Hundreds of community members rose to their feet at the Waterhouse Pavilion in downtown Chattanooga Tuesday as Edna Varner, Ed.D. – educator, mentor and civic leader – was welcomed into a sisterhood she’d long admired but never formally joined.
The Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians had gathered for their 2025 Trefoil Society Luncheon to honor Varner, a lifelong champion of education and service. But as the applause echoed across the glass-walled pavilion, the event evolved from a tribute into something personal: after a lifetime spent helping others reach their potential, Varner was finally – and officially – named a Girl Scout.
Celebration of service
The Trefoil Society Luncheon, held annually in each of the council’s three regions, recognizes a woman who embodies the values of the Girl Scout Law: honesty, fairness, courage and compassion. Lynne Fugate, CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians, said before the presentation that Varner “is a great example of a leader who’s made a real difference.”
A Chattanooga native and the first in her family to attend college, she graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and later earned a doctorate in administrative leadership from Carson-Newman University.
Over three decades in public education, she served as a founding faculty member of the Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences, principal of The Howard School and now as senior adviser and teacher coach at the Public Education Foundation.
Varner also continues to serve across a range of civic and cultural organizations – from the Chattanooga Housing Authority and the UC Foundation to ArtsBuild, the NAACP and the Rotary Club, where she became the organization’s 112th president earlier this year.
“Dr. Varner’s influence reaches far beyond the classroom,” Fugate said. “Her commitment to learning, equity and opportunity reflects everything Girl Scouts strives to instill in young women.”
Every friend in Chattanooga
The presentation began with opening remarks from board member Gabrielle Sanders, who introduced Varner as “a woman who exemplifies leadership and service in her community.” Sanders recounted Varner’s journey from humble beginnings in Chattanooga’s public schools to a lifetime of leadership.
“Growing up poor in the 1960s, she did not have access to Girl Scouting,” Sanders said. “But she fondly remembers receiving a Brownie uniform among the clothes a charitable organization gave her family of 10. She wore it until she outgrew it.”
That small act of imagination – pretending to belong to a troop she’d never joined – became a symbol of Varner’s lifelong determination to build community wherever she stood.
When Varner took the stage, she looked out at the packed room, smiled and said, “For those of you who don’t know me, this is literally every friend I have in Chattanooga.”
Lessons in courage
In her remarks, Varner reflected on the Girl Scout principles she’d admired as a child – especially courage, confidence and friendship.
“We all have courage in us,” she said, “but what would you do if you weren’t afraid? How would you use that courage today?”
Varner challenged the audience to write down the things they hoped to do but feared to attempt. Quoting Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected head of state in Africa, she added, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”
On confidence, Varner told a story about a kindergartner drawing a picture of God. When the teacher reminded the child that no one knows what God looks like, the student replied, “They will in a minute.”
“That’s the kind of confidence that has been bred in us,” Varner said. “And if you’re not growing that confidence in the young people in your life, you’re not doing all you can do.”
Varner delivered her final theme – friendship – with a mix of humor and poignancy. She told a story about a friend who gave her such vague directions to a cabin in rural Alabama that she became lost on the way there, then woke up the next morning to find herself locked inside.
“Even though she has that flaw,” Varner laughed, “we’ll be friends for life.”
Then, as she touched the pins and symbols on her lapel – including her Delta Sigma Theta emblem, her Rotary pin and her Public Education Foundation badge – she reflected on what they represented.
“Wherever I go, these marks tell people who I am and what I stand for,” she said. “I stand for service – which we all share in common.”
Becoming a Girl Scout
After the applause subsided, Amanda Johnson, director of program strategy and development for the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians, stepped to the podium.
“Dr. Varner, throughout today’s program, we’ve celebrated your leadership and your lifelong commitment to helping others reach their full potential,” Johnson said. “And while you’ve influenced the lives of many Girl Scouts along the way, there’s one thing you’ve never officially been – a Girl Scout yourself.”
With that, Johnson invited Varner to the stage for a vestiture ceremony, a tradition dating back to 1912. As Johnson read the Girl Scout Promise, Varner repeated the words and was presented with a lifetime membership to Girl Scouts of the USA.
“Dr. Varner,” Johnson said, “it is an honor to welcome you into the Girl Scout sisterhood. You now join generations of women who believe in leading with courage, confidence and character.”
The crowd rose in a standing ovation as Varner, visibly moved, smiled and placed her hand over her new pin.
“As of today,” she said, “I’m an official Girl Scout.”