Beverly Jean Brautigam

Before her marriage to Lewis Brautigam in 1948, she was a 1947 graduate of Hanford High School active in high school student body and club activities, and was Past Honored Queen of Job's Daughters in 1946. She was a member of Eastern Star for over 50 years.

Beverly and Lewis built their home in Armona and had two children: Daughter Linda Downing (deceased) and husband Ken of Hanford, and son Mark and his wife Karen who still reside in Armona. Grandchildren are Kelly Geyer and Mindy Geyer (deceased) of Hanford; Guy and wife Laura and Jana Powers and husband John of Lemoore. Great-grandchildren are Mackenzie and Aspen Brautigam, and Kolben and Kesler Powers.

Beverly worked for 29 years at Hanford High School, serving as Secretary to the Principal, Superintendents, and the last 12 years as an Administrative Assistant. For 2-1/2 years in the early 1950's, she managed Star Stenographic in Hanford. She attended College of the Sequoias and took job-related courses offered by other colleges and California Business Officials.

Beverly was a charter member and served two terms as President of the local chapter of California School Employees Association and two years as Area Representative. She was active and held offices in Kings County Secretaries organization and was an organizer of state educational workshops for school office employees. She served on the Personnel/Employee Relations Committee of California School Business Officials, and was a member of Kings County School Advisory Board of Workers Compensation Insurance for 12 years. She held a Standard Designated Subjects Credential and taught adult typing at Hanford Adult School for several semesters between 1976 and 1992.

She taught Sunday school at the First Methodist Church in Hanford before joining First Presbyterian Church in January 1963. She was elected Treasurer of the Women's Society, and served as Deacon for three years.

She was a den mother for Armona Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, and was on the guardian council for Job's Daughters.

An early member of both FAST and Kings Federal Credit Union, she served on the Board of Directors of FAST as well as on the Supervisory Committee of both credit unions.

Beverly retired from High School in September 1985. Soon thereafter, she was appointed as the District 4 representative to the Kings County Commission on Aging, served on the Personnel Committee and as secretary for five years. In the 1990's she found other opportunities for volunteer work and joined the BookBuddies at the Library and the Volunteer Service League at Hanford Committee Medical Center.

In 1993, she and Lewis represented Armona as Queen and King in the Kings County Homecoming celebration. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1998 and had been married for 57 years at the time of his death in 2005.