Courthouse Portrait Unveiling
By: Orange County Communications
On June 27, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Johnson led a room full of family, friends, and colleagues in a historical tribute to several former Orange County leaders. Over the past several years Mr. Johnson, the dedicated Board Historian, has diligently worked on adding to the portrait gallery in the historic courthouse. The seven new additions include leaders from local government, education, and several constitutional officers. The portraits are available for viewing in the historic courthouse. For additional information contact Orange County Administration at (540) 672 - 3313.
R. Monroe Waugh 1904 - 1990
R. Lindsay Gordon 1922 - 2007
Murcelle A. Coleman 1922 - 2014
Lindsay Gordon was the second longest serving member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 1964 to 1991 and held the Chairmanship for nineteen of those years. He was also the longtime Chairman of the Orange County Nursing Home Commission.
The longest serving member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from 1948 to 1979, Monroe Waugh also held the Chairmanship a record twenty years from 1948 to 1967. He was instrumental in the creation and development of the Orange County Nursing Home.
A teacher at Orange County High School and a lifelong educator, Murcelle Coleman served as President of the Orange County Education Association from 1973 to 1977, as a member of the Orange Town Council in the 1970s, and as a member of the Orange County School Board from 1992 to 2003.
Oswald B. Watson 1876 - 1946
Andrew Maples, Jr. 1920 - 1944
Joseph T. Samuels 1917 - 2000
Major Joseph Samuels was a highly decorated veteran of World War II, being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart. He was appointed as Orange County Commissioner of the Revenue in 1954 and was then elected to that position eight times, serving for thirty - one years.
An Orange County native, Andrew Maples was the son of a World War I veteran. Learning to fly at Hampton Institute, he enrolled in the Advanced Army Flying School at Tuskegee and earned his wings as a fighter pilot in the 301 st Fighter Squadron. In June of 1944, while returning to base from a bomber escort mission, his aircraft was lost over the Adriatic Sea.
A native of Orange County, O.B. Watson was first elected in 1911 and held the position of Orange County Treasurer for thirty - five years until his death in 1946. Highly regarded in his local community and Statewide, he was President of the Virginia County Treasurers Association from 1928 to 1936.
Judith P. Carter 1947 - 2018
Serving ten years as Chair, Judy Carter was a member of the Orange County School Board from 1988 to 1999 and again from 2008 until her death in 2018. She also served as Secretary of the Orange County Electoral Board from 2003 to 2006.
Pictured: The Gordon family attending the unveiling Via Orange County Communications
Page 17 | July 2023
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