Obituary of Barbara Land Brock

Barbara Land Brock, a resident of Georgetown SC, died Nov 3, 2015. She was the daughter of the late Claude T. and Ruby Britt Land of Rocky Mount, NC where she was born. Barbara was an artist and the founding CEO of two Arts Councils in both Shelby, NC and Georgetown, SC. She was also an actress and model who appeared in numerous television, radio and print media venues. She was educated in the Rocky Mount public schools, UNC- Greensboro, NC and was a cum laude graduate of Wake Forest University where she was active in campus activities including the lead in several college drama productions. She was voted by the student body as a member of the university’s May Court. She met her husband, John Brock, at Wake Forest and they were married in 1955 when they moved to Columbia, SC. She served as the caseworker with the Columbia Crippled Children’s’ Society. The couple later moved to Charlotte where she was a caseworker with the Mecklenburg County Welfare Dept. Later they moved to Shelby, NC where she was also a caseworker with the Welfare Dept. Upon the birth of their first of three sons, she became a stay-at-home mother but served her church and community in numerous positions. She was a member of the Shelby Junior Charity League and the Association of University Women. She was named a Woman of the Year in Cleveland County. She and a friend organized and led the first Senior Citizens Club in the county in the early 1960s. She was active in theater groups in Shelby and appeared in numerous productions at Theatre Charlotte, in dinner theater and other venues. When her husband became a member of the faculty at Gardner-Webb University, she helped him with the college theater productions and taught classes in Acting for the university. When her last son was in college, she organized with the help of many members of the community, the area’s first Arts Council and served as the founding executive director for a number of years before retiring with her husband near Georgetown, SC. She was also responsible because of the generosity of the Royster Family and former Shelby Mayors George Clay and Ted Alexander with the establishment of a permanent home for the Arts Council at its present location in the 1906 post office building on the courthouse square in Shelby. In her new home in Georgetown, she was called on to lend her expertise toward the founding of the Georgetown County Cultural Arts organization where she served as founding executive director for a year before retiring again. She became active in arts groups and won a number of regional awards for her painting. She served a term as president of the Georgetown Watercolor Society. She also founded and volunteered for many years as the leader and teacher of Brushstrokes painting group at First Baptist Church Georgetown, SC. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Brock and is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law: John Jr. and Pam of Salt Lake City UT, David and Annette of Green Mountain, NC and Stephen and Robin of Los Angeles, CA. She is survived by four grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church in Georgetown SC, 11:00 AM Thursday, Nov 5 with Dr. Ted Sherrill and Dr. Bob Teems officiating. Burial will be at Sunset Cemetary, Shelby, NC 11:00 AM, Nov 7. In lieu of flowers, contributions will be appreciated for the Barbara and John Brock Scholarship Fund, Gardner-Webb University, Gardner-Webb University, PO Box 997, Boiling Springs NC or to Tidelands Community Hospice in Georgetown SC. Online condolence may be left at www.ridgefh.com. Ridgeway Funeral Home of Georgetown is in charge of the arrangements. (843) 485-4242