Roscoe Conkling Brown Jr. was born in Washington on March 9, 1922. His father, born George Brown, was a dentist, a public health service official and a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Federal Council of Negro Affairs, known as his “black cabinet.” He changed his name to Roscoe Conkling Brown to honor the United States senator from New York who championed the rights of blacks during Reconstruction. Roscoe Jr.’s mother was the former Vivian Berry, a teacher.
Dr. Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1943 and after the war earned both master’s and doctoral degrees from New York University.
Brown attended the segregated Dunbar High School and, infatuated after seeing Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis at the Smithsonian Institution, longed to become an aviator. He is best known for flying 68 combat missions as a fighter squadron commander of the nation’s belatedly celebrated first black military aviators, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, based in Tuskegee, Ala. He rose to captain and was credited with being the first black fighter pilot to shoot down a German fighter jet. In 2007, he and other surviving Tuskegee Airmen were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
For many years, Brown hosted a CUNY television show, called "African American Legends." On the show, Brown hosted hundreds of elected officials, civic leaders, activists, writers, entertainers, educators, and entrepreneurs. The show was a continuation of his work in the weekly series Black Arts, in which won the 1973 Emmy Award for Distinguished Program.
In 1986, Dr. Brown brought a resolution to the CUNY Board of Trustees that would be passed and officially created the CUNY Athletic Conference. Soon after, the World War II veteran persuaded his athletic director, the late Michael Steuerman, to be the 1st ever Commissioner of CUNYAC. From the start, both Steuerman and Dr. Brown understood the importance of rewarding outstanding student-athletes and therefore created The Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. Dr. Brown also expanded the conference to include the addition of five community colleges (Bronx, BMCC, Kingsborough, City Tech, and Queensborough).
After the war, Captain Brown resumed his education. His doctoral dissertation was on exercise physiology and he became a professor at New York University and directed their Institute of Afro-American Affairs. He was President of Bronx Community College from 1977 to 1993 and then director for the Center for Education Policy at the City University of New York. In 1992, Brown received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from his alma mater, Springfield College. After directing the Institute of Afro-American Affairs at New York University, where he was also a professor of education, Dr. Brown served as the president of Bronx Community College from 1977 to 1993 and then as the director of the Center for Education Policy at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York.
On September 1, 1977, Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., became the third president of the College. He was the first African-American president at BCC. Dr. Brown served the College as President for 17 years where he led outreach to the city's economic and educational institutions and developed new programs in health, technology and human services.
In 1980 he created the BCC Advisory Committee. In 1985, he created the BCC Foundation Inc. to spearhead fundraising initiatives. In the mid-1980’s, he also helped NY State establish the Bronx Educational Opportunity Center to develop vocational training and skills education.
During his 17-year tenure, the College intensified its outreach to New York City's economic and educational institutions through partnerships with business and industry to better ensure the success of graduates. New programs were developed in high growth professions in the fields of health, technology and human services. Dr. Brown created programs to increase outreach to Bronx junior high and high schools. He also created programs supporting minority students going into science careers.
During Dr. Brown’s tenure at BCC, more than 10,000 students graduated, going on to further their education and careers. In 2000, the building housing the cafeteria, bookstore, student government and other student-oriented offices was named the Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Student Center.
An avid runner who ran in nine New York City marathons, in 1978 Dr. Brown established the “BCC-10K Run," a day of fun, fitness and health for the community. Today the event has evolved to “Run the Bronx” with over 1,200 participants from the tri-state area and beyond. It was indeed our special honor to pay tribute to him at this year's Run the Bronx, which he has participated in annually.
Dr. Brown was an active member of a host of organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and Libraries of the Future. He also played an influential if subtle role in local political and municipal affairs as an adviser to black elected officials and as a founder and then president of 100 Black Men, a civic group formed in New York City in 1963 using the number as a symbol of solidarity in its effort to improve conditions among African-Americans.
He was the recipient of numerous plaques, certificates, citations, and awards from a long list of significant institutions. Among them was the New York City Treasure Centennial Honor from the Museum of the City of New York and the Humanitarian Award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
This oral history interview of Dr. Brown was conducted by Mark Naison at Fordham University, as part of the Bronx African American History Project. Dated October 30, 2008 while he was still head of a Center for Urban Education at CUNY, Dr. Brown talks about his early life, education, his Tuskegee days, his tenure as BCC president, his founding of BronxNet TV, his involvement in public housing and social campaigns for improving conditions for Bronx community.
http://fordham.bepress.com/baahp_oralhist/175/
Citation: Brown, Roscoe. October 30, 2008. Interview with the Bronx African American History Project. BAAHP Digital Archive at Fordham University.
