Meet the Innkeepers
Inspected and Recommended by the South Carolina B&B Association
Katherine Lemay Brown, Colonel, USAF retired, is a 25 year career military
officer with over 17 years experience in the protocol/hospitality service
industry. She has served as the director of protocol for four four-star
general officers and as a protocol officer to two other four-star general
officers. Her duties included event planning and management, strategic
political-military planning; lodging; menu selection; provision of entertainment;
transportation; and, security. She has been responsible for conducting
visits by the President and Vice-President of the United States,
the
Queen of England, senior military officers of all Services and Foreign
Nations, to include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Senators,
Congressmen, and Governors to name just a few. She also has military
experience in administration, budget and finance, intelligence and communications.
Highlights of her career include being a member of the Commission for
Women in Combat, a senior fellow at the Library of Congress, and Commander
of the Air Force Element in the Defense Intelligence Agency. Katherine
Brown holds a Bachelors’ Degree
in Language Arts from Arkansas State University and a Masters’ Degree
in Human Resource Management from Central Michigan University. She is
a graduate of the Washington School of Protocol, and is a certified protocol/civility
instructor. She trained with Chef Victor Matthews of the Paragon Culinary
School. Katherine has recently been elected as the South Carolina Bed and
Breakfast Association 2d Vice President. Her duties include the inspection
of all member bed and breakfasts/inns of South Carolina.
Dr.
Bruce Brown, Colonel, USAF retired is a 26-year career military officer.
He has served on three four-star staffs as a special assistant and aide
de camp. His primary career field was as a B-52 instructor pilot. He has
led at the flight, squadron, and wing level. His wing command included
over 4,000 personnel and annual budget in excess of $500M. In his last
assignment, he was the deputy director for Air Force Requirements; he worked
the annual Air Force budget then in excess of $70B. Highlights of his career
include serving as a negotiator and editor of the Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty (START I) and as Commander of the 15th Wing at Hickam Air Force
Base Hawaii. Colonel Bruce Brown holds an undergraduate degree in Business
from the University of Georgia, an MBA from Louisiana Tech University,
and a Ph.D. from Walden University.
The Browns have enjoyed living around the world and their innkeeping-style
reflects the best of their experiences: Tuckerman, Arkansas; Atlanta,
Georgia; Sacramento, California; Shreveport, Louisiana; Del Rio, Texas;
Marquette, Michigan; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Riverside, California;
Omaha, Nebraska; Minot, North Dakota; Washington DC; Geneva, Switzerland;
Mons, Belgium; Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii; Norfolk, Virginia; Colorado Springs,
Colorado; and, they selected Camden, South Carolina as their home. From
the moment Katherine set foot in the front foyer of Bloomsbury, she
knew they were home.
Alley Cat, a black and white tuxedo, joined the family in 1996. She was a feral girl, living under the Officers’ Mess on Hickam AFB when she decided that the she needed a better home—specifically Katherine’s laundry room. Seven kittens later, she is an intricate member of the family.
Innkeeper Message
Fall 2008
Welcome to Bloomsbury! Welcome to our home!
Sensational in any season -- Bloomsbury is an Inn to remember. The beauty of each season and the distinct plumage motivates all of us to enjoy outdoor activities. In fact, we enjoy outdoor activities during the entire year. With the summer heat subsiding, we will once again move our afternoon social to the front verandah.
The “Things to Do” section of this website continues to grow. It has pages of activities for all to enjoy -- keep you busy for days exploring South Carolina. Within minutes are antique shops, dining, and unique Camden architecture to explore and view. We have four state parks and one national park within fifteen minutes to one hour driving time of Bloomsbury. For those historical inclined there are also five museums within 45 minutes. Bloomsbury is the perfect luxurious lair from which to explore the rich and colorful history, distinctive architecture, and great shopping in this area.
As anyone with a passion for old homes knows, there are always updates to made. During our slower months of summer, we updated the wallpapers in the guest bathrooms, renovated Katherine's favorite room (the laundry room...aka old indoor kitchen), and have begun work on the forth floor. Although the forth floor is not livable space, we are ensuring that it is maintained: The 1930 wallpaper in the foyer is being framed to ensure it is visible for many years to come; the trim work is being painted to secure it from humidity; the holes in the walls between the rooms were framed to allow the viewer to see the actual horse hair in the plaster; the original doors have been restored, painted and rehung on the servant quarters; and, two rooms were painted in historical colors to maintain integrity of the area.
We make every endeavor to exceed your bed and breakfast expectations. We have planned for a safe, luxurious experience to enhance your visit. We want you to be totally comfortable, relaxed; we want you to enjoy Bloomsbury. Thank you to everyone for three-plus beautiful and successful years. It is our pleasure to have you arrive as Bloomsbury guests and depart as Bloomsbury friends. Being named 1 of the 10 top bed and breakfasts in the US would not have been possible without you! Thank you.
Bloomsbury…Home
Again,
Bruce,
Katherine and Alley Cat
