David Wm. Brown    Middletown, Rhode Island

I was a Connecticut farm boy who grew up during the 1930s Depression and World War II … became interested in conserving soils, and in reducing rural poverty and world hunger … studied agronomy at UConn, then agricultural economics at Cornell and Iowa State … first was a prof at the U of Tennessee, but soon was off to help build new university, outreach, and action programs in Singapore/Malaysia, Texas, Peru, Iowa, back to Tennessee, Rome with UN/FAO, Indonesia, and Pakistan … did short tasks in about 20 other countries. Since semi-retiring in 1993 to Newport County, Rhode Island, I have served on boards related to local/area land-use planning, soil conservation, urban tree stewardship, environmental restoration of old Navy sites, affordable housing access, and international policy issues. (Here are more details.)

In May 2023, U.S. Senator Jack Reed visited the John Clarke retirement center, where I live, to recognize my civic roles, especially with the Navy Newport Restoration Advisory Board.
I hope this affirms others that we oldsters can still do useful things. We needn’t be a drag on society. We don’t have to drive around to meetings or be in the limelight. By phone and email we can serve as mature sounding boards for new leaders to turn to. We can be vocal about issues without fear of losing a job. We can be in on useful webinars all around the U.S. and world from the comforts of home. And with internet and time for focused thinking, we can help others delve into subjects that need more researching.

My late wife, Jeannie Brown, was community-active and then some. She was an Oberlin sociology grad, with master’s degrees in juvenile justice and library science. She was a real partner in our moves to the U. S. South and several overseas assignments. Everywhere we lived, she forged good changes and relationships via hard work and a friendly light touch. Here in Rhode Island, 1993-2011, she was a reference librarian at Newport Public Library, chaired the Newport Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, helped found the Circle of Scholars for seniors, and helped guide Newport Art Museum educational work, among other causes.

I have a daughter who is a community political organizer with a national nurses union. My son is a civic-minded attorney in southern Florida. And his two daughters are a grandfather’s delight.