Tribute — Glenn Brown MS ’54, PhD ’56

June 1, 1930 – May 16, 2021

When he arrived on Case Quad in 1986, Glenn Robbins Brown Jr., MS ’54, PhD ’56, already had considerable experience building teams and inspiring innovation across a large organization. He had risen to the top of the science and engineering ranks at Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO), and was an influential voice on non-profit boards around town. The tall, affable engineer now took on a new challenge — helping shape the future of a world-class research university.

As dean of the colleges at Case Western Reserve, Brown was the first dean of the combined faculties of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve College. He was hired to accelerate a process that had begun with federation 20 years before, bringing empathy, imagination and business acumen to the quest, observers say.

Brown died May 16, 2021, at the age of 90, leaving the modern university and a more confident city as his legacy.

“Glenn was able to encourage people to explore challenges and look at opportunities, and he was good at that,” said university historian and former administrator Richard “Dick” Baznik. “He was able to help the institution go through changes which have lasted, and which have brought benefits to the university.”

Tom Kicher ’59, MS ’62, PhD ’65, the former dean of the Case School of Engineering, said Brown saw his role at Case as a crowning achievement in an illustrious career.

“He was good at the global level. He had that vision,” Kicher said. “And he was a charming guy.”

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Brown grew up in a home with six boys and no indoor plumbing. He was class president in high school, where he excelled at baseball and basketball, and he went on to Penn State for a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Shortly after graduation, Brown joined the research division of the Standard Oil Company, where his experiences included operations research, managing fuel cell programs, running the coal and uranium businesses and promoting biotechnology and emerging materials.

While working full-time, Brown earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Case. He rose to become senior vice president, technology and planning at SOHIO and a member of the company board of directors.

Brown left SOHIO in 1986, as British Petroleum Ltd. of London assumed full control of a company founded in Cleveland by John D. Rockefeller in 1870. He played no role as BP moved the American headquarters and more than 1,000 jobs out of the city.

Brown had engaged with university administrators while an executive at SOHIO, said Baznik, who served as special assistant to university President Louis Toepfer in the 1970s. In 1986, the university gave Brown a full-time role.

“I think the university saw the opportunity to take advantage of his presence,” Baznik said. “He was obviously a leader in the community. He was a very distinctive figure. And he was a big fan of the university.”

Brown started as director of strategic planning but soon was named dean of the colleges. He was asked to break down barriers between the schools and to begin the long process of reorganizing the faculty, Baznik said. After two years as dean, he transitioned to vice provost for corporate research and technology transfer, where he promoted research and helped connect the university to local and national investors.

In 1987, he married long-time friend and former SOHIO co-worker Jeanette Grasselli Brown, MS ’58, BP America's first female director of corporate research. The couple emerged as champions of Cleveland’s arts and music institutions while promoting science and engineering in schools and in the halls of government. As science advisor to former Gov. Bob Taft, Brown helped lay the foundation for Ohio’s Third Frontier program.

In 2012, the husband-wife team was honored with the H. Peter Burg Regional Vision Award by Team NEO, the highest honor bestowed by the regional economic development agency.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Playhouse Square Foundation, of which Brown was chair from 1991-96 and a life member of the board.

Jennie and Glenn Brown