BARBARA J. GOURLEY

Barbara Gourley, Hardy, VA – BJ Gourley grew up in East Tennessee and is still a die-hard UT fan.  After high school, she moved to the Washington DC area where she met Lee Gourley when they worked at the FBI headquarters.  They moved to his hometown of Newport News, VA where she retired after 30 years with the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Williamsburg, VA.  She and Lee moved to the Outer Banks in 2015 to help out his father.  They have recently moved from that paradise to their new paradise at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia where they are building their “forever home”.  While in the Outer Banks, BJ worked as a long-term temp as the First Flight Society’s Administrative Assistant (2016 – 2021). She became devoted to the Wright Brothers’ story and the history of the OBX, and when she resigned her FFS position applied to serve on the FFS Board of Directors.  BJ has been married for 46 years to Lee Gourley and they have been blessed with 4 children and 8 (soon to be 9) grandchildren.