About
Brown Foundation
Founded in 1981 with its first Brown Scholar through the PES Program, the Brown Foundation was formalized in 1992. Through its passionate support of Brown Scholars, the Brown Foundation helps cultivate leaders of the highest integrity who will positively impact their communities and the world.
In addition to awarding undergraduate and EnMed graduate scholarships, the Brown Foundation supports the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineering Award, the Brown Engineering Honors Program, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, the EnMed Program, EMERGE Fellowship, KIPP Houston Public Schools, Bo’s Place, Brighter Bites, and other organizations and non-profits at A&M and in Houston.
There are 347 Brown Scholar graduates and 208 Brown Scholars attending A&M in the 2021-2022 academic year. The average Brown Scholar GPA is 3.85 and 109 students posted a 4.0 GPA for the 2020-2021 academic year, 83 students posted a cumulative GPA of 4.0 for the 2022-2022 academic year.
Our History
”…WE WANT STUDENTS WHO ARE WELL-ROUNDED, WHO ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT TEXAS A&M IS ALL ABOUT.”
Craig Brown
Galen T. Brown set out in 1985 to create a foundation to aid students seeking higher education in Texas. He had to look no further than his son Craig’s alma mater, Texas A&M University. Craig entered Texas A&M in 1971 and graduated in 1975 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He went on to earn an MBA in Accounting and Finance at Texas A&M in 1977. Galen Brown, already a sponsor of Texas A&M’s prestigious President ‘s Endowed Scholarship, established the Galen T. Brown Foundation in an effort to find students who would positively impact their communities and society at large. Galen was born in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1927. After graduating from Central State University in Oklahoma, he and his wife Mary (Dee Dee) moved to Tornillo, Texas, forty miles southeast of El Paso. After Galen’s successful career as the principal, athletics coach, and math teacher, he and Dee Dee moved to Houston where Galen served as the vice-president of an oilfield company and then as president and owner of Keystone International, a Fortune 500 company. What makes Galen’s success even more impressive is that he was diagnosed with a heart defect as a child and was not expected to live to adulthood. Galen died in 1989 before his Foundation began to award scholarships; his vision is carried on by Craig who is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Bray International, Inc., a successful valve and actuator company with divisions and sales around the world. Craig also serves as the President of the Brown Foundation, making it now the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation and his wife, Sue Smith serves as its Executive Vice President.
Craig and Sue and the Brown Foundation team recruit high school students who achieve National Merit status and are leaders in their schools and communities for Brown Foundation undergraduate and EnMed graduate scholarships. Early in each new year, the Brown Foundation selects 50-100 students for in-person interviews for Brown Foundation scholarships. Parents are invited to the interview. Brown Foundation undergraduate scholarships are combined with other scholarships students receive including, but not limited to, Texas A&M President’s Endowed Scholarship, National Merit Scholarship, Corps of Cadets Scholarship, etc. The Brown Foundation holds an annual dinner honoring all Brown Scholars. In addition to all Brown Scholars and the parents of seniors, the dinner is attended by the Texas A&M Chancellor, the Texas A&M President, members of the Board of Regents, faculty deans from the College of Engineering, Intercollegiate School of Engineering Medicine, Mays Business School, College of Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, administrative faculty and honored guests.
The Brown Foundation has been awarding undergraduate scholarships since 1992 and EnMed graduate scholarships since 2019. Craig and Sue opine that rewarding scholarships is their most rewarding experience aside from their family.
Craig and Sue have 7 children and 11 grandchildren.
Brown Foundation Gifts
The Craig and Galen Brown Foundation Engineering Honors Program (“Brown Engineering Honors Program”) has committed $20 million dollars to the College of Engineering at Texas A & M University to recruit, select and scholarship students pursuing engineering majors. Currently, there are 100 Brown Scholars are currently pursuing engineering degrees and 175 Brown Scholar engineering graduates.
The Brown Foundation has pledged $4 million to the Mays Business School, Texas A&M College of Science, and Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts to be used for Brown Foundation scholarships.
The Brown Foundation has pledged $1,000,000 to the College of Engineering at Texas A & M University for the Virginia C. Brown Atrium located in the Zachry Engineering Building in honor of Craig Brown’s mother.
Sue Smith and Craig Brown have donated to the Letterman’s Association at Texas A&M, the new Corps of Cadets Music Building, and the Memorial Student Center (MSC).
Sue Smith and Craig Brown have also made a large donation for one-half of a science wing at a KIPP Houston Public School high school.
The Brown Foundation has created a special class of scholars, Brown KIPP Scholars. Brown KIPP Scholars must be graduates of any KIPP Houston Public School, admitted to Texas A & M University and pursuing STEM majors.
The Brown Foundation will provide $100,000 for two annual $10,000 scholarships for five years to Brown KIPP Scholar recipients.
Special Events
The Brown Foundation holds its Annual Foundation Dinner in the fall for all Brown Scholars and the parents of graduating seniors. Attendees include the Chancellor, President of Texas A&M University, members of the Board of Regents, Deans of each college, the President & CEO of the Texas A&M Foundation, administrative staff and friends of the Craig and Galen Brown Foundation. Each senior discusses his/her time at A&M and their future plans. Approximately 350 people attend the dinner.
With the bluebonnets and wildflowers in bloom, Craig and his wife, Sue, host a graduating senior bar-b-que at the family ranch in Round Top, Texas on a Saturday each spring. In addition to graduating seniors, attendees may include past Brown Scholars and their families and Pam Matthews, the Aggie Mom to all Brown Scholars. This event provides food, fellowship and a fun day in the country.
Incoming Brown Scholar freshmen are required to visit and tour the A&M campus as a condition of receiving their Brown Foundation scholarship in order to confirm that A&M is a good fit for each student.
The Brown Foundation coordinates each student’s tour with the Office of Admissions and ensures the student visits the college department of their intended major and speaks with the Dean of the college or appropriate staff, University Honors, Brown Scholars, and other areas of student interest.
The College of Engineering and the College of Business each hold annual dinners to recognize outstanding alumni in their College and present awards. At the College of Engineering dinner, recipients of the Craig Brown Outstanding Senior Engineering Awards are recognized. Brown Scholars majoring in engineering or business disciplines are recognized as a group at each event.
Brown Scholars Honoraries
Joe Ramirez, Sr. graduated from high school in 1950 and enrolled in the Army three days later. He fought in the Korean War, was captured at a battle in Unsan, North Korea and was a POW for 33 months enduring horrific conditions. While a POW, his weight dropped from 150 to 85 pounds. He was freed in a prisoner exchange in 1953. The Brown Foundation is honored to award the Joe E. Ramirez, Sr. Scholarship to a student in the Corps of Cadets who exemplifies General Ramirez’s commitment to God and country.
Joe Reynolds was a member of the U.S. Marines having fought at two famous battles, Iwo Jima and the Frozen Chosin. After his military service he became a distinguished trial attorney in Houston and was a name partner of his firm, Reynolds, Allen & Cook. Joe was also a member of the Texas A & M University Board of Regents for 16 years. The Brown Foundation is honored to award the Joe H. Reynolds Scholarship to an honor student at Texas A&M who has demonstrated high integrity and exemplary leadership.
