East Texas Area Girl Scout Council received a temporary charter in 1947, the first (and maybe only) temporary charter ever issued by GSUSA. This council formed when a group of individual town councils merged at the encouragement of GSUSA into one cohesive geographic unit and became responsible for Girl Scouting in several counties. The first volunteer president of the council was Staley Mims of Crockett. Mims had been president of the organizing group that applied for the charter. He received a Thanks Badge in 1953 from East Texas Area Council for his service to Girl Scouts. (In 1995 his daughter, Vee Mims Bohn, received a Thanks Badge from San Jacinto Council).

Mary Ellen Rawley was hired in 1947 to be the first executive director (ED) of ETAGSC. Many councils now call this position CEO. At that time Mary Ellen was a new graduate of Texas Women’s University (TWU) in Denton. She was also a veteran of the US Navy’s Women’s Auxiliary during WWII, the WAVES. Several of her friends from the WAVES and from TWU also became professional Girl Scouts about the same time.

Later in 1947 East Texas Council organized a cookie sale, the first cookie sale in the area now served by Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. In the beginning there was no council office. Later the East Texas Council office became located in Jacksonville because one of the council board members offered office space in a building he owned. It was as simple as that.

A search for camp property began very soon after the council organized. Garrison Lumber Company gave the fledgling Girl Scout Council about 100 acres near Nacogdoches to develop into a camp. The East Texas Area Girl Scout Camp opened in June of 1950. Subsequently a contest was held among the girls to give the camp a name. “Camp Whispering Pines” was the winner. If you’ve ever been to the camp you’ll know why this was and still is so appropriate. The girl who suggested the name received a session at summer camp as her prize. Unfortunately her name isn’t known.
For four years Mary Ellen spent a lot of time traveling in east Texas, working with the volunteers who were organizing troops, providing girls with the Girl Scout program, raising money to fund the activities, and establishing a permanent camp. Mary Ellen’s mother, Mabel Rawley, was a Girl Scout volunteer. She worked in the office keeping the papers filed and organized. At Camp Whispering Pines Mabel attended summer camp as a full time volunteer staff member filling in where needed. Besides the work she did, she also paid her own board and room.

Mary Ellen worked for East Texas council until 1951. She left to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C. When she changed jobs she was recovering from an automobile accident and unable to do the traveling required as ED of East Texas Council. She continued her interest in Girl Scouts, including organizing joint activities with other non-profit organizations. She is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts.

Staley Mims was the first president of the East Texas Area Council.

After Mary Ellen left East Texas the Council continued to grow and continued developing Camp Whispering Pines. In 1961 a new building, a staff house, was built at the camp so the summer staff could have a place to spend time off from camp duties. It was dedicated as the Mabel Rawley Lodge in memory of Mabel who had died in August 1960. The Rawley family were all surprised and pleased at this honor bestowed on Mabel. Appropriate plaques were placed on the building.

When 13 counties of the East Texas Council became part of San Jacinto Council in 1970, Camp Whispering Pines became a camp for our Council.

A few years later Camp Whispering Pines was rented to a church group for several years. At this time all Girl Scout signs on the buildings were removed.

The two plaques for the Mabel Rawley Lodge now hang in Ranger Larry Graybill’s office at camp. The GSSJC History committee with GSSJC’s Vice President of Membership Services
Jo Monday’s help found Mary Ellen Rawley living in Rockport and have talked with her. She is very much interested in seeing her mother’s name restored to the building now called the troop camp cabin #1. Plans are being made to do that on the afternoon of Saturday, November 6, at Camp Whispering Pines. There will be a Regional meeting of GSSJC the morning of November 6 in Lufkin at the Ann Temple Allen Service Center. All Council members are encouraged to attend both meetings. More detailed information about these activities will be available at a later date.

If anyone knows more information about Camp Whispering Pines and its early development please contact the History Committee by contacting Kathy Elliott at the Girl Scout Center in Houston at 713-292-0224 or kelliott@sjgs.org or Margaret Sheriff at 713-465-3205 or gssheriff@houston.rr.com.

Resource for this article was a conversation by the writer with Mary Ellen Rawley.