$500,000 Brown endowment to provide rare
books for UB History of Medicine Collection

Robert L. Brown was medical school's first associate dean

By PAULA WITHERELL
Reporter Contributor

It is one of the largest endowments ever received by the University Libraries.

The first associate dean of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Brown made outstanding contributions to the historical collection spanning more than 25 years. In 1985, the collection was named the Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection in honor of his many years of loyal support.

"Dr. Brown played a significant role in developing the History of Medicine Collection," said Lilli Sentz, curator of the collection and a longtime colleague of Brown. "He was involved in the preservation of the rare books at the Health Sciences Library before the collection became a separate entity of the library in 1972."

Brown's gift, added Sentz, will "enable us to acquire books that we otherwise would never have been able to obtain."

Ronald H. Stein, vice president for university advancement and development noted, "Dr. Brown's generous support will greatly enhance a collection that is vitally important to preserving the rich history of medicine in Western New York.

"As UB and the medical school celebrate their sesquicentennial, ongoing support for the university is critical for our future growth and continued excellence in higher education."

UB's History of Medicine Collection, consisting of more than 12,000 volumes, is one of only three comprehensive collections of medical history connected with medical schools in New York State. The oldest volumes date back to 1493. The collection contains extraordinary books from private collections as well, including those of Roswell Park, first director of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and James Platt White, M.D., a founder of the UB medical school.

In addition to the rare books, the unique collection includes the Memorabilia Collection, which documents the history of medicine in Western New York and UB's health sciences schools. Among the invaluable items in this part of the collection are yearbooks, alumni catalogs and faculty publications.

Another component of the collection is the McGuire Historical Medical Instrument Collection. Sentz explained, "The instruments add interest and depth to the entire collection. It is different to read about an instrument used for procedures performed years ago, as opposed to actually seeing the instrument, which makes it seem more real.

"Dr. Brown was a strong believer in preserving the history of the UB medical school," she said. "With the medical school's sesquicentennial being celebrated this year, this generous support for the collection couldn't have come at a more appropriate time."

Brown, a 1944 UB medical school alumnus who died in 1995, served as chief of medical service of the 124th General Hospital in Austria and as a major in the Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.

Prior to joining the medical school as its first assistant dean in 1959, he was medical and technical director of the Arner Co. In 1960, he became acting dean of the medical school and directed the planning for UB medical school's merger into the State University of New York system. He later was appointed the school's first associate dean.

A history enthusiast, Brown was named medical school archivist in 1974. He started a search for the historical records of the school and preserved many items from the school's early years that would have been lost otherwise. Brown also designed and meticulously crafted the medical school's symbolic mace and marshal's baton, as well as designing the school's academic gown.

At the time of his retirement in 1985, Brown was appointed consultant to the History of Medicine Collection and continued his close association with the collection until his death.

Brown received the Dean's Award in 1967 and 1973 and the Medical Alumni Award in 1974. Active in many local organizations, he also served as a director of the Visiting Nurses Association from 1975-78.