Profile

profile Barbara Lewis

“The way I see it, dumplin’,” declared Barbara Lewis from the cozy inner sanctum of Town Center City Club, “Good sense and gumption can overcome almost anything.” Lewis, who turns 85 in June, is president of the private business club and has long had her finger on the pulse of the area’s economic health. “I’ve been here since it was a frontier town; when all this was just two lanes to the ocean and, my goodness, we didn’t even have a city,” she said, in reference to the incorporation of Virginia Beach in 1963. “If somebody had asked me then if the day would come when there would be high-rises and hotels, arts and entertainment, top schools, dining and shopping, first-rate hospitals and city amenities, well, I might have laughed, but I would’ve said, ‘Yes.’” Lewis is a believer and always has been. She arrived from Mobile, AL as a fresh-faced bride in 1956, “worried mostly what I was going to wear to meet my in-laws for the first time,” and never looked back. Her husband, Bill Lewis, worked for the railroad, and they bought their first house in Aragona Village, an early subdivision. “You had to walk to the end of the street to use a telephone,” she said. “My very first fundraiser in the area was to help raise money for the library at Louise Luxford Elementary.” Business-savvy and civic-minded, Lewis handled public relations for Princess Anne Business College and Montgomery Ward department store, briefly owned a cosmetics shop and eventually purchased and ran Charm Associates for 30 years. The mother of two sons and a widow by age 42, she persevered, forging connections with area businesses and supporting community endeavors. She founded and ran Outstanding Professional Women of Hampton Roads for 24 years and fundraised for nonprofits Lynnhaven River NOW 2007 and Hope House Foundation, among others. Her experiences convinced her of the need for a private business club where members could socialize, network and contribute to the community. “We had wonderful golf clubs and country clubs, but there wasn’t a club specifically for business, and for many years I wanted to change that,” she said. Her dream became a reality in 2004, courtesy of developer Dan Hoffler’s faith in her sales ability and local businesses’ faith in Lewis. “Mr. Hoffler agreed to lease me space in the first tower at Town Center if I had 200 members,” she recalled. “So, I had to find 200 people willing to write me substantial checks with only my word to go on.” It is that small town loyalty, business-with-a-handshake ethic that Lewis credits with successful city growth. “The heart of this city is still about the relationships between people and their efforts to create a wonderful place to live and work,” she said. “You make friends, keep your word and stand upon your reputation.” By way of example, Lewis pointed to the power of personality in her friends, Pearl Smith and Nancy Creech. As president of the Central Business District Association, now retired, Smith diligently worked with community and city politics to pave the way for Town Center development. Similarly, longtime Neptune Festival president and CEO, Creech has grown the oceanfront festival into one of the biggest events on the East Coast. “Town Center and Neptune Festival are now both economic engines for

[ by irene bowers ]

“The heart of this city is still about the relationships between people and their efforts to create a wonderful place to live and work.”

Barbara Lewis teaching a class at Princess Anne Business College in the late 1960s

Upscale, authentic Italian dining on the Virginia Beach oceanfront

Virginia Beach,” said Lewis. “If you look behind area successes, you’ll see people with vision and ability, who inspire others to come along. I mean, you don’t have to look any further than Pharrell Williams to see it continuing.” Her abiding passion for the arts now drives much of her considerable energy into fundraising for Virginia Musical Theatre, of which she is a board member, as well as for The Governor’s School for the Arts. “I’d have probably loved a career producing song and dance shows; musical theatre is such fun,” she said. In 2014, she began an annual fundraiser for local arts organizations and education titled “Dancing with the Hampton Roads Celebrity Stars.” Featured dance instructor and world-acclaimed performer and collaborator, Elbert Watson, presided as a judge for the inaugural show. With an estimated $1 million dollars raised over its short history, the dance show will go on, post

FAR LEFT-Lewis (C) accompanied by Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia, and his wife, Dorothy LEFT-Janet Leigh, who spoke at the 1992 Women’s Review Luncheon, holds an honorary OPW (Outstanding Professional Women) award with Lewis (R)

RIGHT-(L-R) Seated: Grant and Pearl Narrelle, Sharon Smith, Frank Hull. (L-R) Standing: Lewis, current Virginia Beach mayor, Bobby Dyer, Mark Hudgins, Jennifer and Charlie Mallan BELOW-Art installation in the entrance hallway of Town Center City Club.

