Established on 09.18.2022 by Jeffrey P. Brown '78 and Patricia C. Calvert-Brown
Education, public service, and music have been important themes in the lives of the Brown family. Education gives people tools to reach their goals, public service is a way to acknowledge the assistance that was received along the way by paying forward to help others, and music makes life better in innumerable ways.
Jeff came to Concordia from California to pursue his interests in music and science. He played trombone in the Concordia Band, Concordia Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble, and graduated with degrees in Music Education and Chemistry. After graduate school in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, he returned to California to pursue a career as a research engineer and consultant. He primarily worked in environmental engineering-related positions, first in private sector organizations for 15 years, then joining a public sector agency where he oversaw the research and development program for 20 years before putting his teacher training to use in developing technical training materials.
In mid-career, Jeff earned a Master of Public Administration degree, followed by more than 20 years as an elected trustee guiding the operation of a large community college district.
Patricia (MSSW, University of Louisville) was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California. She worked with inpatient and outpatient schizophrenic and psychotic patients and homeless populations in Southern California before becoming a full-time mom for Denise and Dana. She and Jeff met while performing in a musical theatre production, and together they spent the next 40+ years singing together in various large and small ensembles.
Denise (French Education, 2009) came to Concordia for the French and music programs after completing two years of college French by age 18 and singing with a youth chorus program that included concert tours in many countries. After working for AmeriCorps in St. Paul and earning an MA in French Language and Literature, she returned to California for a career of teaching, administration, and animal rescue work.
Dana (University of Southern California (BA) and New York University (MA), Theatre) also toured distant parts of the world as a young singer. Seeing a performance of Wicked while in junior high school started her lifelong love of theatre and its possibilities for changing lives. Her graduate degree was in Applied Theatre, which uses the medium of theatre as a lens for examining society and bringing about social change. After seven years in New York City as a professional actress (Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA) and producer, she returned to California
The purpose of the Jeffrey P. ‘78, Patricia C. (Calvert-Brown), Denise E. ’09, and Dana K. Brown Family Endowed Fund for Instrumental Music, Chemistry, and French is to support students and program activities within the music department specific to instrumental music (with a preference for winds/percussion in band or orchestra), chemistry department, and Department of World Languages and Cultures specific to French language and cultures. These funds provide substantial benefits for students to foster transformational learning experiences including, but not limited to, student research, student/faculty collaboration, experiential learning, student organization support, instruments, technology, travel assistance, student teaching, graduate assistantships, or internships.
† - Testamentary endowments may not be contributed to until they are fully established.