<p>
<em>Gerald Chadwick Brown</em> was born in Wichita, KS, on 2 Mar 1933, the oldest of three sons of Harold and Juanda Findeiss Brown. Jerry’s father was employed by the American Red Cross and during Jerry’s early years the family lived in Kansas, Colorado, and Texas. During World War II, his father was stationed at Red Cross headquarters in Washington, DC, and Jerry completed ju­nior high school in Tacoma Park, MD. After the war, the family moved to Ft. Riley, KS, where Jerry graduated from Junction City High School. He excelled in academics and was a fine athlete, lettering in football, bas­ketball and track. In his senior year, Jerry received scholarships to several colleges but chose a congressional appointment to West Point when it became available. He knew very little about West Point but decided to go to the Academy because he felt that it would be more of a challenge. Little did he know! Jerry liked to tell the story of his arrival at the Point. He walked through the sallyport, hand extended, and said to the “welcoming” cadet, “Hello, I’m Jerry Brown.” The Firstie greeted him with, “Drop that bag, Mister. Pop that puny chest out, and suck in that ponderous gut.” With that, Mr. Brown’s Beast Barracks officially began.</p>
<p>
In those days, cadets were assigned to companies according to height. Since Jerry was a “flanker,” he was assigned to A-1 Company. According to the two plaques over the mantel, one of the rooms he lived in also had been occupied by GEN Pershing and GEN Douglas MacArthur. Later, when the barracks were demolished, the 1st Division containing that room was pre­served and is now part of a museum.</p>
<p>
At Camp Buckner during the summer of 1952, Jerry had a blind date and was in­troduced to Joan Colman. It was kismet, and Joan, who lived in Rockville Centre, Long Island, spent the next three years trav­eling back and forth to West Point. Jerry played football, basketball and was a goalie on the varsity soccer team. He also enjoyed singing and joined the glee club and a bar­bershop quartet.</p>
<p>
On 7 Jun 1955, after receiving his diplo­ma from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jerry drove his new 1955 Ford to Rockville Centre where, on 11 June 1955, he and Joan were married at St. Mark Methodist Church.</p>
<p>
Jerry chose the Air Force as his branch of service. In August 1955, he and Joan left New York for Jerry’s first assignment to primary pilot training at Malden AB, MO. Six months later, he traveled to Reese AFB, TX, for basic training in the B-25. Their first child, Gerald Douglas (Doug), was born on 7 Jun 1956, exactly one year after Jerry’s West Point graduation. After receiving his wings, Jerry left for a three-year flying assignment at Keesler AFB, MS. While at Keesler, Joan and Jerry’s daughter, Deborah Lynn, was born. After this tour, Jerry went into the missile and space program and after three months of training in San Diego, was assigned to Vandenburg AFB, CA, to work in the unmanned space program.</p>
<p>
Next they went to Randolph AFB, TX, where Jerry was on the Inspector General team at Training Command head­quarters. Jerry next attended Command & Staff College at Maxwell AFB, AL. While there, Jerry also earned his master of business administra­tion from George Washington University. His next assignments were to Tachikawa AB, Japan; Udorn AB, Thailand; three years back at Maxwell AFB on the faculty at Air University; and then Hamilton AFB, CA. Jerry was a command pilot, logging over 6,000 hours, including 2,000 as an instruc­tor pilot and 1,000 combat hours. Among his awards were the Meritorious Service Medal, two Air Medals and two Air Force Commendation Medals.</p>
<p>
After 20 years, Jerry retired from the Air Force in 1975, and the family moved to the Gulf coast town of Venice, FL. For several years, Jerry worked as manager of a construction company and then became a state-certified contractor, forming his own company—G.C. Brown Construction, Inc. He loved boating, deep-sea fishing and gar­dening and also was active in the Kiwanis Club and in the community.</p>
<p>
After 13 years in Venice, Jerry and Joan returned to Lake Martin, AL, where they previously had owned a vacation home. Jerry loved to have family and friends visit, and now it was time to teach his two grandchil­dren how to fish and water ski, as he had done years before for Doug and Debbie. Once again, Jerry spent his free time helping the community. He taught Junior Achievement at the high school, organized the local vol­unteer fire and rescue department, and was president of the Dadeville Kiwanis Club. His granddaughter Lisa said many times how much her grandfather had encouraged and inspired her.</p>
<p>
The summer of 2001 was a sad one for Jerry and Joan. Their son Doug died sudden­ly at age 45, and seven weeks later their 22 year-old grandson was killed in a car accident. It was a tragic time, but later granddaughter Lisa and her husband Alex had two boys, and Jerry was able to teach his great-grandsons how to “fish and catch the big one.”</p>
<p>
Jerry passed away un­expectedly at age 77 on 22 Mar 2010. He is sur­vived by Joan, his wife of 54 years; brothers Carl and Robert; daughter Debbie; granddaughter Lisa; and great-grandsons Anthony and David.</p>
<p>
He was loved and will be remembered and missed by each of us. You were a good man, Jerry Brown.</p>
<p>
“And when our work is done, Our course on earth is run, May it be said, ‘Well done; be thou at peace.’”</p>
<p>
<em>—Family and a classmate</em></p>