Longtime Catawba College religion and philosophy faculty member Dr. J. Daniel Brown was honored at the college on Dec. 6 when his book collection was dedicated. The J. Daniel Brown Book Collection will be housed in room 312 of Hedrick Administration Building, a small, intimate seminar room with a large built-in bookcase.
A commemorative plaque, describing the collection and including a photo of Dr. Brown, is displayed on the door.
Brown was on hand for the occasion, surrounded by family, former colleagues, friends and individuals affiliated with the Center for Faith and the Arts (CFA), a non-profit organization he founded.
He joined Catawba faculty in 1967 and served until his retirement in 1997. He founded CFA in 1995 and directed that organization fulltime after his retirement. The mission of CFA was to explore matters that were artistic and spiritual.
According to Dr. Seth Holtzman, current chair and associate professor of religion and philosophy at Catawba and the chair of the board of CFA, Brown “believed we should be seriously involved with profound ideas” and “had high expectations for his students and his fellow faculty members.”
Brown built up a substantial library at Center for Faith & the Arts, which has now donated most of that library to Catawba in honor of Brown. CFA decided, Holtzman explained, “that the books were being underutilized and were too good not to be used.” Most of the books “have to do with religion and philosophy,” he said.
Catawba President Brien Lewis said the collection was a way to “celebrate the legacy of Dr. Brown through books.”
Dr. Barry Sang, a professor of religion and philosophy at Catawba and dean of its School of Arts and Sciences, recalled being mentored by Brown when he arrived at Catawba in 1985. He spoke of Brown’s “generosity of spirit,” and said the book collection is “concrete evidence” of that spirit.
Karen Brown Ingram spoke on behalf of her father, her mother, Betty, and sister Evelyn at the dedication. She recognized her mother’s role in supporting her father as he established and ran the CFA. She noted the organization’s 17-year history is a testament to her father’s vision.