Barb Brown Memorial Fund

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Barb Brown

The Barb Brown Memorial Fund is being established by many donors through the Institute to honor the life and legacy of Barbara L. Brown, Ph.D.  

After graduating from Southern Illinois University, she taught in the department of political science as well as American government and democracy classes to international students through a summer program funded by the U.S. State Department. She later served as Clerk of the Courts in Randolph County, Illinois.

She was a co-founder of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, vice chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, co-founder of Southwestern Illinois Democratic Women, founder of Southern Illinois Democratic Women, and former chairwoman of the Randolph County Democratic Central Committee. She attended and was a nine-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention, a two-time candidate for Illinois Fifty-Eighth State Senate District, and served notable roles in the campaigns of President Bill Clinton and of President Barack Obama. She was inducted into the Randolph Society in 2022.

Proceeds of the fund will be used to continue the service and teaching legacy of Dr. Brown. The purpose of the fund is to enrich the educational opportunities for students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and has a responsibility to encourage public service and serve the public good by addressing the challenges which confront our communities.

A scholarship may be provided to a SIU Carbondale student/incoming student that articulates or demonstrates an interest in public service or public good during the course of their education. The preference is for a female student with a diploma from a southern Illinois high school.

You may send a check made out to the Southern Illinois University Foundation and specifying Barb Brown Memorial Fund in the noteline to: 

Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
SIU Carbondale - Mailcode 4429
1231 Lincoln Drive
Carbondale, IL 62901

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