Alan A. Brown
Encyclopedia
Alan A. Brown, PhD was a Professor of Economics
who founded the international honor society
in Economics, Omicron Delta Epsilon
(ODE), which he began while he was a student at City College of New York
(CCNY) in 1955, and which now has 600 chapters worldwide. This was a significant accomplishment, as he came to the U.S. in 1949 at age 21, having survived the Nazi Holocaust as the sole survivor of his family (except for three scattered cousins), without money or knowledge of the English language
.
, University of Wisconsin and Frank Taussig, Harvard University
, which, while older and formally larger (more chapters) than Omicron Chi Epsilon, was less active than the younger OCE. Alan was the prime mover to facilitate a merger in 1963 between the two societies, renamed Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE), adding "International" to its non-Greek name. At that point, ODE really took off.
, Hungary
, on March 20, 1928.
According to the Jewish custom, he was named for his uncle Andor, who died before he was born. Andor’s grave was one of very few graves that exist in Alan’s family. The Holocaust, which took so many other lives in his family, did not allow for proper burial
of one’s kin.
in Miskolc was liquidated." Jewish men lined up in front of a Hungarian bilingual guard (which he called a kapo, derived from the German word for “head,” although he was perhaps "a Schwab
or Volksdeutsche
, that is, an ethnic German that lived in Hungary for a long time"). The Schwab sat at a table and took roll call, categorizing males. Unknown to the men, their age determined whether they’d live or die, with the cut-off being age 18. The Schwab most likely knew that to be 16 years old was more dangerous for him than if he were deported as an 18 year old in Hungarian forced labor. As a monolingual German Nazi closely scrutinized the interactions, the Schwab quizzed Alan, next in line – "Age?" Alan replied his true age: "16." For an unknown reason, the Schwab countered "18." Alan, baffled, corrected him: "16." This went on a few times until the Schwab said in Hungarian, "Do I have to teach you how to lie?" Thus, Alan’s first miracle: his life was saved for the first time in his years during and after the Holocaust.
Alan Brown survived six Nazi labor camp
s - first in Hungary, and then in Austria
, where the treatment was more brutal, and where he contracted typhus
and tuberculosis
, which eventually killed his own father. Alan's life was saved by a righteous gentile
, Frau Rosa Schreiber (née Freismuth), in whose name a scholarship award was established at the University of Windsor
, from which Dr. Brown retired in 1994. Alan was fortunate to encounter Frau Rosa Schreiber, an Austrian woman who ran a general store
on the outskirts of Alan's final labor camp. Rosa was a righteous gentile who risked her life, sneaking small amounts of food and medicine to Alan so that he and his father might overcome the typhus and tuberculosis that was endemic in the labor camp.
Sadly, these diseases overcame Alan's father, who died in his son's arms the day after the Russian soldiers liberated the labor camp. Although the exact date is unknown, Alan's family observes this day as the second day of Passover
, and this is almost 65 years to the day that Alan died in the arms of his wife and daughter, March 22, 2010.
In 1961, Alan and his wife Barbara located Frau Schreiber. They reconnected with her in 1995 and through a series of events, ensured her rightful place as a righteous gentile in Yad Vashem
. Yad VaShem requires verification by three individuals of a person's righteous behavior. It was not until Alan visited Rosa in 1995 that he found proof of her having been viewed as a righteous individual by the mayor of the community of Neuhaus
, near Jennersdorf
, where she saved Alan's life and tried to save his father. The document Alan found stated that Rosa "expressed her disgust and outrage at the terrorist actions of the NSDAP/AO
. She greatly helped the Jewish and gentile slave laborers with food and medicine." It is dated February 22, 1946.
. They also shared a love of classical music
. Alan used Hungarian terms of endearment for Barbara and adapt them into his own and she reciprocated: jóság ("goodness") and jámbor ("docile"), sometimes combined as “jámbor jóság.” (These are not actual terms of endearment in Hungary, but Alan used them as such.)
