Frances Hesselbein Obituary, Death – Frances Hesselbein, who ascended through the ranks of the Girl Scouts and eventually became the organization’s first Chief Executive Officer, passed away on Sunday at the age of 107, according to an announcement made by the University of Pittsburgh. After her time spent with the Girl Scouts, she went on to start a nonprofit organization that focuses on career development and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Hesselbein, who was born in 1915, began her work with the Girl Scouts in the 1940s, when she became the leader of a 30-girl unit to assist a neighbor, according to a blog post published by the Girl Scouts on Sunday. Hesselbein’s birth year was 1915. According to the Girl Scouts, what was first intended to be a simple favor eventually turned into nearly ten years of service for the organization before she was given more responsibilities within the group. “To serve is to live,” the University of Pittsburgh states that this was her guiding principle in life.
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America issued a statement in which they said, “We are forever thankful for Ms. Hesselbein’s contribution to our movement, her community, and her country.” “Through her exceptional life’s work, she served as a source of inspiration and fully represented what it means to be a Girl Scout,” the Girl Scouts of the USA said about her. She was given the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1976, making her the very first person in the organization to hold that position. According to the Girl Scouts, she was the one who developed a planning and management system that was intended to unite troops all over the world. Additionally, she was the one who edited the organization’s handbook in an effort to encourage girls to pursue careers in the STEM fields. Hesselbein is also credited with expanding the sphere of influence of the Girl Scouts by founding the Daisy Scouts, which are groups geared toward younger children.
The Girl Scouts stated that as a result of this initiative, the organization became “more inclusive” and saw a threefold increase in the number of BIPOC members. She held that position till the year 1990. Because of her contributions to the Girl Scouts and the non-profit Peter F. Drucker Foundation, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, who was in office at the time. According to the statement made by the university, in 2001, Hesselbein was presented with an honorary doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, which she had previously attended. Additionally, in 2009, the Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement was established in her honor. Additionally, in the year 2017, it established the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum, which is dedicated to conducting research on leadership and public service abilities. According to the institution, she was also the co-editor of more than 35 works which were together published in more than 20 different languages.
“The idea that “to serve is to live” was Frances Hesselbein’s guiding principle moved all of us to be better people. She demonstrated this approach throughout her entire career — through her words, through her engagement with others, and truly in all aspects of her life and her life’s work “Carissa Slotterback, who serves as the dean of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, expressed these thoughts in a statement.
