Brown, Keith Lavelle

Keith Lavelle Brown passed away July 23, 2013. He was a joyful, loving person who broke racial barriers and dedicated his life to serving others.

Born to Herman Brown and Frances Elizabeth Mason Brown on May 1, 1929, in Davenport, Iowa, he was second of three children, including sister, Natlee, and brother, Gerald. The family settled in Cedar Rapids and joined Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

Keith graduated from Wilson High School in Cedar Rapids, excelling in football, basketball and track. He held the city sophomore and varsity records in the quarter mile, and anchored his medley relay team for four Drake Relay records. Craven Shuttleworth recommended him for an IClub scholarship at the University of Iowa, where he worked and studied on a track scholarship, running undefeated in many dual meets. He was drafted to the Korean War and spent time in Japan before returning to earn his B.A. He worked at Jane Boyd Community House as a youth counselor and greatly enjoyed working with at-risk youth at the Illinois Training School for Boys. He was later employed at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Downey, Ill., while he earned a master's degree in education administration from Roosevelt University. There he met and determined to marry Martha Cistrunk.

In 1965, he relocated to Los Angeles, working as an L.A. County Probation Officer and marrying Martha in 1966. He worked as an assistant director of the South Central Neighborhood Youth Corps, then returned to the probation department, working with youth from the L.A. projects, and later in the Narcotic Testing Unit and Intensive Surveillance Unit.

Upon retirement, Keith co-founded JobStarts Inc. which offers free job training and placement to the unemployed in South Los Angeles. He served as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner in Carson, Calif., and was a member of Central Baptist Church. He enjoyed life to the fullest, traveling the world with his wife and brother.

He is survived by his loving wife, Dr. Martha Brown; brother, Gerald; beloved son, Kenneth; daughter-in-law, Karla; grandsons, Kenneth and Kaleb; nephew, Rodney Dugan; and several sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

He was the best of men and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

A memorial service will be held Friday in Los Angeles.

Donations to the Keith L. Brown Scholarship for college students may be sent to the Cedar Rapids Chapter of the NAACP at P.O. Box 1595, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406.

Published Aug. 1, 2013 in The Gazette