Alan’s first major "test" was after he had been in the U.S. for five years – taking his naturalization
. Although Barbara could not be physically present for the momentous occasion, she was in Alan’s heart and mind, and after the exam, she had a gift that most spouses cannot offer: she named her fiancé. From this time on, he would be Alan Andrew Brown. His last name was changed to eliminate the German referent, to assimilate, and to retain the accurate pronunciation of his name.
when he was Director of the Harvard Russian Research Center and Gottfried von Haberler, who worked on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT). Alan Brown went on to a long academic career: he became a full professor with tenure in 1971, just before moving to the University of Windsor
, Ontario and he retired in 1994.
, as well as having founded and served as national president of ODE, the national honor society for Economics.
Among his many awards were the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Earhart Fellowship and Ford Foundation Fellowship. He received an Outstanding Teacher Award, University of Southern California
and also at the University of Windsor.
Dr. Brown's special interest was Centrally Planned Economy
in Eastern Europe. He fully embodied lifelong learning
, literally soaking up information and having an incredible talent for summarizing and sharing his knowledge, even in areas that were not his expertise. This continued even in his later years, after he had contracted Parkinson's disease
.
is defined as a traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.
Close to the time that Alan retired as a Professor at the University of Windsor
in 1994, a young man came into his office. He asked, "Dr. Brown, would you write a letter saying that I never disrupted your class?" Alan said, "Well, you never disrupted my class – I know that because I don’t remember you! But what is this about?" The student revealed that he was a Holocaust denier, and unlike the U.S. where "freedom of speech
" reigns, denying the Holocaust was met with punishment, and in the case of university, expulsion. Alan agreed that he would write the letter for the young man on the condition that he accompany Alan to the Detroit Holocaust Memorial Center
. Alan never saw the student again, but Alan realized the imminent need for him to speak publicly about his experiences.
Long reticent about his personal history, in the early 1990s he became concerned about the Holocaust denial movement. As he said later in his 1995 speech in Windsor, "As a survivor, I … have to remember and tell others that democracy in the Weimar Republic
did not prevent the rise of Hitler
. … As a survivor, I also have to remember and tell others that genocide
did not stop with the liberation of the camps 50 years ago."
In retirement devoted many hours to lecturing on the Holocaust at elementary school
and college
s through the Detroit Holocaust Memorial Center
, The Holocaust Center Boston North and Facing History and Ourselves
. He also exemplified fairness and mentoring of others, bringing many under his wing, and showing through his actions that one cannot stand by while there is injustice.
Alan Brown leaves his wife, Barbara (Delson), a daughter, Fern Remedi-Brown, and a son, Stephen; another son, Dennis, predeceased him.
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
who founded the international honor society
Honor society
In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
in Economics, Omicron Delta Epsilon
Omicron Delta Epsilon
Omicron Delta Epsilon is an international honor society in the field of economics. Resulting from the merger of Omicron Delta Gamma and Omicron Chi Epsilon, ODE was founded in 1963 . Its board of trustees includes well-known economists such as Robert Lucas, Kenneth Arrow, and Robert Solow...
(ODE), which he began while he was a student at City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(CCNY) in 1955, and which now has 600 chapters worldwide. This was a significant accomplishment, as he came to the U.S. in 1949 at age 21, having survived the Nazi Holocaust as the sole survivor of his family (except for three scattered cousins), without money or knowledge of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Beginning of Omicron Delta Epsilon
ODE began by Alan Brown developing an honor society, Omicron Chi Epsilon (OCE) as an undergraduate. He subsequently learned of the existence of another honor society in economics, Omicron Delta Gamma, founded in 1915 by John R. CommonsJohn R. Commons
John Rogers Commons was an American institutional economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Biography:Born in Hollansburg, Ohio, John R. Commons had a religious upbringing which led him to be an advocate for social justice early in life...
, University of Wisconsin and Frank Taussig, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, which, while older and formally larger (more chapters) than Omicron Chi Epsilon, was less active than the younger OCE. Alan was the prime mover to facilitate a merger in 1963 between the two societies, renamed Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE), adding "International" to its non-Greek name. At that point, ODE really took off.
Beginnings in Miskolc, Hungary
Alan Brown was born Braun Andor – commonly known as "Bandi" – to middle class parents, Erna Kallós Braun and Sándor Braun in MiskolcMiskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, on March 20, 1928.
