The Wade Brown Century: Former mayor turns 100 on Monday
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

One of Boone’s leading citizens is hitting the century mark — Wade Brown will turn 100 Monday, Nov. 5.
The former mayor, state senator and member of the N.C. House of Representatives was also the supporter of a number of local civic efforts.

He served as Boone mayor in the 1960s and was a key player in the development of Boone Golf Course. The golf course was established by Brown in 1959, and the next year became the site of one of the first ski areas.

A fan of the slopes, Brown strapped on a pair of old, wooden skis and was photographed skiing down the golf course, an event which helped spark local interest in the local ski industry.

In 1999, he added to the course’s scenic beauty by granting a conservation easement on a 31-acre parcel on nearby Big Yarnall Mountain.

Brown was born in Blowing Rock, in 1907. He was educated in the one-room Silver Lake School, completed Mars Hill Junior College, and received his law degree from Wake Forest College. He passed his bar examination before he graduated from the law school at Wake Forest University and opened his law practice in Boone in 1931. His small downtown office is now the home of the Downtown Boone Development Association.

Brown was also active in the development of Watauga Medical Center and the Horn in the West outdoor drama. He is the author of “Recollections and Reflections,” an autobiographical memoir that is one of the best local histories documenting the area’s last century. Brown now lives at Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation in Boone.

His family held a private party for him Saturday, delivering congratulatory letters from Gov. Mike Easley and President Bush.