Brown to be inducted into Van Buren High School Hall of Honor

The Van Buren School District is pleased to announce that Holly (Wilson) Brown will be inducted into its 2022 Class for the Van Buren High School Hall of Honor.  

Holly Brown, formerly Holly Wilson, is a 1980 graduate of Van Buren High School. She has been selected for high school and post high school achievements and service to education. As a student, Brown was an award-winning athlete and honor student. She was named All-State, All-Conference, and All-Region Basketball Player of the Year while at VBHS. She also was a member of the VBHS Tennis Team, which won the Double District Championship in 1979 and 1980. Brown also served as the first female Cadet Commander for the Van Buren JROTC program and was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. In 1980, she was honored as Van Buren Pointerette of the Year.

Following her outstanding high school career, Brown went on to break numerous records in college. She attended John Brown University (JBU) on a basketball and tennis scholarship where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education. Brown was a four-year starter for the basketball team. She was a member of the All-District Championship 1982-83 team, First Team All-Sooner Athletic Conference, and was named JBU Offensive Player of the Year. The following year she earned the NCAA All-District Team Award, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Golden Eagle Award, and the JBU 3-D Award. She also broke numerous school records, including leading in career rebounds and overall career rebound average for JBU.

Brown pursued a career in education and coaching, beginning at her alma mater, JBU, and later at the Colcord School District in Oklahoma. She spent 34 years helping to shape lives as an English teacher at the Cedarville School District before retiring in 2020. During that time she earned a master’s degree from Arkansas Tech University and her National Board for Professional Teacher Standards Certification. She was also honored in 2000 by the U.S. Presidential Scholars' Teacher Recognition program.

In addition to her many career accolades, Brown is also a dedicated citizen and community volunteer. She has been an active member of Oak Grove Baptist Church for 33 years and currently serves on the Salem Cemetery Association Board. She has volunteered as a youth league basketball and baseball coach and previously held the office of Vice-President for the Crawford County Teachers on English organization.

Brown has been married to her husband Mark for 35 years. The couple has two sons, Ethan and Jacob, and two grandchildren, Emerson and Lucas. The couple resides in Van Buren.

The induction ceremony for the Hall of Honor Class of 2022 will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 1 p.m. in the Van Buren Fine Arts Center. Brown will also be recognized during activities surrounding the Pointer football team’s Friday night home game on September 16.  

Tickets for the ceremony are $10 and can be pre-ordered by calling 479-474-7942. Tickets may also be ordered via email at dcone@vbsd.us.