By CAROLYN CARY
Contributing Writer

The town of Brooks is planning a day of honor for one of its own, Helen Hardy Woolsey.

A covered dish luncheon will be at the Brooks United Methodist Church Sunday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m. It will be followed by a short recognition ceremony.

Woolsey was born in Brooks March 29, 1915, the daughter of Emmett Clive and Nora Moody Hardy. She was married to Brooks native Charles Russell Woolsey Aug. 16, 1936. He was a state patrolman and died in 1949.

They were the parents of two sons, Gerald Bruce Woolsey and Marcus Lee Woolsey, who died in 1964.

A teacher of the fourth and fifth grades in the Brooks School district for many years, she was a positive influence on many young lives.

She later was co-owner with a cousin of the Mask and Gay Food Products, which provided employment for town citizens.

She was appointed to the newly organized Town Council of Brooks Sept. 3, 1963 and served an instrumental role in reactivating the town charter the next year. Though declining to seek reelection in the 1964 election, she was held in such high esteem that she was elected in near unanimity over her own objections and served for nearly 20 years.

Many of those years she also served as town clerk, was instrumental in organizing the Brooks Water System, in securing a facility that served as Town Hall for many years, supported the organization efforts of the Brooks Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Unit, assisted in obtaining street lights, passing a strict and beneficial initial zoning ordinance, as well as creating the Recreation Department.

A library was established in 1987 due to her efforts and she served on its board of directors until this year.

Town Councilman Dan Langford Jr. said, “Brooks would have been an infinitely poorer place, in every respect I can think of, had Miss Helen not come our way. I am excited about this opportunity to pay tribute to her.” His grandfather, Hubert Langford, served as mayor of Brooks for many years.

Everyone is invited to participate in “Helen Hardy Woolsey Day.”