David-Brown-Obituary

David Brown

Obituary

David M. Brown was a varsity gymnast at the College of William and Mary in Virginia when he got a phone call: Would he like to join the circus? So during the summer of 1976, he was an acrobat, tumbler, stilt walker and 7-foot unicycle rider.

"What I really learned from that, and transfers directly to what I'm doing on this crew, is kind of the team work and the safety and the staying focused, even at the end of a long day when you're tired and you're doing some things that may have some risk to them," he said.

Brown's interest in science and technology dates to high school, when he used a short-wave radio to communicate with a friend in Russia, his family said.

Brown, a Navy pilot and a physician, received his undergraduate biology degree from William and Mary in 1978 and earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk in 1982.

Brown joined the Navy after his medical internship and went on to fly the A-6E Intruder and FA-18 Hornet.

NASA chose him as an astronaut in 1996. A mission specialist, he helped with the scientific experiments on the shuttle Columbia. He worked the graveyard shift on Columbia's round-the-clock science mission.

Brown, 46, soared into orbit on Jan. 16 with a flag from Yorktown High in Arlington, Va., his alma mater, that another graduate took up Mount Everest. "I'm going to get it a little bit higher up, but I won't have to walk as far to get it there," he said before his first spaceflight.

Brown had said Friday from orbit that the crew was looking forward to coming home.

"As much as we've enjoyed it up here, we're also starting to look forward to seeing all the people back on Earth that we miss and love so much," he said.


Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press


Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

I will missed you. Rest in Peace.

I had the privilege to be stationed with Dr. Brown at Miramar in San Diego. he was a great Doctor. very patient I learned a lot from him and will be forever missed

To the Brown family,

We are sorry for the loss of your loved one. May the comforting words from family and friends continue to strengthen you, and the fond memories of your loved one continue to provide comfort to you.

May you find a measure of peace in God's promises found in the last book of the Holy Scriptures 21:4..."And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former...

god bless and keep you , thanks for your service to our country.

To The Brown family:

Our prayers and thoughts our with you.

Dear Paul and Dorothy Brown,
I would like to extend my deepest sympathy over the loss of your son David. He was truly a remarkable individual, having achieved so many amazing things in his life. He is an inspiration to the leaders of the future, and his contributions to this world will never be forsaken. May you find peace in knowing that his spirit will live on through generations of medical and space explorers. Bless you both - you gave the world a true hero.

God Bless David Brown and his family. We all will remember him forever. His family is in our thoughts and prayers.

God Bless David Brown and his family. We will remember him forever. His family is in my thoughts and prayers.

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other living thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39
We are one family, and we are never alone.
May God bless you all and grant you peace.