor, City of Decatur
* Julie Spector Windler, President/Owner, Garden Lakes Realty (Rome)
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Former First Lady
Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Senior Correspondent, CNN

Nancy Young, Vice President, Communication & Community Relations, Russell Corporation