In Memory of . . . Dwight Brown (1927-2012)

Dwight Brown Photo
The Rev. Dr. Dwight Brown died on October 14, 2012 at the age of 84. Rev.
Brown was born in Zanesville, OH on November 4, 1927 to Mae and the
Rev. O. Dwight Brown. He attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from
Oberlin College in 1950. In 1958, he went on to earn a Bachelor of
Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry. He received an
honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology from Starr King School for the
Ministry in 1971.

Rev. Brown was called to the First Unitarian Church of Trenton, NJ in 1948
(where he was also ordained on October 5, 1958) and served as the
minister there until 1961. He was then called to the Unitarian Church of
Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1961-1964. Switching gears, he then
became the District Executive of the UUA New York Metropolitan District
from 1964-1968. He returned to parish ministry with a long run as
minister of the First Unitarian Church in Dallas, TX from 1968-1976. He
found himself back in the UUA world with the position of Director of the
UUA Office of Ministerial Finances (which is now the UUA Office of
Church Staff Finances) from 1976-1978. In 1978, he returned once again
to parish ministry as minister of the First Unitarian Church of
Cleveland, OH until 1988. He then became a District Executive of the
Southwestern Unitarian Universalist District from 1988-1992. He
officially retired from ministry in 1992.

While Rev. Brown was District Executive of the Southwestern Unitarian
Universalist District, the district established its first Leadership
Experience, a training program for lay leaders. Named after Rev. Brown,
the District’s Dwight Brown Leadership Experience is “designed to teach
and reinforce skills and abilities for leaders and leaders-to-be in UU
congregations.”

Rev. Brown lived a full and accomplished ministerial life. He proudly walked
alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King during the march from Selma
to Montgomery, AL in 1965. He also boldly and respectfully provided
abortion counseling both before the passing of Roe v. Wade and after.

In a sermon delivered at the 1982 UUA General Assembly, entitled
“Impersonating the Divine: An Essay in Theological Anthropology,” Rev.
Brown notes,

Human
history is MY history. What I am today is linked in a living chain of
being with all lives past. I am Socrates, probing the mysteries of the
mind. I am Moses, proclaiming the majesty of the moral law. I am Jesus,
witnessing to the love which animates the process in which I live and
move and have my being. I am Galileo, meditating on the pathways of the
stars. I am Johan Sebastian Bach, composing temples of beauty out of the
raw stuff of the imagination. I am Susan B. Anthony, proclaiming a new
era in human development.

But
what is even more significant is that what I am now, as I participate
in the complex patterns of humanness which exist in this moment of time,
as I connect with the humanness of others in those myriad currents of
meaning and sharing which make up the human network, what I am now is
and remains a part of the totality of humanness, which is ongoing,
continuing, immortal, so in the most simple and literal way, the
humanness which is in me will live on, long after that instant of
awareness which I call in me has finally faded.

Known as a “great intellect who was curious about everything and never
stopped learning,” Rev. Brown enjoyed writing, books, computers,
sailing, good food, good company, and good conversation. He was
especially fond of time spent with his family and friends.

Rev. Brown is survived by his loving wife, Marie E. Brown; daughter, Janet E. Darez; daughter, Deborah L. Brister; daughter, Stephanie L. Murray; son, David A. Brown; sister, Elaine Clum; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his father, the Rev. O. Dwight Brown; mother, Mae Brown; and mother-in-law, Grace V. Wilson.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Hill Country, 960 Barnett St., Kerrville, TX 78028.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Marie E. Brown at 916 Barnett St., Kerrville, TX 78028.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *