Dave and Marge Brown, who have established a reputation for serving their community, will be honored by the Chamber of Commerce in April.
BATAVIA, IL — A Batavia couple whose love and commitment to their community has been evidenced in myriad ways has been selected as the annual recipients of the Citizens of the Year honorees and will be honored at an upcoming awards ceremony.
Dave and Marge Brown will be honored by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards banquet, which will take place on April 25. At the same event, Batavia RSVP will be honored with the Spirit of Batavia award winner for 2023, with a Community Impact Award being given to the Fox Valley Patriotic Organization and the Batavia Flag Day Committee.
A committee of previous recipients of the Citizen of the Year award selects the Batavia Citizen of the Year from nominations received from the community. This group also chooses the Spirit of Batavia group honoree and can choose to give a Community Impact Award, Chamber of Commerce officials said.
“Their enduring dedication to Batavia, demonstrated through years of selfless volunteering is truly inspiring," Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce said in a news release. "Together, they have left an indelible mark on Batavia.”
She added: “Dave's transformative contributions to downtown development and Marge's dedicated work in education, community connections, and philanthropy are exemplary. Their love for Batavia is not only evident in their actions but also in the positive impact they have had on the lives of those they serve and serve with. Marge and Dave have not only shaped our community but also touched the hearts of everyone fortunate enough to know them.”
Those who selected the couple for the 2023 honor characterize them as a “power couple”. Individually, the Browns have worked on an extensive list of projects that benefit the community and its residents. More recently, the couple has served the community together, including both joining the Batavia Rotary Club and actively participating in the fundraising and building of the Flag Day Monument in downtown Batavia.
“The two of them have a longstanding history of wanting to serve Batavia and be involved in everything that’s of importance to the community,” Batavia Mayor Jeffery Schielke said in the news release. “They are also strongly committed to the idea of the family and making Batavia a worthwhile place to live and raise a family.”
The Browns have a blended family that is made up of children from each of their previous marriages as well as Katie, who is the daughter they had together. After having met in the old downtown Batavia Jewel Food Store through an introduction by a mutual acquaintance while each was shopping, the couple married in 1987.
The couple says they are humbled by the honor.
“I don’t feel that I do any more than most people in this community,” Marge Brown said in a statement released by the Chamber of Commerce. “I look around me and there are so many people that do so much, and I feel like I’m just one of them. I don’t think I stand out, but I do see so many good things going on that I’d like to be involved with if only I had more time.”
Dave Brown added: “When you volunteer, you surround yourself with good people… I just like being involved in the camaraderie that you build with other people that you’re volunteering with.”
Dave Brown, whose family ties to Batavia go back six generations, worked in construction until his retirement three years ago. Following in the footsteps of his father, Robert (Bob) Brown who served as an alderman and Mayor in Batavia, Dave Brown served 22 years as a Batavia alderman before serving one term on the Kane County Board.
Marge Brown grew up in St. Charles but moved to Batavia after taking a position as a second-grade teacher at Alice Gustafson Grade School in Batavia. During her teaching career, she taught first, second, third, fourth grades and at New Horizons Preschool at the Batavia Park District.
During Dave Brown’s tenure as an alderman, downtown Batavia saw a transformation. While he was working with a concrete company, Dave had the opportunity to work on a streetscape in Plainfield. He, along with fellow alderman Michael O’Brien, brought the idea back to Batavia to renovate North River Street into the woonerf that exists today, making it into a community gathering space to host the Batavia Farmers’ Market, events and more.
Brown was also heavily involved with were the Batavia Riverwalk beautification project and bike trails through downtown Batavia as well as the Batavia Boardwalk Shops alongside Bob Hansen and Tony Malay.
“The project benefited greatly from his construction expertise and from the sweat of his brow,” Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman wrote in a nomination letter. “I think Dave knew what a catalyst this project would be for small businesses, and he could foresee that it would draw people to Batavia from miles around, and he was right.”
Marge Brown serves as a co-chair for the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence with Ginny Gaspar. Not only is she active in the granting of funds to teachers in the Batavia School District 101 to support curricular initiatives, but she also worked to develop Bulldog Alumni Nation and Friends to connect BPS alumni and community members throughout the region and beyond.
She has also been a long-standing volunteer for the Fox Valley Food for Health nonprofit, which promotes a nutrition-focused community by educating teens and serving those struggling with a health crisis. Marge Brown has assisted with cooking classes and delivered healthy food to families who have a member undergoing treatment for cancer or another illness. Many times, she served as a “counselor” to family members as she visited them weekly with their meals, making her a real “delivery angel.”
She has also volunteered with the Batavia Woman’s Club and the Batavia Philanthropic Educators Organization (P.E.O.), both of which she is a longtime member and contributor. She currently is chair of the P.E.O.’s scholarship and local projects committees.
The couple has spent recent years looking for volunteer opportunities together to share their love of Batavia. They both joined the Batavia Rotary Club and serve on the Environmental committee together. They also combined their respective expertise to help fundraise and build the Flag Day Monument.
“Dave and Marge are pillars of our community and exemplify the qualities that the Citizen of the Year Award represents – kindness, leadership, and a genuine desire to improve the lives of those around them,” Tom Kim, superintendent, and Holly Deitchman, communications manager, wrote on behalf of Batavia Public School District 101 in a nomination letter. “Their tireless efforts have made Batavia a more vibrant, caring, and connected place to live.”
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