As commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group — better known as the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-Black segregated fighting unit during WWII — Roscoe C. Brown will forever be remembered for the battles he fought in the sky.
In the world of higher education, Brown will also be remembered for the forays he made on behalf of diversity in the realm of academe and access to higher education.
Brown — the longtime director of the Institute of Afro-American Affairs at New York University (NYU) and the longest-serving president at Bronx Community College — died over the Fourth of July weekend at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He was 94.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the sad news of the passing of Bronx Community College’s (BCC) distinguished President Emeritus, Roscoe C. Brown, Jr.,” President Thomas A. Isekenegbe said in a statement to Diverse.
Isekenegbe said Brown created programs to increase outreach to Bronx junior high and high schools and to support minority students going into science careers.
“During Dr. Brown’s tenure at BCC, more than 10,000 students graduated, going on to further their education and careers,” Isekenegbe said.
He noted that, in 2000, the building that houses the cafeteria, bookstore, student government and other student-oriented offices was named the Roscoe C. Brown Jr. Student Center.
