Dallas — Elizabeth Swift Brown, founding partner of French-Brown Floors in Dallas, died May 23 at age 95.
In a memo, World Floor Covering Association (WFCA) CEO Scott Humphrey wrote that Mrs. Brown “lived a long and full life with many lasting contributions both to her community and to our industry. In addition to starting her own successful business with her husband in 1952, she was a founding member of the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) and recipient of multiple national awards and recognitions.”
At the IFDA she served as president of the Southwest Chapter; president of the National Chapter; National Foundation president; and received its National Honorary Recognition Award. (Only nine people have received this recognition in the history of the association.) In 2001, the IFDA created an educational scholarship fund in her name. She was also the recipient of the Community Service Award by the American Society of Interior Designers for “projects that improve design and/or quality of life in the community,” Humphrey wrote.
Brown held the position of president of the Greater Dallas Floor Covering Association. She was also elected to Western Floors Magazine’s Hall of Fame in 1975. She was named Person of the Year by Modern Floors Magazine. Brown was the keynote speaker at the National Wood Flooring Association conference in Kansas City and was given its Industry Leadership Award.
Brown is survived by her three sons and their wives–Richard and Shari Brown, Stephen and Tana Brown and WFCA Board Member, Mitchell Brown and his wife Betsy—in addition to six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services for Mrs. Brown were held in Dallas on May 28. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to the Macular Degeneration Foundation.