Some of the best things about life in a small community are the people who live there, and maybe the best part of that is the inspiration provided by those folks who shine a little brighter than the rest of us. They stand out on the virtual stage of local people who we consider "special". They can’t help it. There is something unique and “all their own” about them, and you understand it the minute they walk into a room. Thank goodness small communities have them on stage, but small communities have small stages, and when one of those shining lights leave, the empty space can seem as big as the night sky. Family, friends, co-workers, and all the rest of us wrestle with the reality of moving ahead without that light. On Monday of last week, Betty Yeomans Brown moved ahead and left this place. She left with the agility, style, and grace that she demonstrated on the basketball court of Swainsboro High School back in 1959, 60 and ‘61. Her life was full, and her light was beaming for every tick of the clock in every quarter. No matter what the game might have been, it was evident from the start that Betty Yeomans Brown was a force to be reckoned with, and not one second was going to be wasted.
She negotiated the upward climb on the ladder of professional education compiling experience in a variety of positions in the Emanuel County School System while earning multiple degrees, culminating in the award of her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Georgia. As wide-reaching and impactful as her professional influence was with students, Dr. Brown’s “real” business was simply “people”. She had a natural knack for communicating, understanding and leading. Whether she was meeting with a student or a dropout, a lawyer or an architect, or just someone with a problem or a dream, she had a heart for helping and a spirit for making this community a better place. In 1983, with a work ethic that was "notoriously" well-known and an optimism to match, she decided to run for the office of Superintendent of Emanuel County Schools. Winning in an election involving three male candidates and a runoff in the last election ever held for that post not only made local history, but it firmly established Dr. Betty Brown (whether she liked it or not) as the unofficial symbol of a changing time of equal rights and respect for the leadership potential of women in this area. Many capable women in varied professions in this community who have seen their dreams realized understand the significance of the role Dr. Brown played in their own stories of advancement and success.
The light of this exceptional lady will continue to burn strong and steady in this community. It will be fueled by the inexhaustible reservoir of love, respect and gratitude felt for her by thousands of students, parents, teachers, support personnel, family and ordinary appreciative folks over her lifetime of service. While her spot on the stage might be unoccupied briefly, I am confident that her former students and others she inspired will take their places and honor her with their own light and their own commitment to step up, fill the space and make every second count in their lives and in the life of this community. Thank you, Dr. Brown, from the community you helped make special.
