Brion Locke Blackwelder, Esq

The incomparable Brion Locke Blackwelder, Esq. spent his 74 years of life doing what he knew to be right: serving his community and fighting to preserve the outdoors and planet Earth.  After a lifetime spent in pursuit of justice, Brion is now at rest. He passed from Parkinson’s Disease on March 24, 2024, shortly following a birthday spent with his daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren in Pennsylvania.

In 1950, Brion was born to his mother, Evelyn Hellen Blackwelder,1 and his father, the Reverend Francis W. Blackwelder, who already had two children, Brion’s older brothers, Brent and Blake.  Brion grew up in Washington, DC and on the shores of the Patuxent River in Hollywood, Maryland.  Like his brothers, he attended and graduated from the prestigious St. Albans School for Boys.  During these formative years, he developed a love of the environment and a passion for justice rooted in his family and his education.

Brion next attended Duke University where he studied Geology, set several track and field records, and most importantly met and married the love of his life, the Brooklyn born beauty, Patricia Lurie.2  Following his graduation from Duke, Brion lived in South Carolina where, inter alia,3 he served as lead staff member for the South Carolina Environmental Coalition and on the South Carolina Coastal Council.  Brion played a major role in establishing Congaree National Park, because the Congaree was, in his words, the “greatest unprotected forest on the continent.”4  In recognition of his work in saving the Congaree, the Sierra Club presented Brion with the Joseph LeConte Award in 1977.

Brion moved to South Florida in 1978, where he continued his environmental activism5 working to preserve and protect Florida’s communities and natural resources.  Brion strived to, in his words, give government a “nudg[e] for environmental quality.” 6  In 1982, the National Wildlife Federation recognized Brion’s efforts naming him Land and Water Use Planner of the Year. 7  

In 1984, Brion achieved two important milestones.  First, and most importantly, he became a father upon the birth of his beautiful daughter Katelin Lurie Blackwelder.  Second, he received his law degree from Nova Southeastern University and was admitted to the Florida Bar as an attorney.  Brion spent the next seven years engaged in private civil practice while also continuing his numerous civic and environmental activities.  

Brion returned to the law school at Nova Southeastern University in 1991, but this time as Professor Blackwelder, where he would serve as a professor for the rest of his life.   The courses Professor Blackwelder taught at the law school reflected his passions, including Administrative Law, Family Law, and Ocean & Coastal Law.  Professor Blackwelder was a frequently published author, and his scholarly articles appeared in notable journals and law reviews.  Not content to be limited to the classroom, Brion remained a practicing attorney for his entire tenure at NSU including work on the AIDS Law Project, in the Environmental Clinic, and most recently as the director of the Children and Families Law Clinic.  Of course, Brion continued to be involved in many other civic activities and organizations,8 and he was a well-known and much-respected figure in Broward County and Hollywood, Florida.

Outside of his extensive public and professional service, Brion carved out a rich personal life. He was a kind, supportive, and quite accepting, father-in-law to his daughter Katie’s husband Vincent James Cannizzaro III, Esq., and later a grandfather to four wonderful grandchildren: Vincent IV, Anthony, Adrianna, and Giovanni.  Brion was a kind uncle to his nephews and nieces.  He went on many family-focused vacations over the years including trips to Europe, touring the United States in his daughter’s pursuit of equestrian excellence, taking his grandchildren to Disney, and spending holidays at his family’s homes and seasonal retreats up and down the east coast.  He also spent time gardening with his wife, dining out, exploring museums, taking care of the family pets, golfing,9 fishing, being outdoors, and, more than anything, being at his wife’s side.  

Brion is survived by his daughter, grandchildren, son-in-law, brother, siblings-in-law (Diane, Terry, Robert, and Joanna), many nieces and nephews, and a Welsh Corgi (His Majesty).

A funeral will be held on May 25, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. with a repast to follow at Kenwood Country Club.  A celebration of life will be held for him and his wife at Nova Southeastern University later this year.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation of time or money to the Sierra Club or to your favorite organization working to preserve the natural environment.

1 Following the death of Evelyn Blackwelder, Brion’s father married Mary, who would become Brion’s stepmother and grandmother to Brion’s daughter Katie.

2 Sadly, after more than fifty years spent with her “babe” Brion, Pat passed away on April 27, 2023, at their historic Hollywood, Florida home.  See 

Patricia Lurie Blackwelder Obituary, https://www.fredhunters.com/obituary/patricia-blackwelder.

3 Lawyer speak for “among other things.”

4 See Brion Blackwelder, Congaree Swamp, Greatest Unprotected Forest on the Continent, 1976; but see Brandy Gleason, Congaree National Park is the Worst National Park in America, https://gleasonfamilyadventure.com/congaree-national-park-is-the-worst-national-park-in-america/ 

5 During this time, Brion’s environmental efforts included service on:

·         Broward County Environmental Quality Control Board (member)

·         Environmental Coalition of Broward County (lead staff member)

·         Regional Advisory Committee of EPA Region IV (member)

6 (2013) “Community Engagement,” Nova Lawyer 30.

Available at: https://www.law.nova.edu/news/images/novalawyer/NSU%20Law%20Nova%20Lawyer%20Magazine%202012-13.pdf

7 Presented together with the Florida Wildlife Federation and Sears, Roebuck and Company for “outstanding contributions to the wise use and management of the nation’s natural resources.”

8 During this period, Brion’s many civic activities included:

·         Broward County Bar Association Sea Level Rise Committee (member)

·         Broward County Climate Change Task Force (member)

·         Broward County Homeless Initiative Partnership Board (member)

·         Broward County Legislative Task Force on Elections (NSU representative)

·         Broward County Planning Council  (member)

·         Broward County Planning Council: Trafficways Committee (member)

·         Broward County Sierra Club Group (political committee chair)

·         Broward County Water Advisory Board (member)

·         City of Hollywood Community Development Advisory Board (member)

·         City of Hollywood Strategic Planning Committee (member)

·         Hollywood Historical Society (president)

·         Hollywood Lakes Section Civic Association, Inc (president)

·         South Florida Wildlands Association, Inc. (president)

9 Brion did not, however, enjoy Jeep Golf.