According to the Jewish custom, he was named for his uncle Andor, who died before he was born. Andor’s grave was one of very few graves that exist in Alan’s family. The Holocaust, which took so many other lives in his family, did not allow for proper burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
of one’s kin.
The Holocaust
A day before Alan’s 16th birthday, the German Nazis came to Miskolc. In his YouTube personal testimony, Alan states, "On June 6, 1944, D-Day with the German defeat rapidly approaching, our ghettoGhetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
in Miskolc was liquidated." Jewish men lined up in front of a Hungarian bilingual guard (which he called a kapo, derived from the German word for “head,” although he was perhaps "a Schwab
Schwab
Schwab may refer to:People:* Albert E. Schwab United States Marine Killed in action WW2 Okinawa 1945 / Awarded Medal of Honor* Andreas Schwab , German politician* Andrew Schwab, lead vocalist for the rock group Project 86...
or Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
, that is, an ethnic German that lived in Hungary for a long time"). The Schwab sat at a table and took roll call, categorizing males. Unknown to the men, their age determined whether they’d live or die, with the cut-off being age 18. The Schwab most likely knew that to be 16 years old was more dangerous for him than if he were deported as an 18 year old in Hungarian forced labor. As a monolingual German Nazi closely scrutinized the interactions, the Schwab quizzed Alan, next in line – "Age?" Alan replied his true age: "16." For an unknown reason, the Schwab countered "18." Alan, baffled, corrected him: "16." This went on a few times until the Schwab said in Hungarian, "Do I have to teach you how to lie?" Thus, Alan’s first miracle: his life was saved for the first time in his years during and after the Holocaust.
Alan Brown survived six Nazi labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s - first in Hungary, and then in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where the treatment was more brutal, and where he contracted typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
and tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, which eventually killed his own father. Alan's life was saved by a righteous gentile
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
, Frau Rosa Schreiber (née Freismuth), in whose name a scholarship award was established at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, from which Dr. Brown retired in 1994. Alan was fortunate to encounter Frau Rosa Schreiber, an Austrian woman who ran a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
on the outskirts of Alan's final labor camp. Rosa was a righteous gentile who risked her life, sneaking small amounts of food and medicine to Alan so that he and his father might overcome the typhus and tuberculosis that was endemic in the labor camp.
Sadly, these diseases overcame Alan's father, who died in his son's arms the day after the Russian soldiers liberated the labor camp. Although the exact date is unknown, Alan's family observes this day as the second day of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, and this is almost 65 years to the day that Alan died in the arms of his wife and daughter, March 22, 2010.
In 1961, Alan and his wife Barbara located Frau Schreiber. They reconnected with her in 1995 and through a series of events, ensured her rightful place as a righteous gentile in Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
. Yad VaShem requires verification by three individuals of a person's righteous behavior. It was not until Alan visited Rosa in 1995 that he found proof of her having been viewed as a righteous individual by the mayor of the community of Neuhaus
Neuhaus
- Places :*in Germany:**in Bavaria:***Neuhaus an der Pegnitz, in the district Nürnberger Land***Neuhaus am Inn, in the district of Passau**in Lower Saxony:***Amt Neuhaus, in the district of Lüneburg***Neuhaus , in the district of Cuxhaven**in Thuringia:...
, near Jennersdorf
Jennersdorf
Jennersdorf is a town in Burgenland, Austria, and capital of the district of Jennersdorf.- External links :*...
, where she saved Alan's life and tried to save his father. The document Alan found stated that Rosa "expressed her disgust and outrage at the terrorist actions of the NSDAP/AO
NSDAP/AO
The NSDAP/AO was the Foreign Organization branch of the National Socialist German Workers Party . AO is the abbreviation of the German compound word Auslands-Organisation...
. She greatly helped the Jewish and gentile slave laborers with food and medicine." It is dated February 22, 1946.
Marriage to Barbara Delson, December 26, 1955
Alan Brown met Barbara Delson at City College of New York, which they both attended. Their initial connection, which remained throughout their lives, was through reading. Barbara grew up in a small but strong Jewish community in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. They also shared a love of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. Alan used Hungarian terms of endearment for Barbara and adapt them into his own and she reciprocated: jóság ("goodness") and jámbor ("docile"), sometimes combined as “jámbor jóság.” (These are not actual terms of endearment in Hungary, but Alan used them as such.)
