Week 9 2022: Females #52Ancestors — Making Sense of it All

Happy International Women’s Day!

For the Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri, it is “Act of Kindness Day.”[1]

How fitting.

I found more acceptance and kindness in the Girl Scouts than any other organization I belonged to growing up. From my mom who was the leader of my Brownie troop at St. Joseph’s Catholic School to Anita Wilde the leader for my Cadette and Senior years of Girl Scouts – Troop 529.

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1911, Mrs. Wilde[2] was the middle of Herman and Anna Grimme’s three children. She married Harry Wilde in 1932 and had three children, two boys and a girl. When I was in scouts she lived down the street from me which I found to be super cool – you know, like seeing your teacher at the grocery store?

Mrs. Wilde was a Girl Scout leader for more than twenty-five years and I would guess she started with her own daughter. I never knew her daughter as she was quite a bit older than me.[3] If I calculate it right, I would say Mrs. Wilde was in her late 50’s-early 60’s when she was my leader. I do remember thinking she was really old (she was twelve years older than my mom after all).

Mrs. Wilde stood five-foot-nothing (on her toes), but man, was she a goer. She took our troop camping all over New Jersey and New York, to wilderness campsites and formal Girl Scout-owned camps. We went canoeing down the Delaware River at least twice. I camped with her troop every season of the year except winter. I remember that when I got home on the Sunday afternoon from a camping trip, I’d empty my backpack of the things that needed to be washed, but generally left it ready to go for the following Friday afternoon when I would leave to go camping again.

I never remember her raising her voice or getting mad at us even one time. Imagine a roomful of hormonal teenage girls and not losing your cool on a regular basis. She was loved and admired by all who knew her. Mrs. Wilde inspired me so much so that I was the leader of my own Brownie Troop when I was in college. A chance for me to pay back, in a small way, the kindness she showed me.

Mrs. Wilde passed away at ninety-seven years old and in lieu of flowers asked that contributions be made to the Girls Scouts. Always thinking of us girls.

A lovely and kind woman to be celebrated today.

_____________________

[1] “Girl Scout Week,” Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri (https://www.gsksmo.org/en/events/girl-scout-week.html : accessed 8 March 2022).

[2] Not gonna get me to call her anything but that.

[3] “Anita D. Wilde” [obituary], The (Raleigh, North Carolina) News and Observer, 17 February 2008, p. B6, col. 4.