Julian Challis BROWN

1936 - 2022

JULIAN CHALLIS BROWN Richard Julian Challis Brown was born in Sydney, Australia on April 10, 1936, as the middle of son of Ruth Christobel Aroha (Carver) Brown and George Herbert Brown. He passed away on December 29, 2022, of complications of pulmonary fibrosis. He is survived by his loved wife of 60 years Kaaren (Hiscox) Brown, children Hilary Haliburton (Jamie), Felix Brown (Tricia) and Nils Brown, and grandchildren Erin Haliburton, and Reilly, Kate, Adelyn and Myles Brown. He will be dearly missed. Julian studied physics and physical chemistry at the University of Sydney through his master's degree, while completing his National Service requirement in the summers. He earned his PhD at the University of Illinois in Urbana, where he met his wife Kaaren. A position in the Chemistry Department at Queen's University brought him to Canada in 1962. In 1966 he returned to Sydney as a Research Scientist at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, but in 1969, forsaking his beloved beaches, he returned to Queen's, officially retiring in 1997. His research was in the area of physical chemistry of disordered and porous solids. His teaching interest was in the area of chemistry for science and engineering students. He created a very popular course for engineering students which dealt with disasters, when engineers make mistakes. In 2005 he and Kaaren developed the national portrait competition called The Kingston Prize which began in 2005. The initial competition attracted over 400 entries from across Canada with a $20,000 prize, and has now been held biennially over seven editions. Patterned after the Archibald Prize in Sydney, The Prize hopes to show people the world the over the broad and interesting population of Canada. Sporting interests were dinghy racing and tennis. He was a regular at the Kingston Tennis Club until his feet failed him. In 1963 he joined the Kingston Yacht Club where he crewed International 14s and Flying Dutchman class boats. From the early 1970s when they were first designed, he raced a Laser. Hobbies were choral singing, gardening, sketching, creative writing, and making vertical sundials. He built a small sailing dinghy and a kayak, planted and maintained the perennial flower gardens in Kingston's McBurney Park for almost 25 years, and at home. He brewed over 270 batches of beer, much to the delight of visiting friends and family! He sang in many Kingston mixed choirs, large and small. Never a major voice, he was valued as a competent musician. Over a long period he organized many public events including international conferences at Queen's in 1983 and 1985. Notable was a one-day symposium for Queen's students on global warming in 1991, long before a global consciousness of this phenomenon became prevalent. A valiant advocate for a group of young men survivors, around 1990 he took a major role in the picketing and resolution of the scandal of sexual abuse of choirboys at St George's Cathedral. Julian Brown was awarded an Eagle Feather from a Kingston area First Nations group for facilitating their building a canoe by traditional methods in 2006, and he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal 2013 for founding The Kingston Prize. A service of remembrance will take place at a later date. His family is grateful for the love and support of his many friends, for the inspired support of Kingsdale Chateau and the care provided by Kingston General Hospital. Thank you. Donations in his memory should be made to the Canadian arts organization of your choice.