Norton Travels to Naval Academy Today to Honor First African-American Graduate, D.C. Resident Wesley Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced she will attend funeral services today for Lieutenant Commander Wesley Brown, the first African-American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, and will enter remarks into the Congressional Record in his honor.

Lt. Cmdr. Brown, who died on May 22, was raised in Logan Circle, and was the first in his family to receive a college education. He graduated from Dunbar High School, where he led the Dunbar Cadet Corps battalion. He was inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy on June 30, 1945, and graduated as a civil engineer. Following his Navy service, Lt. Cmdr. Brown joined the faculty at Howard University.

In her Congressional commemoration, Norton said that Brown was a hero at the Naval Academy, which named its field house for him in 2008, and in the District, where he served as chairman emeritus of the D.C. Service Academy Selection Board until he died.

"Just a few weeks ago, I visited Wes Brown here in Washington, where as always, he told me much I did not know about our city, the Naval Academy, and about life," Norton said.

Her remarks from the Congressional Record follow.

STATEMENT OF HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2012

I rise to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Lieutenant Commander Wesley A. Brown '49, CEC, USN (Ret.), the first African American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who died on May 22, 2012, for his service to his country and to the residents of the District of Columbia. Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 6, 2012, the U.S. Naval Academy will hold Commander Brown's memorial service in the Academy's Main Chapel, a short walk from the stadium, the Wesley A. Brown Field House, named for him in recognition of his historic place in history.

The District of Columbia had no representation in Congress at the time, but Representative Adam Clayton Powell (NY) nominated Mr. Brown to the Naval Academy in 1945. According to historian Robert J. Schneller, Jr., who was commissioned by the Navy to write a book about Lieutenant Brown, Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy's First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality, "Having attended high school, played sports, led the Cadet Corps, held a full-time job, and taken a college course all at the same time, Brown was accustomed to working hard, working smart, and budgeting his time."

Commander Brown never stopped serving his country. He chaired the District of Columbia Service Academy Selection Board and was Chairman Emeritus until his death. A lifelong resident of the District of Columbia, Lieutenant Commander Brown, the first in his family to be college-educated, grew up in Washington's Logan Circle neighborhood, and attended Dunbar High School, where he led the Dunbar Cadet Corps battalion. Upon his graduation, Mr. Brown attended Howard University through the Army's Specialized Training Reserve Program, because he was not old enough to apply to West Point.

Lieutenant Commander Brown is remembered as a hero at the United States Naval Academy and in his home town. With his beaming smile, Wes, who was always good for conversation and armed with an extraordinary memory and a sharp intellect, offered anecdotes instructed with living history. Lieutenant Commander Wes Brown, who withstood battle and gave generously of himself, had the heart of a warship.

I ask the House to join me in offering our sincere condolences and sympathy to Wes Brown's widow, Crystal, his children, Willeta, Carol, Wesley, Jr. and Gary, and his seven grandchildren, and in thanksgiving for a lifetime of service.

Published: June 6, 2012