Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 31, 1995 TAG: 9501310141
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Giesen, who was also the first woman on Radford City Council, died Saturday in her home, a day after turning 88.
She had been in failing health for about six months, said her daughter, Ann Fowlkes.
A Radford native, Giesen - born Charlotte M. Caldwell - married into a politically active family where political banter was commonplace and interest in community affairs was acute, said Fowlkes, who recalled "lots of real enthusiasm about issues" in her parents' household.
Giesen joined City Council in 1954 and won a seat in the General Assembly three years later, representing Radford and Montgomery County. That year, she was the only Republican elected anywhere in Virginia.
Both her late husband, Arthur, and his father previously had served as Radford mayors and councilmen. Giesen herself later became vice mayor. Her son, Del. A.R. "Pete" Giesen, R-Augusta, continues the family's political tradition in Richmond.
"She was a vivacious lady and a real politician," recalled retired Judge Kenneth Devore, the man Giesen beat by 200 votes in 1959 when she ran for re-election to the House of Delegates. "She ran on her own merits" and never played up the fact that she was a woman, he said.
Radford Mayor Tom Starnes, a close friend of the Giesen family, called Pinky Giesen "a trendsetter" during an era when women were not supposed to be involved in politics.
Her party affiliation was her greatest challenge during Giesen's two General Assembly terms, when the Democrats dominated Richmond and expressions like "massive resistance," "integration" and "states' rights" peppered press reports.
Rhetoric during her first House campaign - against hometown rival John "Bunny" Spiers, now Radford's city attorney - reflected those turbulent times. Both supported state's rights and disapproved of sending federal troops to Little Rock, Ark., to quell racial disturbances, according to news reports from that time.
In Richmond, Giesen advocated some measures now taken for granted, including restrictions against closed governmental meetings and records. During her second term, she called for a thorough study of Virginia's tax structure "before the General Assembly enacts a sales tax."
During her runs for state office, Giesen received staunch support from then-state Sen. Ted Dalton, a neighbor and the father of John N. Dalton of Radford, later Virginia's governor.
Current Councilwoman Polly Corn, one of the handful of women to follow Giesen on City Council, said Giesen opened doors for women in Virginia politics, but was unassuming, capable and "very easy to work with." Corn also remembered Giesen as "probably the biggest bridge player in the city of Radford" and among the best.
Beyond politics, Giesen charted her own course and enjoyed a varied career as a parent, teacher, and journalist. After teaching school briefly, she served on the staffs of the Montgomery News Messenger, the Radford Messenger and the Radford News Journal and as a correspondent for The Roanoke Times. During the 1970s, she served eight years as a member of the Board of Visitors of Radford College, which she attended for two years.
Fowlkes said her mother's busy schedule never kept her from being "a very attentive mother" who took part in her children's activities. When her mother joined the House of Delegates, she invited her grandchildren to visit the House chamber. "We were very proud of her," Fowlkes said. "She did everything she did well."
Burial is set for 11 a.m. today at Westview Cemetery. A memorial service follows at noon at Christ Lutheran Church, Second and Harvey streets.
Memorial contributions are welcome to the Charlotte Giesen Scholarship at Radford University or to the Christ Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.
by CNB