Montgomery Serves Awards 2023

Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Service Award 

Honoring extraordinary contributions to the quality of our community

Joann Woodson

Joann Snowden Woodson’s family has lived in Montgomery County since 1845, when her great grandfather, Thomas Snowden, purchased land in Clarksburg to start a dairy farm. The family ran the hotel and a trading post in town, which was the first stagecoach stop outside of Georgetown. Over the years, the Snowden farm was passed down to her grandfather, Marshall Snowden and then to her father, Milton Snowden. Joann and her late husband Waverly built a home on part of the Snowden property, where they lived for 55 years raising three children.
 
Joann is a pillar of the Clarksburg community, and like her ancestors, has contributed to the quality of life in Clarksburg and to the lives of others. Not only has she worked to preserve her family’s legacy but has helped shape the future of the town as it grew.
 
Joann faithfully participated in the Clarksburg Civic Association while it was active.  In 2002, as part of outreach for the association, she -- along with Tuck and Eloise Woodfield -- founded the Clarksburg Historical Society to ensure that the history of Clarksburg is recorded and honored, particularly the contributions Black residents have made since the 1800s.  Joann served as president of that group for 17 years.
 
The Historical Society provides history lessons for local schools and hosts the annual Clarksburg Heritage Day, a day of educational family fun with an average yearly attendance of 400 people.
 
As a volunteer program director for the County’s Recreation Department for 33 years, Joann led the Clarksburg Super Seniors Program, which has met weekly for the past 40 years.  The large number of senior citizens who have attended this program have benefited from the activities and trips, all organized and coordinated by Joann. They came to depend on her senior program for fellowship, friendship, and fun.
 
In recognition of the Snowden Family’s contributions to the Clarksburg community, two schools were named after her ancestors: Snowden Farm Elementary School and Wilson Wims Elementary School. Snowden Farm Elementary School actually resides on Thomas Snowden’s land and what is currently known as Snowden Farm Parkway.
 
Joanne and her husband both worked at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Waverly Woodson, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart veteran of World War II, died in 2005 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Ms. Woodson has been fighting to help her husband to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor— the most prestigious military decoration — for his heroic efforts on D-Day.
 
In 2008 Joann was recognized for her many hours of service when she received the Neal Potter Path to Achievement Award. Because her contributions to the community have made a significant impact, the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award is a well-deserved tribute to Joann’s lifetime of service.