HJ481: Celebrating the life of Betsey Jean Smith Brown.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 481
WHEREAS, Betsey Jean Smith Brown, a community activist and public servant in Loudoun County, died on July 29, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Betsey Brown grew up traveling around the country with her family while her father worked as an engineer on public works and infrastructure projects; after graduating from Syracuse University, she married Harry Brown and worked as a family therapist in New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, in 1985, Betsey Brown began her long legacy of service to the residents of Loudoun County when she moved to her husband’s family farm near Lucketts, Rockland Farm; and
WHEREAS, Betsey Brown proudly considered herself the caretaker of the farm; she restored the house and gardens, which she offered for community events like the Leesburg Garden Club’s Historic Garden Week, oversaw the property’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places, and helped create the Rockland Agricultural District to keep the 500-acre property in agricultural use; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the community, Betsey Brown ran for and was elected to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and represented the Catoctin district from 1988 to 1991; and
WHEREAS, Betsey Brown advocated for responsible growth to maintain Loudoun County’s rural character and helped found the Friends of Route 15 to support improvements for traffic flow and safety on the heavily traveled two-lane road; and
WHEREAS, Betsey Brown helped establish the 25,000-acre Catoctin Rural Historic District, which was recognized by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for its picturesque landscapes, significant architecture, and agricultural history; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband, Harry, Betsey Brown is fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Peter, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Harriet, and their families and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Betsey Jean Smith Brown, an active member of the Loudoun County community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Betsey Jean Smith Brown as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.