MANATEE COUNTY – Former County Commissioner Gwendolyn Brown passed away last week due to COVID-19.
Brown was Manatee County’s first black county commissioner and the county’s first black commission chairperson. She was also an early childhood education teacher at the State College of Florida (SCF).
According to Vicki Tessmer, supervisor of board records for the county’s Clerk of the Circuit Court, Brown was elected to the commission in November 1994 and left office in November 2010. She served as the commission chairwoman in 2008.
County Commissioner Carol Whitmore announced Brown’s passing during a Friday afternoon emergency county commission meeting.
“I have some very bad news. Commissioner Gwen Brown died at 2:49 (p.m.) from this terrible disease. She was at home. She wasn’t in a nursing home. She wasn’t able to drive, so somebody brought it (the virus) to her. Her family asked me to announce this and to please pray for her. So, for those of you who say you don’t know anybody and can’t put a name to this, Commissioner Gwen Brown, rest in peace,” Whitmore said.
Reggie Bellamy serves as the District 2 commissioner and is currently the only African American member of the current county commission.
“I extend my condolences to the Brown family. Commissioner Brown was the first African American Commissioner in District 2. She has a legacy in our community and my heart goes out to her and her family. I know her family and I’m very close to some people in her family. From the county commission office to the Brown family, we extend our deepest condolences,” Bellamy said.
“What this does is bring reality to what we’re dealing with, and you have an individual that was at home and then came down with COVID-19. District 2 makes up about 70% of the COVID-19 cases that we’re currently talking about, along with Oneco – and I share a little bit of that with Misty (Servia),” Bellamy said.
Commission Chair Betsy Benac said, “I’ve known Gwen Brown for a very long time. I worked very closely with Gwen Brown and I know the heart she had for her community.”
Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said, “Losing Gwen Brown is very sad. I know that she has had for quite a while now a lot of serious health issues. God bless her, she will be missed. She was the first black commissioner in Manatee County and that is a phenomenal thing that she did.”
Commissioner Misty Servia said, “I loved Gwen. I’ve known her for a long, long time. I worked with her and she just was a lovely woman. I’m really sad that she’s gone.”
Later in the week, Whitmore said, “She was a good friend. I talked to her about three weeks ago and she was doing good.”
The educator
According to a 2009 news release posted at the SCF website, Brown helped students earn Early Childhood Education degrees, a degree that had not previously been offered in Florida.
“Dr. Gwen Brown worked to develop the local Head Start Program in Manatee County. The demand for qualified, educated teachers has evolved throughout the years as research has shown the importance of early childhood development in preparing children to learn how to read, write and relate to others,” the SCF website says.
“She was my Early Childhood Education professor at SCF. Gwen had a strong passion for children and her community,” former student Amy Hendricks said when she learned of Brown’s passing.
