George Brown Jr. ‘65, Central College trustee emeritus, passed away April 30 at his home in Grand Rapids, Mich. Brown served on the board of trustees from 1997 to 2011.
“George worked tirelessly in support of education and served the Central board of trustees with a quiet strength,” said Central College President Mark Putnam. “Highly respected by fellow board members, George was a leader both in the board room and in his personal life of faith.”
Born in 1942 in Philadelphia, Penn., Brown majored in history at Central and went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Princeton Seminary and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He married Willa Schaver ’64 in 1965. The couple had four children, Sarah who died in infancy, Steven, Douglas and Jeffrey.
Brown was ordained by the Reformed Church in America as a minister of Word and sacrament in 1969. He then served as pastor at Pottersville Reformed Church in Pottersville, N.J. and as minister of Christian education at Central Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.
In 1988, Brown was appointed dean of faculty at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich. He then served as associate dean at Western in 1996 and was elected to the office of General Synod Professor of Theology in 1997. In 1999 until his retirement, he served as G.W. and Eddie Haworth Professor of Christian Education at Western.
Brown was passionate about Christian education, and he was named RCA Christian Educator of the year in 1996. During his career he won numerous awards and authored a number of books, articles and curriculum resources. He also served as an editor to many publications.
A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. May 5 at Central Reformed Church in Grand Rapids.