Richard Maxwell Brown, 1927-2014

Richard Maxwell Brown, who recently passed away in his mid-80s, was a mentor to me in many ways.  Dr. Brown (he became "Dick" only once I had earned my Ph.D.) was my dissertation adviser.  He was a very active and supportive adviser who always made time for my meandering monologues on my research, and he wrote countless letters of reference for me.  He was a giant in the history of interpersonal violence, so his backing was critical in whatever success my dissertation and the book it was based on achieved.

More than that, though, Dr. Brown (I still can't quite bring myself to think of him as "Dick") modeled what it meant to be a scholar.  He had a ferocious work ethic, no doubt honed during his Dakota boyhood, and was humble and eager to help others, his very impressive list of publications and other accomplishments notwithstanding.  More than that, though, he had a great enthusiasm for learning.  There's a popular misconception that a historian is someone who knows everything.  Dr. Brown knew a lot  He once complained that he was beginning to forget the details from some of the books he had read forty years ago.  But what really set him apart was his unstinting curiosity.  I guess that's where his humility came in handy.  Rather than trying to prove what he already knew, Dr. Brown was always interested in exploring what he didn't know.  He showed me that history, like the human prospect itself, is not a field to be mastered, but a fascinating puzzle to be explored.

Thank you for everything, Dr. Brown, for a life well lived.