Well, for years she's been screaming about the supposed lack of accuracy in activities by the History Commission. She claims to have all of this information disproving various projects... every time she's asked to present her primary source evidence that backs up her claims, she won't, most likely because she can't.
Her latest crusade is regarding the text on a historic marker in the county. She claims that it's both incorrect AND part of a racist agenda by the history commission. Again, she claims to have proof that the marker text is wrong, citing two descendants of the individual cited on the marker (it marked the location of a home). Once again, however, absolutely ZERO primary source material that can back up her claims.
She knows the requirements for verification of the text that goes into a county marker, yet she refuses to accept that it applies to her. When she doesn't get her way she starts papering the county supervisors and local newspapers in incendiary accusations.
Now that I'm no longer on the history commission I felt that it was time to speak out to the county supervisors. I sent a very strongly worded letter to the supervisors defending the History Commission's activities and processes and pretty much called her a reckless liar, slanderer (she very publicly accused two very respected members of the Commission of racism and promoting a racist agenda) and basically an insane woman.
For your reading pleasure, my letter to the board of supervisors...
"Dear Chairman McKay:
Over the past few days I have been reading, with great interest and growing anger, a series of e-mails from Ms. Corazon Foley regarding, among other things, the Huldah Coffer House Marker in Burke.
I served as the Providence District representative to the Fairfax County History Commission for approximately 15 (2005-2021) years. For part of that time I was a member of the Markers Committee, which was led by Jack Hiller, who laid out many of the guidelines for the scholarship required to establish provenance for the text on Fairfax County markers. I was part of the committee that vetted the Coffer research, done by noted historical researcher Debbie Robison, that resulted in the text on that marker.
The Coffer marker’s text, as with the text on ALL Fairfax County History Commission markers, is based on verifiable documentary evidence that was uncovered during Ms. Robison’s research processes. The standards to be met for the text for any marker are listed in section III of the History Commission’s Historical Marker Guidelines (
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/history-commission/sites/history-commission/files/assets/documents/historicalroadsidemarkers/fairfax_county_marker_guidelines_071116.pdf).
When she began her campaign against the text on the Huldah Coffer house marker Ms. Foley was asked to produce primary source documentary evidence to bolster the claims she has made – to date she has not done so, but continues to press her case for using oral/family history from modern-day descendants of the Coffer family. Oral histories are valuable tool for any researcher but, unless claims made in an oral history can be backed up with primary source materials, they can only be viewed as an individual’s (potentially faulty) memories or their recounting of stories (also potentially faulty) that have been passed down through the family.
I also take exceptional umbrage to Ms. Foley’s veiled insinuation that the marker’s text is essentially driven by a racist agenda. Ms. Foley has a long history of crying racism when asked to provide primary source documentary references to back claims that she has made or when she feels that her claims are not being given sufficient attention. Several years ago, she publicly accused a sitting member of the History Commission of racism. Her claims were found to be baseless, but to date she has not even as much as apologized for slandering that individual. This is but the tip of this iceberg. There is much more to the saga of Ms. Foley’s recurring accusations against the History Commission and its members, both past and present, but they are outside of the scope of her current claims.
Serving on the Fairfax County History Commission is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life and I refuse to stand idly by while an individual with a long-standing grudge levies such baseless accusations and impugns the reputations of the individuals with whom I was privileged to serve. Thank you for allowing me to share my side of this sorry story.
With appreciation for your time and attention"