Alan’s first major "test" was after he had been in the U.S. for five years – taking his naturalization
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
. Although Barbara could not be physically present for the momentous occasion, she was in Alan’s heart and mind, and after the exam, she had a gift that most spouses cannot offer: she named her fiancé. From this time on, he would be Alan Andrew Brown. His last name was changed to eliminate the German referent, to assimilate, and to retain the accurate pronunciation of his name.
Education
Alan Brown graduated CCNY with a B.A. summar cum laude, with Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, and first in his class (in a class of 2000 students) in 1957. He went on to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard Graduate School in Economics in 1966. Alan’s dissertation advisors were Abram BergsonAbram Bergson
Abram Bergson , born Abram Burk, was an American economist. He was born in New York City....
when he was Director of the Harvard Russian Research Center and Gottfried von Haberler, who worked on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...
(GATT). Alan Brown went on to a long academic career: he became a full professor with tenure in 1971, just before moving to the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, Ontario and he retired in 1994.
Accomplishments
Dr. Brown was a very learned man, fluent in four languages. He co-authored and co-edited eight books in economics and over 50 articles, and organized a number of international conferencesSummit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
, as well as having founded and served as national president of ODE, the national honor society for Economics.
Among his many awards were the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Earhart Fellowship and Ford Foundation Fellowship. He received an Outstanding Teacher Award, University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and also at the University of Windsor.
Dr. Brown's special interest was Centrally Planned Economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
in Eastern Europe. He fully embodied lifelong learning
Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime...
, literally soaking up information and having an incredible talent for summarizing and sharing his knowledge, even in areas that were not his expertise. This continued even in his later years, after he had contracted Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Holocaust Education
A quislingQuisling
Quisling is a term used in reference to fascist and collaborationist political parties and military and paramilitary forces in occupied Allied countries which collaborated with Axis occupiers in World War II, as well as for their members and other collaborators.- Etymology :The term was coined by...
is defined as a traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.
Close to the time that Alan retired as a Professor at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
in 1994, a young man came into his office. He asked, "Dr. Brown, would you write a letter saying that I never disrupted your class?" Alan said, "Well, you never disrupted my class – I know that because I don’t remember you! But what is this about?" The student revealed that he was a Holocaust denier, and unlike the U.S. where "freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
" reigns, denying the Holocaust was met with punishment, and in the case of university, expulsion. Alan agreed that he would write the letter for the young man on the condition that he accompany Alan to the Detroit Holocaust Memorial Center
Holocaust Memorial Center
The Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan was the first institution of its kind in the United States .- History :...
. Alan never saw the student again, but Alan realized the imminent need for him to speak publicly about his experiences.
Long reticent about his personal history, in the early 1990s he became concerned about the Holocaust denial movement. As he said later in his 1995 speech in Windsor, "As a survivor, I … have to remember and tell others that democracy in the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
did not prevent the rise of Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. … As a survivor, I also have to remember and tell others that genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
did not stop with the liberation of the camps 50 years ago."
In retirement devoted many hours to lecturing on the Holocaust at elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s through the Detroit Holocaust Memorial Center
Holocaust Memorial Center
The Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan was the first institution of its kind in the United States .- History :...
, The Holocaust Center Boston North and Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves is an international organization that provides professional development services and curricular resources to educators. It was founded in 1976 by Margot Stern Strom and Bill Parsons...
. He also exemplified fairness and mentoring of others, bringing many under his wing, and showing through his actions that one cannot stand by while there is injustice.
Family
Despite his accomplishments, he always exhibited wit and grace. To know him, you might not see his former suffering, but rather his trademark humor which always accompanied him in every gathering. Even as Parkinson's unfairly took his abilities in his later years, he remained stolid, never flinching, ever going forward. For all of their 54 years together, he owed much of his strength to his wife, Barbara, who was patient, hopeful, and, in his later years, caring with him to the very last minute, always exploring the latest opportunities for physical mobility and medical advancement, to try to beat the odds.Alan Brown leaves his wife, Barbara (Delson), a daughter, Fern Remedi-Brown, and a son, Stephen; another son, Dennis, predeceased him.