I first met Reber Brown at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi in 1980. I was a freshman and he was a junior. In my sophomore year, he befriended my roommate and often hung out in our room. He was a fixture at the Lambda Chi fraternity house as well, as they often threw open parties. He graduated and went on to pursue his graduate studies and we went our separate ways.

After moving to California, I attended my first OEBGMC concert in 2008. Perusing the program, I was delighted to see F. Reber Brown’s name listed as a member. How many F. Reber Brown’s could there be? Scanning the group, I finally found him, although I had to make sure, as his curly, curly hair was a thing of the past. I approached him after the show and we reacquainted ourselves. He was the same sweet, funny guy I had met many years earlier. He also confided that he and my college roommate were boyfriends back then, but they had been afraid to tell me. Mississippi in the 1980’s was not very progressive! I enjoyed his company many seasons to follow. Even when he no longer felt able to sing, he gave himself tirelessly to the chorus. He will be deeply missed.