Elizanne Lewis Collection (Rockford)
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of an oral history interview conducted on September 19, 2014. The interview mostly covers Elizanne Lewis's memories of being in the Girls Scouts, and was done in conjunction with the Northern Illinois Council of Girl Scouts. The interview mainly centers on Elizanne’s career in the Girl Scouts from 1928 to 1939, detailing why and when she joined, activities, different levels, badges, and the Golden Eaglet award. The interview also contains information about general Rockford are history, including details about life in Rockford and Loves Park during the Great Depression and World War II. Also included in the collection are digital copies of letters, photographs, and news clippings within Elizanne’s Girl Scouts scrapbook. The date of these materials range from 1928 to 1969 but are predominantly from the 1930s and 1940s.
Dates
- created: 1928-2014
- Other: Majority of material found in 1930s-1940s
- Other: Date acquired: 09/14/2014
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on access to materials in the collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.
Biographical or Historical Information
Elizanne Lewis was born in East Moline, Illinois in March 1920. Her family soon moved back to the Rockford area after her birth. Elizanne joined the Rockford Girl Scouts Council in 1928, the chapter was chartered only a year earlier. She was the first Rockford Girl Scout to start as a Brownie and continue through high school to earn her Golden Eaglet, which was the highest achievement in the Girl Scouts at that time. Elizanne attended Rockford College in 1938. While in college, she remained active in the Girl Scouts and became Camp Councilor at Camp Rotary. She married in 1943.
In 1945, she became the leader of the Wing Scouts, a Senior Girl Scout program for members interested in serving their country and flying. The program started in 1941 and ended in the 1970s. Elizanne remained active in the Scouts up through the 1960s when she became Council President. In May 1991, she was honored for 60 years of Girl Scouting. Elizanne has also devoted her much of her life to volunteering and received the Unitarian of the Year Award for volunteer work in February 1992.
Note written by
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Elizanne Lewis
Subject
- Girl Scouts (Organization)
- Northern Illinois Council of Girl Scouts (Organization)
- Lewis, Elizanne (Person)
- Title
- Archon Finding Aid Title
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Northern Illinois University Repository
Founders Memorial Library
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb IL 60115 US
815-753-9392
rhcua@niu.edu
