[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1064-E1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

ON THE RETIREMENT OF BELLE GROVE PLANTATION DIRECTOR, ELIZABETH McCLUNG

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HON. FRANK R. WOLF

of virginia

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Elizabeth
McClung, the executive director of Belle Grove Plantation in
Middletown, Virginia, who will retire at the end of this month.
Elizabeth has led Belle Grove for 17 years and I have had the
privilege of working with her many times over the years. We both worked
to establish Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Park, which would not
have been successful without her hard work and dedication. She has also
made extraordinary improvements to the manor through her passion for
restoration and historic preservation.
I want to commend Elizabeth on an outstanding job. I wish her all the
best in her retirement in Highland County.
I submit a recent news article from the Winchester Star on
Elizabeth's remarkable career.

[From the Winchester Star, July 9, 2013]

Exiting Belle Grove Director Receives Praise

(By Laura McFarland)

Middletown.--Belle Grove Plantation Executive Director
Elizabeth McClung is going out on a high note. With the house
in good shape, visitation up, and a ``great board in place,''
she said she is leaving Belle Grove in good hands.
She will retire July 31 after almost 17 years with the
historic house in Middletown.
Although there are plenty of new milestones ahead for the
historic manor, McClung said she doesn't have any regrets in
leaving them to her successor. She is proud of what she
accomplished at Belle Grove during her time and will remain
an ``enthusiastic supporter and continue cheering from the
grandstands.''
``I wanted to leave on an upswing, and I also didn't want
to stay long enough to become an antique,'' she said with a
laugh. McClung gave her notice to Belle Grove's board of
directors in March and a search committee was formed to fill
the position, said John Adamson, chairman of the board.

[[Page E1065]]

An announcement about her replacement could be made as early
as this week.
During McClung's time at Belle Grove, she demonstrated that
running the house was as much about helping it become part of
the community as ``preserving limestone walls and beautiful
grounds,'' Adamson said. He praised her for doing the latter
as well.

Tripled holdings

Under McClung, Belle Grove has tripled its property
holdings with the acquisition of 183 adjacent acres and of
Bowman's Fort near Strasburg, Adamson said.
Both of these historic sites are within the boundaries of
the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, he
said.
McClung championed the need for the park, was part of the
team that wrote the original legislation to establish it, and
helped create a general management plan to act as a road map
for its future.
Adamson says the ``active partnerships'' McClung built with
a number of organizations in the community are a big part of
what made the park possible.
``I think Elizabeth has been the glue that pulled all of
these together and made Belle Grove something personal to
each of these organizations,'' said Adamson, of Strasburg.

Manor house improvements

That energy was also focused on Belle Grove, whether it was
creating or putting together an event or working to improve
the house itself, said Nancy Lee Corner, lead volunteer.
McClung approached the projects with a passion and
organization that simply makes people ``feel at ease as soon
as they meet her.''
The 1797 Manor House's interior was restored to its
historically accurate appearance and the structure and its
outbuildings were repaired using historic preservation
practices, she said.
``All the things she has done to bring that about on the
decorative part of the house--the carpet, the painting, the
furniture--all of that has contributed greatly to the house
and interpreting it,'' said Comer, of Stephens City.
Those kind of changes take money, so McClung constantly was
looking for new fundraising ideas, ways to improve upon
existing ones, or grant writing opportunities, said Sandy
Dunkle, chair-elect of the board. She is a ``forward thinking
person'' who is cheerful and knows how to handle herself
regardless of the situation, she said.
Dunkle praised the Hite of Excellence Dinner Series--now in
its 16th year--that McClung created as a fundraiser.
``It has been one of our biggest sources of income and that
is all because Elizabeth McClung brought that to us. Still
today, it is a strong part of our financial picture,'' said
Dunkle, of Frederick County.

Making changes

McClung had a tough road ahead of her when she took over
Belle Grove in 1997, said Fred Andreae, who has been chairman
of the board twice and served on the search committee when
she was hired as well as the current one that will seek her
successor.
Before she came, Belle Grove was run in a ``more casual
way, a little less businesslike way,'' Andreae said. When
McClung was hired, she put a more professional atmosphere in
place and didn't balk when it became apparent that the manor
house's finances were not as good as originally believed, he
said.
The first three years were the most challenging for her
because they were all about bringing the house into the 21st
century ``while still keeping the important historic
structures true to their period,'' McClung said.
``There were no computers. There were no financial systems
in place. We were the mule train on the information
highway,'' she said. ``We had no Internet or hadn't dreamed
of getting email because we didn't have any computers.''
In more recent years, she faced the same problem as other
nonprofit groups in struggling to fund operating costs, she
said.
There were cuts in funding from the state and federal
levels and private foundations, who were no longer providing
unrestricted funds, she said. They began focusing instead on
fundraising for special projects.
``When you have a house that was built in 1797 and a lot of
property with cattle, fences and other structures, there is
always something falling apart that you have to manage,'' she
said.
Over the years, McClung has maintained a small, capable
staff and an active and energetic group of volunteers that
run the house's day-to-day operations and special events,
Andreae said.
``When we go through tough economic times, it is a
difficult operation to run,'' he said. ``You have to be on
your toes and be out raising money and keeping your staff and
volunteers happy. They are the people the public sees.''
Other highlights from her time at Belle Grove that McClung
looks back on proudly are restoring the historic landscape
around the house and gardens, beginning a junior docent
program to engage young people to ``maintain and preserve
important touchstones,'' and creating the Belle Grove 1797
Whiskey and Belle Grove 1797 Whiskey Chocolates.

Future plans

After working at Belle Grove for almost 17 years and in the
nonprofit sector overall for more than 40 years, McClung, who
declined to share her age, said she is eager for unstructured
time.
She earned a bachelor's degree in 1969 at the Tyler School
of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia.
Before coming to Belle Grove, she was the director of
development for four years at the Museum of American Frontier
Culture in Staunton.
McClung and her husband, Kent, will move to their home in
Highland County, which they have owned for more than 30
years. The move will allow her to spend time on her artwork,
which she hasn't had time to pursue in recent years.
``When you are the director of a nonprofit of any kind, it
is fairly strenuous. It involves a lot of weekends, evenings
and holidays,'' McClung said. ``It will be wonderful to have
time off.''

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