Alumnae Story
1959 Roundup in Colorado

By Vicki (Mann) Paul
Mariner Scout Ship Challenge,
South Pasadena, Calif.,
Pasadena Area Girl Scout Council

Once upon a time, I was 4B09045 in order to attend the 1959 Roundup in Colorado. I had a dog tag to prove it. We had a cherry-seed spitting contest there for my 15th birthday.

(Back when I’d been a Brownie, cookies cost 35 cents. And my Brownie sweater cost $1.50, so I'd gotten a job in order to earn what it took to get one.)

Most of the girls we met at Roundup had never met anyone from out West, and most of us hadn't known many people from back East. We had a special train go from L.A. to Colorado Springs which added cars as we went along.

Roundup was such a special time and was so rich and hurried. Often we didn’t bother to learn each other’s names because we were from 28 countries and just leapt from one peak experience to another.  We just called each other by the town of origin: "Hey, Buffalo,"  ‘Mornin’, Lubbuck,"  or  ‘lo there, Brooklyn. 

The opening ceremony was the first time all 10,000 were together. Back in that time, children had daily music in school, so everyone knew how to sing and read music somewhat. There was a good song list so there would be a common repertoire, and we practiced ahead. 

As I recall, the first song we sang was a four-part round; it certainly had harmony! The first part began about two blocks away, and the other entries came closer and closer. I wish I could tell you what it was like to be part of 10,000 people singing together and well. The song leaders were stunning and kept us together. We sang every chance we got in every sized group, but the music of the whole was the greatest.

The Fourth of July arena event involved lowering the American flag with 48 stars—the flag familiar for more than 4 1/2 decades and through both World Wars—to introduce the new 49-star one with its new star for  Alaska. This one would serve for just a year until Hawaii's new star joined the following Fourth of July.  The pageantry was accomplished  with pomp and splendor, plus a lot of indigenous costuming from those two states. No doubt, then we sang some more!

The roundup was a huge adventure of people, diversity, touring, playing, sentiment, extremes of weather, and music. "Make New Friends" with 10,000 voices in a round leaves an impression.