Charlotte M. Teuber-Weckersdorf (1 November 1923 – 16 February 1998) was one of the most important Girl Guides Leader of Austria and an Austrian university professor.

Family

Her father was Wilhelm Teuber-Weckersdorf, an Austro-Hungarian officer and educator. He and his brother

Emmerich Emmerich may refer to: Places * Emmerich am Rhein, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ** Emmerich Rhine Bridge ** Emmerich station * Emmerich, Wisconsin, unincorporated community in the town of Berlin, Wisconsin, United States Other uses * ...

were Scouting pioneers in Austria. In 1909 Wilhelm started one of the first

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

activities in Austria in a military school in Straß. He served as Chief Scout of the Österreichischer Pfadfinderbund from 1937 until Scouting was banned after the Anschluss in 1938, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served as Honorary Chief Scout of the Austrian Boy Scouts from 1949 until his death. He was instrumental in the reorganization of Scouting and Guiding after World War II in Austria. So he also served as President of the Girl Guides in Salzburg. Her mother Irma was born a Jagitsch and Charlotte had one brother named Emmerich. Her family was catholic-conservative and against Nazism. Her father and her uncle Emmerichwere arrested after the Anschluss.

Education and career

In 1938 Charlotte was not allowed to attend the Gymnasium anymore, because of her pro-Austrian catholic-conservative beliefs and family. During World War II she served within the

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...

. In 1945 she took general qualification exams for the university entrance and studied Archaeology and History of art in Innsbruck. In 1956 she took her degrees. She studied Political Science in

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and made her master's degree in 1960 and her PhD in 1973. Between 1960 and 1973 she was also a college teacher. From 1982 to 1992 she taught as a visiting professor in the Institute of Political Science of the University of Vienna and worked also after 1992 with students in Vienna. She also worked with the United Nations.

Girl Guides

Because of her father and uncle she soon got involved in Girl Guides. In 1945 she was an important figure in the rebirth of Guiding first in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

and later throughout Austria. In November 1945 she took part in the 1st World Youth Conference in London, where she met several Scout and Guide leaders. In August 1946 she was the leader of the first Austrian Guiders training after World War II in

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

. In April 1949 Charlotte was responsible for a Leaders training in Innsbruck. She served as International Commissioner of the Austrian Girl Guides. From 1951 to 1957 she served as Austrian Chief Guide. During the 7th World Scout Jamboree and the

World Scout Conference The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

in Salzburg Charlotte met

Olave Baden-Powell Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (''née'' Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and co-founder o ...

. After the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 she worked with Austrian

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

and Guiders in the refugee camp in

Traiskirchen Traiskirchen is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria. It is 20 km south of Vienna, in the Thermenlinie region, known for its wine and heurigers. Traiskirchen is home to the Traiskirchen Lions basketball team. The town ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teuber-Weckersdorf, Charlotte 1923 births 1998 deaths Harvard University alumni Scouting and Guiding in Austria Chief Guides Austrian expatriates in the United States