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Gentle Giant, Confidant and Friend
At a towering height of 6 feet 7 inches, Clarence Brown must have seemed intimidating to those who didn’t know him. But he was a gentle giant and father figure who influenced the lives of many African American students, including his own Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity members.
Clarence Brown was the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity advisor, as well as the director of human resources at Bradley from 1978 until 1999.
“He was a very good counselor and listener. He looked out for us and understood what we were going through being at Bradley and being away from our family,” said Randall Tate, member of Kappa Alpha Psi and a 1982 graduate.
Calvin Butler, also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, agrees with Tate. He, too, admired Brown, especially his steady hand and quiet strength.
“Clarence was committed and you knew he was always ready to listen,” Butler said. “He had a passion for young people, enjoyed watching us be successful and challenged us to make a difference.”
Brown was the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity advisor, as well as the director of human resources at Bradley from 1978 until 1999. As an advisor, he made sure fraternity members followed the rules and regulations of the fraternity and school. He was much more than an authority figure, however. Brown was a true confidant, friend and mentor for African Americans.
Even after graduation, Tate and Butler never forgot the man who made such an impression on them. Recently, they decided to name the office of the executive director of alumni relations in the new Hayden-Clark Alumni Center in memory of Brown, their late fraternity brother and advisor.
Ground will be broken for the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1. The Center will include a large-scale ballroom opening to a balcony overlooking the Alumni Quad, an Alumni Hall of Pride, library, wired conferences rooms and alumni relations offices.
Tate and Butler met at Bradley in the late 1980s when Tate came back to Bradley to visit Kappa Alpha Psi members. They kept in touch through the years and still meet for breakfast about every six months. Both donated to Bradley for many years, but this year they decided to combine their gifts in memory of Brown who motivated them to live successful lives.
While at Bradley, Butler was homecoming king, student body president, assistant resident advisor and spokesman for the minority coalition. After graduating in 1991 with a degree in public relations, he received a juris doctorate degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. He is now senior vice president of corporate affairs at Commonwealth Edison, a company that provides energy to about 3.8 million customers in northern Illinois. He was the Bradley University Alumni Association Board chairman and is a new member of the Board of Trustees.
Tate majored in mechanical engineering technology, represented his apartment complex to the Student Senate and was one of the charter members of the Iota Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. He is currently the director of information technology at Exelon Corporation, the largest nuclear operator in the United States and owner of Commonwealth Edison.
During their time at Bradley, Brown was the person behind the scenes cheering them on. “When you got off track, he knocked you back on,” Butler said.
“He was protective but not overbearing,” Tate said. “He was genuinely concerned about our welfare at school.”
“We are blessed to be able to give something on behalf of Clarence,” Butler said. “It’s recognition of what he did for so many African American young men as they were going through Bradley.”