Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
MONTGOMERY COUNTY- The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors shared kind stories and memories of a beloved former police chief who passed at the end of January during its recent meeting.
During the Jan. 27, 2025 Board of Supervisors meeting, multiple board members shared their heartwarming stories regarding former Blacksburg Police Chief William “Bill” H. Brown’s legacy and his impact on Montgomery County. County Administrator Angela Hill, after the meeting was called into session, held a moment of silence to remember Brown’s life. Brown served as a member of the board of supervisors from 2008 until 2015 and was a figurehead of his community.
“He really had a huge impact on a lot of people,” Hill said, “He was such a great person and I know that he will be deeply missed and we’ll keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Board of Supervisors member Mary Biggs shared a heartwarming conversation she had with Brown just days before he passed.
“I would like to say is I was very blessed last Tuesday to run in to Bill Brown,” Biggs said, “over at the courthouse when I was with Tiffany Couch, the clerk of court. I’d gone over there to get sworn in for duty and he was so very happy. Bill was so happy. He had just performed a wedding the day before and he goes ‘you know Mary I’m getting all these requests from Radford and I really I’m enjoying performing these weddings so much’ because you know, every time you saw Billy he had a smile on his face and he was very positive person and he knew everybody and everyone knew him. So, I was lucky enough to serve two terms with him on the board and serve as his vice chair for two years and so for our board the advice that he would give, and I know Todd [King] remembers this very well, he always compared the human heart to the board. The human heart has four chambers and our board has seven districts. So, the human heart needs all four chambers to work together for the heart to be at its best function just like all seven districts need to work together to make our board successful for the citizens of Montgomery County, but more than that my last statement right now about Bill is he had the biggest heart of all and everyone he ran into got to experience that.”
Throughout the meeting, both in the beginning and at the end in new business, members of the board shared fond memories, stories and condolences to the Brown family. Brown was truly regarded as a pillar of the community, not just for Blacksburg but Montgomery County as a whole.
“I too would like to say a word about Bill Brown,” Vice Chair Steve Fijalkowski said, “when I was assigned here as a trooper back in 1983, I got to know Bill. Always, always very upbeat. Always had something nice to say to you. I felt like he kind of picked me out of everybody else but I think that’s just the way he made everybody feel – that you were a special person and he’s going to remember you and he did. He’s definitely going to be missed. I certainly don’t think I will ever equal his accomplishments but I’m okay living in his shadow because he was a fine person.”