Dr. Ronald M. Brown died unexpectedly at his home on July 2,
2005. He was a devoted son and a loving husband and father. He
was also an extremely effective administrator and an engaging
teacher. He is survived by his wife, Marilou, sons, Robert and
Patrick and their wives, and five grandchildren. He was a valued
friend and colleague—a thinker and a doer. One of his friends
said, “In a crisis, I want Ron Brown on my side.”
Ronald Miles Brown was born in Riley, Kansas, on March 19, 1931,
to James L. Brown and Margaret Beninga (Brown) Armitage. Following
primary and secondary education in small towns and one room rural
schools, he enrolled in the University of Colorado in 1947. After
graduating in 1951, he became a secondary school teacher—only
slightly older than some of his students. He was a product of
the high plains, yet he was not defined by them.
He returned to Colorado and earned a master’s degree in
1957. He remained on the administrative staff there in the area
of financial aid. Ultimately, he was named director and earned
a national reputation as that field developed during the early
1960s. Also during this period, Ron married Marilou Diemer, and
Robert and Patrick became his sons.
In 1964 and 1965, the family lived in Salzburg, Austria, where
Ron served with the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies. This
assignment was very important to him, and he regaled friends
with stories of his Salzburg experiences for the rest of his
life.
After returning from Austria, he began doctoral studies at the
Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor. While Ron studied, Marilou taught in the
Ann Arbor public schools, and the boys continued their educations.
During his doctoral program, he was pressed into service, again
in financial aid. During this period, he worked with Stephen
Spurr.
Ron completed his Ph.D. in 1971, and shortly thereafter was
appointed Vice President for Student Affairs at UT Austin—again
working with Steve Spurr, who had moved from Michigan to become
president. Dr. Brown served in executive level positions for
the next eighteen years: as Vice President for Student Affairs
from 1971-76, as Vice President for Administrative Services from
1976-79, and again as Vice President for Student Affairs from
1979-1989. He served under four presidents: Stephen Spurr, Lorene
Rogers, Peter Flawn, and William Cunningham.
These years were always exciting and sometimes difficult. In
addition to leading the division of student affairs (twice),
Vice President Brown cleaned up scandals, participated in the
University’s Centennial celebration, and oversaw Intercollegiate
Athletics. A measure of his remarkable administrative skill was
the fact that although he did not have great interest in the
competitive aspects of athletics, he was a highly effective leader
in that area
. In fact, even though clearly able to distinguish
one sport from another, he took considerable pride in his inability
to recognize a fast break, an I-formation, or a squeeze play—or
even the sport with which each is associated. Shortly after he
left central administration—as a mark of their deep affection
and respect—his colleagues and friends created the Ronald
M. and Marilou D. Brown Scholarship Fund to support children
of UT staff members who were pursuing degrees at the University.
During his years as a vice president, Dr. Brown worked with
many students who were interested in becoming college and university
administrators. He was a professor in the Department of Educational
Administration, and in 1989, he became a full-time member of
the Higher Education Administration program. He taught courses
on the organization and administration of higher education, the
philosophy of higher education, and higher education legislative
issues. He served for several years as the program’s director.
He retired in 2001.
Ron Brown loved his family, his church, flowers (when arranged
well), animals (especially Scotties and Westies), pipe organ
music, dancing (especially the Charleston), travel, food (if
well cooked) and wine—not necessarily in that order. He
also loved words, and discussing them. In his obituary (which
he wrote), he said, “Words were precious to him and he
favored term limits on the use of commas.”
Mostly, Ron Brown had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his
eye. He liked to laugh. In that obituary, he misspelled the name
of a famous wine. Those who know well his penchant for words know
that Ron Brown would never make that mistake. Many of his friends
think that was his little joke, with that twinkle in his eye.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary
The General Faculty
