Sue Wheaton

TH: You held had a lot of interesting jobs before you got into Girl Scout administration. What were some of them?
SW: I actually went to school for a year and worked in Davenport for a year as a dental assistant. The more interesting jobs - working for three weeks for a place that arranged for the transportation of mobile homes. You had to get all the permits to drive it down all the streets and stuff. Hospital answering service, where someone calls in heart attack in room. Pick up the phone (in a monotone), "Dr. Hart, Room 432, Dr. Hart, Room 432." I mean, someone's having a heart attack for Pete's sake!

TH: You had to remain calm.
SW: Oh, totally. And your heart's going boom, boom, boom. Actually, I really liked those jobs. I didn't like the moments when it was "Dr. Hart" or a fire drill or something.

TH: I see on your resume that you had an interesting summer job as a park ranger, too.
SW: It was more than a summer job. It was the end of my undergraduate degree. I spent the last summer of my undergraduate degree in recreation from the University of Iowa at Dinosaur National Monument, fulfilling an internship. Then I stayed and worked for the Nature Association and became a full-fledged Smokey the Bear ranger for that summer and into that fall. I was one of the first hired and one of the last retired for that year. Then I stayed on again and worked for the Nature Association until the end of the year, maybe into a little bit of the following year. Then I went home and got married.

TH: Did you have to wear one of the park ranger hats?
SW: I can't remember if I still have my Smokey the Bear hat. I recently sent my Park Service uniform to my ex-sister-in-law who is a paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument now. I think I've worn my Smokey the Bear hat to Rotary Club when I did Fun and Frolic and chose dinosaurs as my topic to grill them on. So, I think I still have the hat.

TH: I bet those Rotarians were pretty impressed.
SW: Well, yeah, they're not impressed by much of anything. They just like to laugh.

TH: At what point did you have an interest in recreation?
SW: Well, recreation wasn't anything I ever thought I was going toward, but I was one of those students who was at Iowa and really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Then I took a short class that was to match your aptitude with real-life positions and that (recreation) was one of the things that came up, so that's the direction I went. It was a perfect fit for me.

TH: Another area where, nationally, the Girl Scouts have come under some fire is programming as it might relate to life decisions - teen pregnancy and that sort of thing - where the Girl Scouts had some collaboration with Planned Parenthood.
SW: That was about one council in Texas. It's not a national collaboration or anything.

TH: Specifically, does Little Cloud have any affiliation with Planned Parenthood or any pro-abortion groups?
SW: No. Little Cloud has no such affiliations.

TH: One of the leading attributes of the council is Camp Little Cloud, which as undergone some improvement and renovation over the last few years. For those of us who haven't been out there in some time, what's happening out there?
SW: Camp Little Cloud is just a gem. Of course, we've had it since Harry Wahlert donated it in 1949. The first building was built in 1950. Our capital campaign that was back in 1996 allowed us to improve a lot of things about it because it was really falling into disrepair. The main lodge is just a wonderful place. Our camp is so heavily used. I think almost every weekend of the year, there's something going on at Camp Little Cloud. Now, the swimming pool has been redone.

TH: How many girls participate in the summer programs out there?
SW: Probably about 700 a year, between day camp and resident camp.

TH: Your 16-18 percent participation rate has to be one of the highest in the nation, I would think.
SW: Oh, there are some that are serving 25 percent. Milwaukee area and even Burlington, Iowa, is now serving 25 percent of the girls within their jurisdiction, K through 12. It really has a lot to do with the Midwest. A lot to do with the fact that we're not too rural and we're not too urban. You get into real urban areas and their percentage falls. Generally, there are a lot larger councils, too. I think that being a smaller council, and we are one of the smaller councils, being a smaller council has allowed us to get to know our people. We know our volunteers. The staff that's in this office really knows most of them by name. They might not remember their name if they run into them at Target or something, but for the most part, they know the volunteers. That wouldn't be true in Chicago or Houston or St. Louis. They might know some of them, but they're going to know the administrative level volunteers and probably not the Girl Scout leaders. So I think that it's a combination of things. We're Midwest, the value system promotes the Girl Scout program. We're not too rural; we're not too city. And we're small enough.

TH: How does that 16 to 18 percent figure compare to a generation or two ago?
SW: I don't know how it did. I know that in my day, there were probably fewer opportunities for girls and so perhaps a greater percentage of girls were involved in Girl Scouts. We were also the baby boomers so there were more available girls.

TH: I don't know if there's a diplomatic way to put this, but you compete with other youth organizations for members.
SW: Well, we try not to really compete. We collaborate with a lot them. For example, Boys & Girls Club. We don't do the boy part, but we have Girl Scouting in the Boys & Girls Club. We've been trying to get something going with the Y. Kids and their parents are going to choose the programs that they feel meets their needs the best.

TH: Among the many programs Girl Scouts offers, you do talk about nutrition, and then you've got these delicious fat-filled Girl Scout cookies.
SW: They're dessert, Brian. They're not supposed to be your main meal. You're not supposed to eat a whole sleeve of Thin Mints in one sitting. We hear that all the time. Listen, I get it. I'm on a diet too. I try not to eat many Girl Scout cookies, but they are dessert. They aren't meant for it to be the main diet. People who eat healthy diets should be able to have dessert. Everything in moderation.

TH: What do you find the most challenging aspects of your job?
SW: The most challenging aspect of my job is the same as the most rewarding aspect of my job and you're probably going to guess that it's the people. I love it and on the other hand, it is the most challenging part.

TH: What's on the horizon?
SW: I wish I was one of those people who had my life mapped out at any stage, because I've never had my life mapped out. It just has worked, fortunately. I don't know. I know that someday I hope to be in an area at least part of the year that's warm that I can golf and walk and bike ride and do stuff in the wintertime. Other than that, I don't know. My stepson's got another year of high school and then college. I really can't quite picture what else I would do in this community, as long as I'm in this community. I've thought about it. TH: How do you stay motivated?
SW: I think I'd have to say it's because of the other people involved. I've been so fortunate. I've always had just a terrific board of directors. I've always had a great staff, people who are so devoted to what they're doing. And we just have a terrific core of volunteers. Just amazing. I tell you, I had no intentions of being here for more than five years. And then life kind of got in the way, you know.