Our Founders

Margaret Potterton founded Troop #1 in 1937, the first Girl Scout Troop in Croydon. 

She was not blessed with children of her own, but channeled her motherly love toward the girls in her troop and the Girl Scout movement. Peg enjoyed camping and her Scouts reaped the benefits. Every summer the troop went to Egg Harbor, New Jersey. For some girls, it was a vacation their families could not afford. She and her Scouts traveled as far as Maine. 

The girls in Peg’s troop learned camping skills early, as she believed in training girls to make bedrolls and knots, pitch tents, identify trail signs, and build fires. The Girl Scouts fortunate enough to have her as their leader came to appreciate the joys of living outdoors as they learned to take care of themselves. 

Through her efforts, a Girl Scout cabin was built in Croydon to provide a meeting place for Scouts. She received the “Thanks Badge” from Freedom Valley Girl Scout Council, the highest award given for adult service. She also received “The Legion of Honor” award from the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, and an award from Senator H. Craig Lewis. Peg was completing her 60th year of service when she died on January 2, 1997.

In 1942, Katherine MacDonald founded the first Girl Scout Troop in Bristol, Troop #2. When Freedom Valley Girl Scout Council was chartered in 1964, the troop’s number was changed to #1112. 

Katherine enjoyed working with Girl Scouts and was a leader of several different troop levels. She especially enjoyed camping and teaching the skills necessary for outdoor living. 

In 1945, she joined the Women’s Army Corps and served in Berlin until 1946 when she returned and resumed Girl Scout leadership. Katherine’s husband and only son were active in Boy Scouts, and Katherine served as a Den Mother. 

She became director of the Bristol Service Unit in 1979, a position she held until 1989 when she became the service unit’s historian. One of her favorite annual activities was a camporee for the service unit, as she felt the camaraderie and camping experience were important factors in the development of leadership skills.

Prior to her death on December 20, 1997, Katherine celebrated 55 years of service to the Girl Scout movement. She was the recipient of the Appreciation Pin from Freedom Valley Girl Scout Council.