Deceased December 27, 2020
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In Memory
Belatedly, we have learned of the death of Robert W. Brown, who turned his love of baseball into an honored career on the staff of the Baltimore Orioles.
Bob died on Dec. 27, 2020, at a hospice in North Carolina. Jessica, Bob’s wife of 57 years, died in 2015. They were parents of two sons and three daughters.
Bob came to Amherst from West Chester, Pa. On campus, he was a political science major; a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity; sports editor of the school’s news bureau; the starting right fielder on the baseball team; and a member of Sphinx, the junior honor society.
Bob landed a job as the Orioles’ traveling secretary in 1957, beginning a 35-year stint with the team, most notably as the much-respected director of public relations. The Orioles press box is named in his honor.
Brooks Robinson, the Orioles great Hall of Fame third baseman, had this to say about Bob: “He was a terrific PR man. He was the right guy for the Orioles. You could talk to Bob about anything and get an answer. I miss seeing him.”
In 2000, John Steadman, sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun, pronounced Bob “far and away the best public relations / publicity director to serve any Baltimore team.” Steadman praised Bob’s professionalism, reliability and historic knowledge. He also had a story to tell: In 1984, as President Ronald Reagan was getting ready to throw out the first ball, Bob was trying to manage the Washington press corps when a TV photographer became belligerent. Steadman continued: “Mr. Brown threw a right-hand punch that connected, and the Secret Service promptly deposited the cameraman and his equipment on 33rd Street and told him not to come back.”
George Gates ’53