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Girl Scouts a lifelong adventure

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By DEREK MAUL Tribune correspondent

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 22, 2009

BLOOMINGDALE - Mary Lemar claims a resolute optimism, and it's born of experience.

"There's no sense in sitting around," she said. "Americans are resilient, and we face what we face with a vengeance, and we will take care of it and it will be better. It's young people that give me hope; there's no other greater adventure than being in Girl Scouts."

She has been a Girl Scout all her life, most recently serving as area association chairwoman (nine years) and manager for the Gopher Service Unit (eight years). The Gophers include 50 troops, seven elementary schools and some 500 girls.

She retired May 21.

A Brandon-area resident since 1979, Lemar volunteered as troop leader for her daughters, Pam and Jennifer. Then she stayed around, serving on the Suncoast Girl Scout Council's (now West Central Florida) cookie committee, the Adult Awards committee and with Women of Distinction fundraisers.

"Girl Scouts of America merged 13 Florida councils to seven," she said. "We were four counties with 30,000 girls; now we're eight. Plus, we have 20,000 to 30,000 registered adults."

Lemar also is a nurse, but considers her life's vocation that of volunteer. She retired as one of few women privileged to hold the Girl Scouts' Lifetime Membership, Honor Pin, Thanks Badge and the elusive Thanks Badge Two.

She was raised in St. Petersburg, where her family settled in 1955.

"The Caldwells were Florida pioneers from around Ocala," she said. "My dad was a builder. I graduated St. Pete High in 1968 but started work as a nurse's aide when I was 15. I earned my LPN from Tomlinson Vocational School in 1969."

Engaged her senior year, she married Dave Lemar right after graduation in 1968.

"I worked in pediatrics at St Anthony's St. Petersburg until we moved to Atlanta in 1971," she said. "There I worked at DeKalb General and a small hospital in Gwinnett County."

By 1979, the Lemars were settled in Brandon. She worked at Brandon Regional Hospital for 16 years, and her husband helped establish the accounting firm of Hanna, Lemar & Morris.

"This has been a great place to raise children," she said. "As I child, I used to come this way to Camp Dorothy Thomas. It would take us two hours, and this was nowhere - in the wilderness."

Lemar said the West Central Florida Council is growing steadily.

"I think it's because we're very inclusive of everybody," she said.

"Races, sexual preferences and religions - Girl Scouts are a little bit more independent than the Boy Scouts. We reinvent ourselves constantly, but with the same mission to empower girls to become a capable and strong part of their community. It's really up to the girls to decide what to do - not the adults - they set goals and learn leadership."

Lemar's career highlights all have to do with the girls.

"That's the main reason I did it," she said. "That's the reward; how the girls grow and learn and develop. They're all so different."

Beyond Scouting, Lemar is active at St. Stephen Catholic Church, where she organizes the Meals on Wheels program.

"I played tennis for years," she said. "Then I got hurt, but I still have this longing. I swim at the Y and do water aerobics. And I enjoy four grandsons. Just think, if they were girls I'd still be a troop leader."

MEET MARY CALDWELL LEMAR

BORN: Miami, 1950

EDUCATION: St. Petersburg High School, 1968; Tomlinson Vocational School, 1969

MARRIED: Dave Lemar, 1968

CHILDREN: David Jr., 39; Pam, 38; Jennifer, 28

MOVED TO AREA: 1979

Columnist Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul@ gmail.com.

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