Those who love Virginia history and historic preservation lost a good friend and tireless advocate with the passing of Evelyn Daniel Chandler on Sunday, December 2.  A native of Hampton, "Ms. Evelyn" as she was known by those who knew and worked with her over the years, was famed for her civic activism as well.  She served in the Hampton NAACP as a first vice president and chair of the life membership committee.  She was the first woman to serve as vice president of the Virginia State NAACP, and as a State Life Membership Directory.  She was the first and only woman or African American to serve as chair of the Isle of Wight County Planning Commission.  She was responsible for getting state and national historic status for her childhood neighborhood, historic Aberdeen Gardens in Hampton.  She was also responsible for raising money and awareness to save, preserve and adaptively reuse historic Boykins Tavern at Isle of Wight Courthouse.  She was an active and enthusiastic board member of the Preservation Alliance of Virginia.  She was also on the Virginia Department of Historic Resources Review Board.  She has been a friend, a mentor, an inspiration, and a power to be reckoned with for many decades.  Those of us who had the great honor to work with her will now have to try to pick up where she left of;  it's our turn to do the heavy lifting now.

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