Emily Campbell Brown to join senior hall of fame
Mansfield News Journal – Emily Campbell Brown, who had a lasting impact on Mansfield through her civic involvement and political activism, will be inducted with 18 others Thursday into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame at the Capitol Theatre in Columbus.
“Those inducted into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame embody the productivity and enjoyment that should be a part of every person’s older years,” said Bonnie Kantor-Burman, director of the Ohio Department of Aging. “Emily Campbell Brown is a shining example of civic engagement at its finest.
“She considered racial justice to be one of the most important causes of her life.”
Brown, the mother of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, served as a board member and president of the Mansfield YWCA and as vice president of the Ohio Hunger Task Force. She helped found the Richland County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. She trained as a teacher and continued to work as an educator into her 80s, serving as a volunteer tutor to children and adults. She advised and volunteered in Mansfield political races and national elections.
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Mrs. Brown set up a card table at local grocery stores and registered hundreds of new voters. She remained active in civic and political endeavors until about six weeks before her death in 2009 at age 88.
