Remembering an alum who reached for the stars
The nation paused Feb. 1 to mark the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. The seven-member crew — including EVMS graduate David Brown, MD (MD ’82) — perished when the shuttle disintegrated on reentry Feb. 1, 2003.
After his graduation from EVMS, Dr. Brown became a Navy pilot and Captain before joining NASA as a mission specialist on Columbia. In May 1999, Dr. Brown took a break from his NASA training to become the first alumnus to give the EVMS commencement address. True to his giving nature, Dr. Brown made time during that brief visit to speak with EVMS students who shared his passion for aerospace medicine. He was photographed (above) at that time.
A memorial to Dr. Brown stands in the entrance to the Brickell Library. The display case contains items donated by his family, including a NASA jumpsuit and letters and drawings from school children across the country who wrote to the Brown family following the disaster. A scholarship in his name, supported by the Captain David Brown Aerospace and Medical Research Endowment, also helps keep Dr. Brown’s memory alive.