RIGHT-Pearl Smith with Lewis (R), 1994. Among other things, Smith was director of community and public affairs of the CBN. She currently hosts high-powered luncheon meetings for the Hampton Roads Chamber.

COVID-19, according to Lewis. In the interim, she leads a sustained patrons campaign for Virginia Musical Theatre. “When you support the arts, you support more than artists. You support set designers, stage managers, costumers, sound, lighting, theater staff, just to name a few,” she said. “And when you support arts education, local school programs have exposure to professional artists in their field, and you also create future audiences.” Lewis is a fundraising powerhouse for local arts. She raised $2.5 million for the construction of the 1,300-seat Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, which now counts nine resident companies including ballet, symphonies, musical theatre, chorale and education. She runs a successful gallery in her club to showcase local artists and supports the Virginia Beach Sister Cities program, which promotes global cultural exchange. In 2016, the Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission named her the first recipient of the Champion for the Arts Award. From her Town Center City Club, she has enjoyed a front row seat to the incubation of the arts at Town Center. “Right here, we have the Sandler Center, Jones Art Gallery, Ramone Photography Studio and Zeiders American Dream Theater,” she said, adding that the arts are expanding elsewhere, such as the ViBe Creative District at the oceanfront. “It shows what can be done and what can be dreamed to come.” None of it comes without shared vision. She credits aggressive economic development and cultural affairs departments, city government and “our excellent mayor” as key players in Virginia Beach’s progress. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but we now have world class museums, theaters and entertainment venues,” she said. “With so many fine cultural offerings in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and with eight cities supporting the Governor’s School, we’re now a noteworthy area for attracting national talent as well as developing it.” The arts and culture provide critical components of city life and catalysts for future enterprises, according to Lewis. In her experience, attendance at events and performances brings growth in retail, dining, transportation options and even residential life. In a rare moment of introspection, she examined her fingernails, polished a deep burgundy. “You know, I get my nails done right here at Town Center on Sunday mornings,” she said. “I just love to watch all the folks who live

LEFT-Former mayor of Virginia Beach, Meyera Oberndorf, with Lewis (R)

RIGHT-Barbara Lewis (C) is accompanied by Carolyn and Marvin Garrett

ABOVE-Lewis with Gayle Higgs RIGHT-Lewis and Steve Ambrose

“When you support the arts, you support more than artists. And when you support arts education, local school programs have exposure to professional artists in their field, and you also create future audiences.”

— Barbara Lewis

here, walking their dogs, jogging, getting coffee or enjoying the plaza. People want to live where interesting things are happening.” In her opinion, a culture of fear and state government mandates shuttered many small businesses during COVID-19 lockdowns and drained the necessary audiences of the performing arts industry. “There was no balance—it was too extreme no matter where you looked. They destroyed people’s livelihoods to force the general public to behave sensibly,” she said. “To me, it showed a lack of faith in our business leaders, and there is now a heavy price to pay for it.” Ever the optimist, Lewis hopes Virginia Beach’s growth as a digital port and the development of offshore wind resources and biotechnical centers will strengthen the area’s economic health. “I’ve always said that nothing happens until somebody makes a sale,” she said. “You can’t have a thriving city without a tax base, and you can’t have a tax base without business.” It’s the leitmotif of her long career and the bedrock of her belief in the purpose of a private business club. “I like the word ‘enrichment,’ and I don’t mean it as in lining my pockets,” she said. “So many of our social events and galas are fundraisers for nonprofits—many in the arts—and our major patrons are businesspeople in Tidewater. Their support enriches the lives of everyone who calls this place home.”

BELOW-Dr. Adam Billet and Dan Hoffler, both sponsors of the 1997 OPW Awards, with Lewis BOTTOM-Lewis at the 2018 Red Carpet Gala at City Club

Irene Bowers is a local contributing writer.