For nearly six decades, Nancy Brown has been a force in the League—beginning in Columbus, Ohio in 1966 and continuing here in Concord.
Nancy Brown has been an ardent Leaguer since 1966, when she joined the Columbus, Ohio league- the largest League in Ohio— where she eventually served as the Co-President and President of the Ohio State League for two years each. A natural leader and a strong believer in the League’s fundamental commitments to voting rights, freedom of expression, the rule of law, and democracy, Nancy proved a marvelous addition to Concord-Carlisle's League when she and Bob moved to Concord.
I sat down with Nancy, and her enthusiastic Havanese dog Millie, to discuss her many contributions to League work. She recalls the first issue she worked on was whether the country should recognize “Red” China. She chaired the study committee that recommended a pro stance—before Nixon, in 1972, recognized China. She confesses “he, alone, probably could have achieved that rapprochement.” Recalling that “very few women worked outside of the home, it assured a bright, highly educated cadre of women with whom to engage. The study was a perfect project for a woman with an BA/MA in history from the U. of Chicago, and she delivered the final study the night before she went into labor with her first child, Tracy.
As Nancy and Bob’s family grew, she served as the Columbus League President while she nurtured 2, 4, and 5 year olds. Dan was snuggled in between Tracy and Stephanie, and even though she was busy, her desire to become a lawyer happened “almost on a whim.” Speaking with her freshly graduating Barnard College younger sister, Nancy was asked, “What do you wish you had done when graduating?” In her inimitable way, Nancy pondered the question and said, "Something practical...like law."
“Something practical…like law.” — Nancy on her decision to go to law school
Bob seized on her response, secured an application to Ohio State Law School, Nancy sat for the LSAT, and the rest is history. She adored law school. “I would bring home, as a first-year student, the cases, and we would discuss them around the dinner table. It was a lively, wonderful time.”
With a law license in hand, Nancy started in a large Columbus firm. After two years, she found the work less than stimulating, and she was recruited by Borden’s (“of Elsie the cow fame”), where she served as corporate counsel for thirty happy years. Throughout her working life, Nancy remained deeply engaged with the League. She remembers that the main issues were voting rights and gerrymandering—“The results were good but frustratingly ephemeral.” Some things, it appears, never change.
Retiring from Borden’s but still full of energy, Nancy turned her attention to DEI issues. She had watched foster care challenges in Columbus, and became the court appointed Guardian Ad Litem. Striving to help children find healthy homes, following their care, and advocating for their safety, Nancy’s work was both frustrating and rewarding. Advocacy for those at risk became her focus.
...,Nancy turned her attention to DEI issues.
When she and Bob decided to move closer to their daughters, they chose Concord as their new home. Tracy, who was to die from a long, painful struggle with cancer a year ago at age 58, lived in Carlisle, and Stephanie was anchored in North Andover. Dan was in Boulder, Colorado, teaching in the Business School, with a PhD from Oxford tucked under his arm. He has three children, one of whom is now a PhD math student at MIT…a serendipitous opportunity for Nancy and Bob to stay close by.
It did not take a long for Nancy to join the LWVCC. She participated in many committees, but one drew her specific talents and commitment. Believing that Concord needed stronger DEI leadership, Nancy used the League’s platform to advocate with the Select Board for the formation of a DEI Commission (which she co-chaired). She subsequently helped to draft and promote a Warrant Article—broadly supported at Town Meeting—for the appointment of a Concord DEI Director. Alas, the latter has yet to materialize.
When I asked her to compare the Columbus League to Concord’s, she candidly noted, “It is strong but not as daring as I would like to see. We need to be a clear voice in opposition to what is happening nationally. We cannot afford to be quiet. It’s all unimaginable and discouraging, but we must not be quiet. We must stand up and be loud.”
“We must not be quiet. We must stand up and be loud.”
She is equally passionate about the concerns around the Town’s antisemitism concerns, and she has volunteered to help lead, once again, the League's DEI initiatives. From her diminutive frame and soft voice, she concluded, “We need to safeguard what has made Concord strong. I am sure we will reverse our present course, but perhaps not in my lifetime. Nonetheless, we must mobilize fearlessly and lead community involvement to safeguard our future.”
by Diane Proctor, Secretary of the LWVCC Board, September 2025
