Beverly Belcher Woody, a Martinsville Middle School teacher, and Tom Perry’s Laurel Hill Publishing announced the publication of “Patrick Pioneers Part One.” Written by Woody, the 400-page book includes 100 thoroughly researched stories of Patrick County people and places.
The book will be available for purchase during the ‘Tom Talks History’ program, at 2 p.m. on July 28 at the Ararat Ruritan Club, which is located at 4711 Ararat Highway in Ararat, Virginia. Book sales will help raise funds for the Perry Family Scholarship, which gives $500 each year to at least one Patrick County High School senior. To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must write a 1,000-word essay on a historical topic of their choice. Eight scholarships have been given in honor of Historian and Author Thomas D. “Tom” Perry’s parents Erie Meredith and Betty Hobbs Perry.
Woody was born and raised in the Big A community of Patrick County, Virginia. She grew up with a passion for history, conducting her first interview with mountain folks at the age of 10.
Upon graduation from Patrick County High School, Woody spent the next seventeen years working in local textile mills. When the factories closed, Woody earned an associate’s degree in paralegal studies from Patrick & Henry Community college and worked for local district and circuit courts as a deputy clerk for the next fifteen years.
Initial copies of the 400-page book will be for sale during the ‘Tom Talks History’ program, at 2 p.m. on July 28 in Ararat.
While working for the court system, Woody earned her bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University, took master’s courses from Averett and Liberty University, and completed her master’s in education at Regent University. At the age of 50, Woody left the court system and earned her teacher licensure in history and English.
Woody teaches US History to sixth graders at Martinsville Middle School and writes a weekly local history column called Patrick Pioneers for Patrick County’s oldest newspaper, The Enterprise.
Woody serves as Regent of the Patrick Henry National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and is on the Board of Directors of both the Patrick County Historical Society and Museum and the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Museum. She was named “Teacher of the Year” in 2023 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Woody and her husband Mark live in the Snow Creek section of Franklin County, Virginia with their assortment of animals. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.
