MICHAEL J. BROWER

1932 - 2016

BROWER, Michael J. Beloved husband of Norma Finkelstein, passed away suddenly at the age of 83, on January 12, 2016. Born on May 7, 1932, in Chicago, IL, the son of Vespera Freeman and Donald Brower. Dr. Brower grew up on a farmhouse in Zion, Illinois and is a long time Cambridge, Massachusetts resident. Dr. Brower was a distinguished scholar, devoted citizen, a committed husband and parent, and a life-long champion of and advocate for peace, human rights and social and economic justice. A graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Dr. Brower received his Ph.D. from Harvard University followed by a Fulbright Scholarship to Europe. During his Fulbright, he travelled extensively in Europe learning to speak both Dutch and French. Dr. Brower taught economics and political economy at MIT, Brandeis and the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Columbia. He subsequently founded the North East Labor Management Center later known as the Massachusetts Quality of Working Life Center. Deeply committed to improving the quality of worker's lives, especially their work environment, Michael worked with both labor and management to encourage more collaborative and worker-empowering organizational values and structures. To this end he worked with many large corporations, city and state governments, and health care and educational institutions as well as helping to develop small community based organizations. These included Ford Motor Co., Proctor and Gamble, IBM, Xerox, Motorola, Polaroid Corp., the City of Cambridge, GOAL/QPC, Malden Mills, Maine Quality Center and many more. Dr. Brower was also involved in applying these organizational principles to improve learning and educational environments, working with educational systems in Alaska, Maine, Missouri among other states, and publishing a number of articles on applying Total Quality Management to education as well as the use of self-directed teams in health care. During the 60's and 70's, Michael was intimately involved in examining and writing about America's strategic nuclear policy, and was an arms analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists working closely with the Council for a Livable World. He published numerous papers on this topic in journals such as the New Republic and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Involved in both peace, justice and civil rights movements, Michael was an active member of Americans for Democratic Action, Peace Action, Institute for Peace and International Security and the Council for a Livable World. Michael was committed to changing American society through active participation in electoral politics. He worked on many local electoral campaigns as well as nationally, was a McGovern delegate to the Democratic Convention in 1972, served as MA treasurer of the McGovern Campaign and as manager of the national presidential campaign of Fred Harris. Michael was active in community governance at Antioch College and became a passionate and dynamic alumnus who deeply believed in the college's profound impact on its students by helping to prepare them to "win victories for humanity". When Antioch College closed, Michael spent countless hours on the Antioch Alumni Board and organizing local Massachusetts chapters to successfully restore the college to its position as one of "America's best small colleges". Michael believed in strong neighborhoods and communities and was instrumental in organizing what are now yearly block parties and other activities. Neighbors called him the "Mayor of Alpine Street". Michael especially loved his daily walks around Fresh Pond Reservoir. He always said how lucky he was to live so close to a beautiful place in the middle of a city. In addition to his home in Cambridge, Michael spent time with his family at their lakeside home in Meredith, New Hampshire where Michael taught his children, nieces and nephews to ski and sail and where he enjoyed the peace and beauty of the environment and the company of the many friends he made there. Michael was a devoted son, father, husband and uncle who helped to support his parents after the devastating death of his brother Allan in an airplane crash. As uncle to Allan's small children, Roger and Ellen, Michael made sure he remained a strong and supportive figure in their lives. In addition to his wife, Norma Finkelstein, Dr. Brower is survived by his four children, David, Jessica, Matthew and Kathy; three grandchildren, Allison, Sophie and Aria; his niece. Ellen Gately and his nephew Roger Brower. A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of Michael Brower will be held on Saturday, March 5 at 1 pm at Story Chapel, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH and Rogerson House, Jamaica Plain, MA.