BIOGRAPHY
Of
ALBERT SIDNEY BROWN
Brownal1@email.phoenix.edu or albert@brown.org
I was born in Wichita Kansas in 1939 and raised in Phoenix Arizona and Northern California. My parents had 3 boys and 3 girls in that order. I was the third boy born to my parents. My mother was one of the first African-American women to graduate from college in Kansas. She received a BA from the University of Kansas at Topeka. My father did not know how to read and write. My mother taught him how to read and write and he learned mathematics and other subjects on his own.
My father sold his business in Kansas and moved to Arizona, due to my illness with asthma. The doctor told my father that a move to a dry climate might allow me to grow out of the disease. I was too sick to attend school on a regular basis, so I was home-schooled by my mother. Based on this decision and other decisions taken by him, my father was the undisputed hero of all of my siblings. Within two months of living in Phoenix, my asthma disappeared and I grew very rapidly.
My father’s goal was to have his entire family graduate from college. His plan to achieve this objective was to enlist all of the boys into the service (we would have been drafted anyway), and have them send their paychecks home to provide funds for the girls to attend school. Upon leaving the service, the boys would then obtain the funding for their education through the GI bill. We asked our father how we would be able to exist in the service without our salary, (the service required that we retain $5.00/month for health and comfort items). He said when the armed forces found out about our request that each of our commanding officers would provide off-duty jobs for us. His prediction came true. I served 5 and one-half years on active duty in the Marine Corps, my older brother served 4 years on active duty with the Army and my oldest brother served 8 years in the Marine Corps Reserve. My father’s plan worked perfectly, everyone in the family finished college, three received master’s degrees and one received a law degree. All of the children of my siblings completed college as well. I have four children, 2 boys and 2 girls, 8 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. My youngest will graduate this year from the University of Phoenix with a BA in criminal justice. She will be the last of my children to finish their college education. My dad would be proud.
I received a BS in computer science from Boston University in 1975 and a Master’s in software engineering from National University in 1992. I was introduced to computers while in the Marine Corps. Upon discharge, I obtained a job in San Francisco, California as a public relations person for a non-profit health association. During my first year, the company acquired a new computer and I transferred to the computer area of the company. I spent over thirty-five years in the computer industry, performing technical jobs such as programmer, systems analyst; marketing jobs such as software product manager and managerial jobs. My career interests led me to overseas assignments on three occasions. I spent over 5 years in Indonesia and 2 years working in South Vietnam during the height of the Vietnam War. I brought my family with me on both occasions. I worked on two different assignments in Indonesia. On the first assignment, I worked for a trio of employers on a special contract. The employers were the United Nations, The Government of Indonesia and the United States Agency for International Development. Our job was to teach Indonesians how to establish, staff and operate regional data centers.
I am currently working on my second career, this time it is in education. I am a teacher for a minimum-security county jail in Contra Costa California. I teach computer programming, web design and high school subjects. After doing substitute teaching for over a year in the county in all areas from special education to elementary school through high school. While doing a substitute stint in adult education, I decided that I liked that a lot better. I have a teaching certificate in adult education. I also operate a business working with computers. I perform computer contracts and I perform computing tasks for individuals and small businesses.
I am now striving to obtain a PHD in Education Leadership. I am concerned with the recidivism rate in prisons and county jails throughout the state of California. A large body of research currently exists on how to select the best candidates for rehabilitation programs. However, very little research has been done (at least that is what I think at this time), in terms of putting together a comprehensive program with the objective of reducing the recidivism rate. I plan to pursue this line of inquiry in my doctoral research.
My hobbies are: building computer systems; playing card games online; playing volleyball; playing basketball; watching boxing matches and football games. I have very little free time these days. My next project, (when I get the time), is to add a wireless capability to my home office network. From this point on, I will either be working or studying.
I am in the process of completing my doctoral degree in educational leadership, by writing my dissertation. I have just received my dissertation back from the editor (which cost me $10.00/page). I am ...more
Posted by Albert Brown on July 23rd, 2010 • 337 Views
