Eleanor Smith Morrison (born September 5, 1948) was elected the 11th National Commissioner of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...

(BSA) in 2018. She is the first woman to serve in the role since the group was incorporated in 1910. Morrison is a longtime volunteer and philanthropist in her community of

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...

. As National Commissioner, she was one of the top three leaders with the BSA and has been a key advocate for women as

Scouts BSA Scouts BSA (previously known as Boy Scouts, the official name until 2019) is the flagship membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for boys and girls between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, ...

began admitting girls into their program.

Background

Morrison is the daughter of Goodhue Wilson Smith and Ida Lu Smith (née Spurgin). She has three siblings, Goodhue, Hilliard, and Deborah. She graduated from the

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = " The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , pr ...

(SMU), where she was a member of the

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

sorority. After graduating from SMU, Morrison worked as an elementary school teacher. She married noted

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

Dr. Edwin B. Morrison. and stopped teaching to raise a family. After raising her family, she turned her attention to community and civic organizations. She and her husband have worked together in all of their Scouting careers.

Civic involvement

Boy Scouts of America

Morrison has worked at all levels of Scouting, first serving as a cub scout leader in her son's pack, and as an assistant scoutmaster in Waco Troop 308. On the national level, she has chaired the New Unit Task Force, where she helped create the New Member Coordinator position. She also chaired the team that created the Commissioner Award of Excellence for Unit Service, and was a member of the committee that designed the Wood Badge for the 21st Century. As the BSA's national commissioner, she was also a member of the

executive board A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...

of its National Council. She continues her work as a local unit commissioner from Troop 308.

Other organizations

Outside of her work in Scouting, Morrison serves on a number of local boards, including United Way of Waco-McLennan County, Baylor Research, Oakwood Cemetery, and

McLennan County Community College Foundation McLennan Community College (MCC) is a public community college in McLennan County, Texas. Located in Waco, Texas, it opened in 1965. MCC now serves about 9,000 students and has more than 700 employees. It is governed by a Board of Trustees el ...

, and the First United Methodist Church in Waco. She works with

Food for Families Scouting for Food is an ongoing annual program of the Boy Scouts of America, begun in 1985 by the Greater Saint Louis Area Council. The program involves collecting for local food banks. It is organized at the local level throughout the country. ...

in the Waco area.

Awards

Morrison has been awarded with the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and

Silver Buffalo The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting pro ...

by the Boy Scouts of America.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Ellie Philanthropists from Texas People from Waco, Texas Southern Methodist University alumni 1947 births Living people Pi Beta Phi National Commissioners of the Boy Scouts of America