Gale Brown

On Sundays I headline individuals who we all can admire and respect. Gale Brown was such a person.
Most of what follows was taken from an article written by his daughter, and originally published in American Essence magazine.
Gale Brown was born in 1925 in coal mining town of Wyndall, West Virginia. Following in his father’s footsteps, he entered the mines in June 1943 straight out of high school. Although he could have received a deferment due to his essential work in the mines, his commitment to service drove him to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard in November 1943.
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he volunteered for a hazardous assignment dismantling Japanese radio equipment at Omura Air Base in Nagasaki. This assignment exposed him to radiation and sickness that, in five years, left him completely blind.
Miraculously in 1952, an appendectomy partially restored his vision in one eye (though doctors couldn’t explain why). His response to his blindness was nothing short of remarkable. He continued his schooling, eventually earning a bachelor’s in sociology, two master’s degrees in elementary education and special education, and certifications in pre-law and real estate. His deteriorating vision led him to learn Braille and enroll in a summer program at Catholic University of America to become a Braille teacher, which then led him to the Maryland Workshop for the Blind, where he taught Braille and vocational skills to blind adults. He worked with adults affected by retrolental fibroplasia, a condition causing blindness in infants of low birth weight due to excessive oxygen exposure. Recognizing the need for educational support for both adults and children with visual impairments, Gale Brown began working on integrating blind students into public school classrooms—a novel and progressive approach at the time, and he thus became a pivotal figure in the field of education for the blind.
His life was a narrative of incredible achievements that transcend mere academic and professional success. His ability to face adversity head-on, adapt to new challenges, and help those in need, epitomized service and persistence. Until he recently died at age 99, Gale Brown often offered his time as a veterans’ services officer (67 years) to help veterans fill out paperwork and wade through the bureaucratic process for seeking veteran benefits. He was always serving.
His life exemplified the essence of true heroism—not through grandiose acts, but through unwavering dedication to improving the lives of those around him.
11/17/24