Betsy Brabson, 69, artist became leader in sea turtle protection
October 19, 2023
A walk on the beach in the summer of 1991 changed Betsy Brabson’s life. She and her family and just moved to DeBordieu from Charlotte. She saw a crowd and went to investigate.
Jeff McClary, co-founder of S.C. United Turtle Enthusiasts, was doing a nest inventory.
“He pulled three sea turtles out of the ground, and it just changed me,” she recalled in a 2005 interview. “It was so amazing. I didn’t know turtles even nested on beaches.”
Over the next 30 years, she became a leading sea turtle monitor and advocate for their protection, earning international recognition along the way.
Besty Brabson died Oct. 7 after a five-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 69.
Elizabeth Newman Brabson was born May 6, 1954, in Charlotte, the oldest child of Helen and Wallace Newman. She attended Myers Park High School, St. Mary’s School and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where she graduated with an art degree. She was a member of Pi Phi sorority, and at each of these stops along the way, she forged lifetime friendships. She loved the beach and spent her summers working in Pawleys Island, so it was only natural that she would one day become a permanent resident.
After moving to DeBordieu, she quickly put her art talents to work with screen printed T-shirts that showcased her personalized Lowcountry scenes and wildlife, and it always brought a smile to her face when she saw people wearing them from Myrtle Beach to Mount Pleasant and beyond.
After encountering McClary, Mrs. Brabson and her husband, Bill, became SCUTE members. She volunteered to walk the undeveloped Hobcaw Beach five days a week. She became the SCUTE coodinator for DeBordieu in 1995, which turned out to be a record year for nests.
“I asked myself what have I gotten into,” she said in a 2014 interview.
She assembled and trained a family of volunteers who were just as passionate as she was.
In 2001, she raised the alarm about the impact an invasive landscape plant, beach vitex, whose dense roots were blocking the ability of nesting turtles to dig in the dunes.
She took her concerns to state and federal agencies, which formed a beach vitex task force to eradicate the plants. Mrs. Brabson was named the coordinator.
In 2010, she and McClary led a state-sponsored project to reduce the threat of feral hogs to sea turtle nests on North Island. She received an award for her volunteer efforts in 2013 from the International Sea Turtle Society for her contributions to their conservation.
When asked about her credentials, Mrs. Brabson would simply reply, “I’m just an art major from Chapel Hill, trying to make a difference.”
She was remembered as a beautiful soul, as pretty on the inside as she was on the outside, always a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.
In addition to her husband of 43 years; she is survived by her son, Wylie, of Mooresville, N.C.; her daughter, Tyler, of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.; and her two brothers, Wallace (Jo) and Compie (Catherine) of Charlotte.
A funeral service will be held Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. at Prince George Winyah Church with a celebration of her life to follow on the waterfront at the Georgetown Maritime Museum. The preferred attire is a Betsy Brabson T-shirt.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sea Turtle Rescue at the S.C. Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston SC 29401 or Saint Mary’s School, Class of 1974 Endowed Scholarship Fund, 900 Hillsborough St., Raleigh NC 27603.
