Julius Ray Brown

Beloved husband and father, Julius Ray Brown, a resident of Hanover, Maryland, passed away on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 83. Julius was born on February 18, 1940, in Birmingham, Alabama and was the son of the late Samson T. Brown and Clessie Powers Brown.

Julius moved to Detroit, Michigan with his family when he was two years old. Julius’ childhood was traumatic because his father was an abusive alcoholic. Yet, Julius rose above these circumstances and accepted Jesus Christ as his savior when he was a teenager. While Julius was still a small child Julius earned the nickname “Bill.”  Much to the chagrin of his mother, young Julius would often playfully bend at the waist, lower his head and run into walls. His mother would exclaim, “Stop running into that wall like a billy goat!”  She teasingly called him “Billy” then “Bill” thereafter.

Bill excelled at academics and graduated from Pershing High School (in Detroit) in 1958. From there Bill attended and obtained an associate degree from what was then Hamtramck Community College. He continued his education at Wayne State University and attained a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1963. While still attending Wayne State University Bill was proud to work as a “jumper” for the Detroit News . He was one of the first persons to racially integrate the Detroit News, after the Detroit News yielded to pressure from the Detroit Urban League to integrate its workforce. Bill was a model employee and paved the way for other Black people to be hired without resistance. Bill continued his education by obtaining a master’s degree in education from Wayne State University in 1971 and a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Michigan in 1973.

Bill secured his first significant educational post when he was named the dean of Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD). Bill preferred to dedicate his professional talents to community colleges rather than four-year institutions because he desired to raise the standard of life for the disenfranchised and poor, who often lacked educational opportunities. Bill, or Dr. Brown as he was professionally known, was entrusted to establish and successfully open several new WCCCD campuses across Wayne County.

Continuing his trailblazing excellence, for the majority of the 1980s Bill distinguished himself professionally as the Vice President and Executive Dean of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the first African American to hold such a high post. In another first for African Americans, in 1989 Bill was selected to serve as the President of Wallace Community College of Selma, where he served with distinction until his retirement in 2000. Feeling the need to further contribute to the lives of young people, Bill temporarily delayed his retirement for a few years to serve as a dean for Oakland Community College in Oakland County, Michigan . In retirement and until his recent death, Bill was a tireless advocate for young people. He championed the idea of the power of education and how it could shape their lives in positive ways. Bill encouraged and created pathways to success for a countless number of young people. Additionally, having firsthand knowledge of the scarcity of African American community college presidents across the nation, Bill established an organization to groom and promote African American college administrators to the role of community college president.

Bill met his wife, Betty Jean Collins, of more than 60 years when both were students at Wayne State University. The couple married on June 2, 1963. On May 5, 1965, they were blessed by the birth of their daughter, Laura. On August 17, 1969, they were also blessed with the birth of their son, Kenyen. Bill loved his family with fierce devotion and proved to be an extraordinary husband and father. Gentleness and kindness were the hallmarks of his family leadership style, on which his family thrived. Bill had no greater joy than supporting and spending time with his family.

Through God’s grace, Bill was a cancer survivor of almost 30 years beyond his first diagnosis. In this timeframe, Bill survived to support his wife through her own cancer battle and survival. He also witnessed his son graduate from law school and watched his career, observed his daughter obtain her master’s degree in library sciences, experienced the weddings and happy marriages of both his children, served as best man in his son’s wedding, celebrated the birth of both of his grandchildren, took pride in knowing that his oldest grandchild carries his name, and comforted his daughter upon the loss of her husband, David Ellis, to cancer.

Bill was a man of quiet but strong faith in God. He solved problems by going to God in prayer, and God answered. He had a servant’s heart and served as a deacon and trustee in the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ for many years while living in the Detroit area. Bill also orchestrated the church’s national conventions for 13 years. Bill also served as an usher and deacon at the Tabernacle Church of Laurel, Maryland for many years.

Bill was an avid daily reader of multiple newspapers and kept up with newsworthy events on a local and global scale. Bill was also a sports enthusiast but took the greatest pleasure in cheering on his beloved Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide football teams. He additionally enjoyed boating with his son or going on family trips. In his younger years, roller skating and swimming were his hobbies.

Bill had an undying love for Motown music. As a teenager, he actually led a local doo-wop group called “Billy Ray and the Robins.”  On one occasion while performing, a member of a rival doo-wop group heard Bill sing a song he composed, “A Thousand Stars In the Sky.” The rival band member slightly rearranged the song and sold it to a record label who then had one of their contract performers, Kathy Young, sing and record the song. Although somewhat angered by these circumstances, Bill was also thrilled that the song reached a Top 10 status for a few weeks in 1960.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Betty Brown of Hanover, Maryland; two loving children, Laura Ellis of Severn, Maryland and Kenyen Brown and his wife Ania, of Potomac, Maryland; two adorable grandchildren, Julius Ray Brown, II and Adam Lawrence Brown of Potomac, Maryland; a devoted sister, Emma Jean Calhoun of Akron, Ohio; cherished nieces and nephews, Janice Calhoun and Stephanie Bradshaw; Rodney, Christopher and Marcus Carr of Las Vegas, Nevada and Detroit, Michigan respectively; Lauren Collins of Washington, D.C., Lisa Johnson of Detroit, Michigan and Toya Hankins of Detroit, Michigan; Melinda McMurtry of Anton, in the country of Panama and Sherman Brown of Detroit, Michigan. Bill was preceded in death by his two brothers, Samuel L. Brown and Henry Brown and son-in-law, David Ellis.

Bill’s family would like to take this opportunity to publicly and exorbitantly thank him for being a wonderful Godly father and husband who gave love without measure or condition, and demonstrated humble servant leadership throughout his life.

The family will receive friends at the Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory, PA., 1411 Annapolis Road, Odenton, Maryland on Thursday, December 14, 2023, from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the Tabernacle Church of Laurel, 11601 South Laurel Drive, Laurel, Maryland 20708 at 10:30 am. Interment will follow  at the Union Cemetery in Burtonsville, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, the family would love an offering to the Tabernacle Church of Laurel. Click “give now” at Tabernaclechurch.net or text “give” to 301-234-6220.