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Jean: From Brownie Girl Scout to Bringing Juliette Gordon Low’s Story to Life
September 23, 2026
Some Girl Scout stories span decades. Jean’s spans generations, continents, and even one very memorable Girl Scout founder.
Jean first joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie in Sioux City, Iowa, where eight girls gathered in their leader’s living room to learn about Girl Scouts, sing songs, and learn embroidery. She loved Girl Scouts throughout elementary school, and even when there were gaps without a troop leader, she found ways to stay involved.
Her Girl Scout experiences eventually influenced her decision to study elementary education. She went on to lead a Brownie troop herself and later moved to Germany to teach. When she returned to the United States, she settled in Omaha, where she would spend the next 60 years.
Girl Scouts eventually found its way back into Jean’s life through her daughter, Mary Anne. When her daughter’s Cadet troop needed a leader, Jean stepped up, completed the necessary training, and spent three years camping, traveling, serving her community, and creating memories with the girls.
But Jean’s most unexpected Girl Scout chapter was still to come.
She was given a replica of Juliette Gordon Low’s uniform and an original hat. What began with modeling the uniform and talking about Girl Scouts soon became something much bigger.
Jean became Juliette Gordon Low.
For about eight years, she performed a one-woman show about the founder of Girl Scouts. She even traveled to Savannah, Georgia, to research Juliette’s life and bring greater detail and authenticity to her presentations.
And while Jean eventually stepped away from her Juliette Low role to travel the world—visiting 60 countries between 1995 and 2020—she carried that Girl Scout spirit with her.
At 89, Jean reflects on a life filled with learning, teaching, travel, service, and Girl Scouts.
From a little Brownie learning embroidery in Sioux City to bringing the story of Juliette Gordon Low to Girl Scouts in Nebraska, Jean’s journey is a beautiful reminder that you never really know where Girl Scouts might take you.
100 years. Countless stories. One lasting legacy.
