Huntington Beach Happenings
by: Chris MacDonald
Published: May 6, 2024
HUNTINGTON BEACH...A very Happy Birthday to My Mom Debbie Stock and Huntington Beach Resident Debbie Scoccia.
Huntington Beach Assistant City Clerk Juan Esquivel provided a link to the next Huntington Beach City Council Meeting on Tuesday May 7th, 2024 at 4:30pm
Huntington Beach City Historian Jerry Person Said: Remember When -
Girl Scout Awards Ceremony of the Past
This week we're going back eighty years ago when our community not only had members of a boy scout troop, but also as important a girl scout troop. Most residents only see these young girls these days selling cookies standing proudly in their green or blue uniforms in front of markets, post offices, etc., these young girl scouts also have a rich heritage in our city’s long history and this week we’ll remember one of their awards ceremonies.
It was in the first week of June 1944 and the fierce fighting in Europe was continuing, but back home in Huntington Beach the members from Girl Scout Troop 2 staged their Second Annual Court of Awards ritual in Memorial Hall at our old Civic Center at Sixth and Orange.
Over two hundred friends and relatives filled the hall to watch fifty-three young scouts march in and form into a horseshoe formation, three deep that faced the audience. The girls stood proudly in their uniforms, except for the new members, while the color guard marched in carrying the American flag and the Troop's flag.
The audience and scouts stood and placed their right hand over their heart as they repeated the Pledge of Allegiance and then sang our national anthem as Ardeth Frederick stood before the audience and bid them welcome on behalf of the troop to this special awards ceremony.
When she finished speaking, Frederick lit a special candle, the Girl Scout Ideals candle, which symbolized their ideals in life. Many a tear came to the eye of a proud parent as the investiture of the new girls who had attained the rank of tenderfoot.
While Joan Bennigsdorf and Jennette Weed held the lighted candles, the eighteen tenderfoot scouts repeated the Girl Scout laws before Scout Leader Lois LeBard questioned each girl as to the meaning of these laws and how they applied to them as they were given pins and candles.
Grace Oldenburg held that special Girl Scout Ideals candle while each girl stepped forward to light her own candle from it. Oldenburg admonished the girls to the significance of this part of the ceremony, after which the girls repeated “The Promise,” and then they all sang, “When E’er You Make a Promise.” The girls followed this, one by one; to ceremoniously place their candles into tall candelabras that remained lit for the rest of the ceremony.
Now it was now time for the next group of scouts to leave their seats and to step forward to receive their next rank in scouting. Twenty-eight girls attained the rank of Second Class that year and received their badges from Mrs. Jordan. Once all the girls had received their badges, these girls stood at attention and gave a Girl Scout salute before returning to their seats.
Fae Clapp and Mrs. McClintock handed our nearly a hundred proficiency badges to those girls who earned them in homemaking, music, dance, crafts, sports, arts, nature, and literature.
It was now time for Joan Jordan, Bobbie McClintock, Robbie Rider and Irene Smith to come forward and receive from Grace Oldenburg their badges signifying that they have attained the rank of First Class.
Alice Sturgeon came forward and called the names of the girls who have concluded a year of service and handed them their membership star. Mary Goodman presented Troop Numerals and Identification Emblems to all the girls as a surprise from the adult troop committee and leaders.
Girl Scout Robbie Jean Rider presented Lois LeBard with the special Blue Thanks Badge as a token of appreciation from Troop 2 for all her work as scout leader.
The awards ceremony concluded with Patsy Hawes extinguishing the candle of Girl Scout Ideals that had been kept lighted all through the ceremony. But this event was not over yet as the girls sang two scout songs and presented a series of skits, one from each patrol in the troop.
Jane Clapp invited the friends and relatives to look at the girl’s workbooks that were on display in the hall.
Members of Mary Goodman and Alice Sturgeon’s patrols helped serve the refreshments that consisted of cupcakes that were iced in the colors of green and gold and glasses of fruit punch.
Lois LeBard introduced several adults that were closely connected with the Girl Scouts including Della Miller, president of the Huntington Beach Elementary Parent Teachers Association, the organization sponsoring the troop, Ethel Dwyer, the P.T.A. Chair and Agnes Smith, the school’s principal.
This kind of event was very important in the lives of a young Girl Scout as they go about earning merit badges and the respect of her friends and relatives.
I think we need more events like this one these days as it gives these youngsters a chance to hold their head up high and be proud of what they do.