| Girl
Scouts of San Jacinto Council received a very special gift
from nationally known doll collector Dr. Pidd Miller. Dr.
Miller donated more than 80 Girl Scout dolls to the Council
which will be on exhibit in Room 104 at the Girl Scout Center
until the last week of January.
Dr. Miller
has a long association with Girl Scouts. She was a member
of the first Brownie Pack organized in Houston in 1929. At
that time her mother gave her a Girl Scout doll which is part
of the collection she gave to the Council.
Also
on exhibit is the Brownie Toadstool which Brownie Pack #1
of West University Place used at its meetings. The names of
all of the girls and leaders in the pack, including Dr. Miller
are on the toadstool. Dr. Miller’s leader uniform and
her mother’s leader uniform are also part of the exhibit.
One of
the dolls in the collection is dressed in a Brownie uniform
and has a harmonica on a chain around her neck. As leader
of her daughter’s Brownie troop, Dr. Miller got harmonicas
for the girls and read them the directions on how to play.
One of the girls listened carefully and very soon was able
to play a tune. This girl then taught the rest of the troop.
Over
the years of collecting dolls, Dr. Miller has become a recognized
expert on Girl Scout dolls. She has written numerous articles
on the subject. Copies of her writings were included in the
gift. Photos of her Girl Scout dolls are often used in books
about doll collecting.
The first
doll in a Girl Scout catalog was in the 1929 issue. It was
a wood “Flexey” doll. Underclothes were painted
on the jointed doll. Girls were to make clothes for the doll
to wear.
In 1989 Pidd and her friend, Opal Duthie, who was also a Girl
Scout, were at a doll collector’s meeting together.
They talked about how they could share the joy of doll collecting
with Girl Scouts. They sat up all night planning the requirements
for what became our Council’s Doll Collector Patch.
Then they contacted our Council and worked with the program
director. Artist Lisa Gilbert designed the patch. |
|
Dr. Pidd Miller donates her doll collection to Girl
Scouts.
In
1989, Troop #214 piloted the patch requirements. Karen Ramey
was the troop leader with Marilyn Alcorn and Sharlyn Fritz
as co-leaders. When the troop was working on the patch,
Ramey made a cloth doll and dressed it in a leader uniform
as a gift for Dr. Miller. That doll is featured in the collection’s
display.
The requirements and patch design have since been shared
with many other Girl Scout councils across the country.
In 1995, Dr. Miller created Share-A-Doll as a Council service
project and served as project coordinator. Thousands of
dolls were donated to shelters for children in stressful
situations.
Following the success of the Doll Collector Patch, Dr. Miller
designed another program and patch, Dolly Goes College.
This program has been done in conjunction with Houston Baptist
University and its doll museum. Girl Scouts are able to
tour the university campus with their favorite dolls.
Dr. Miller was named one of the 85 Texas Girl Scouts Women
of Distinction during Girl Scouts 85th Anniversary Celebration
in 1997. In 1999, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council honored
Dr. Miller with a Thanks Badge.
The
current exhibit also includes photos of four generations
of Dr. Miller’s family: her mother, herself, her daughter,
and granddaughters.
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