WERNERSVILLE, Pa. — To this day, 98-year-old Ronnie Backenstoe wears the Girl Scout uniform with pride.
And around this time of year, you start to see the uniforms everywhere as young girls sell those oh-so irresistible cookies. Backenstoe will be among the mix, WFMZ-TV reports, as she continues to sell the treats.
“I became a Girl Scout in 1932!” Backenstoe said. “I said, ‘When can I be a Girl Scout?’ My mom said, ‘When you’re 10,’ so when I was 10, I was ready to go!”
Backenstoe has since retired but continues to be active in scouting — and there’s no way she’ll stop, the troop leader told the TV station.
“Her stamina, her energy, her mind, she’s non-stop,” Barbara Allen Perelli said.
Nowadays, Girl Scouts lists 12 cookie varieties for sale. Backenstoe recalls in the 1930s, there only were three types and each box cost about 15 cents.
She says scouting “teaches you how to live” and allows her to inspire future generations. Her favorite, by the way: peanut butter.
The young scouts seem to enjoy Backenstoe at their side.
“In general, she just makes me laugh when I’m with her,” Senior Girl Scout Amber Holl told WFMZ.