Hugh N. Brown Papers, 1940-1991

Mss 011
10.4 c.f. (10 cartons and 1 document box)

ABSTRACT

Hugh N. Brown is a freelance fund-raising consultant and retired high school teacher. He spent the majority of his life teaching during the school year and consulting during summer vacation. His consulting work focused in the fields of education, religion, and health.

The collection consists of personal and work papers, 1940-1991, documenting a 50-year career as a consultant in the fundraising profession. Included are the fundraising campaign files outlining the development of a program.

ACCESS

This collection is open to the public without restriction. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

PREFERRED CITATION

Cite as: Hugh N. Brown Papers, 1940-1991, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

ACQUISITION

Presented by Hugh N. Brown, September 1991. A91-46

Processed by Danielle Macsay, December 1997.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Hugh N. Brown, born in 1919, graduated from Cedarville, Ohio High School in 1937 and received a B.S. in education from Cedarville College in 1941. He and his wife Marcella, also a school teacher, have one son, David.

Hugh Brown taught in the Blanchester, Ohio Public School District for one term, 1941-1942, before joining the Navy in 1942. He graduated from the Navy School of Music in 1943 and performed in the Navy Band. During that time he was active in public relations and promoting both the unit bands and the Navy Band. In 1943, Mr. Brown did course work at Catholic University of America and at American University.

For the years 1946-1952, Hugh Brown worked in various executive-administrative institutional positions—the Navy School of Music, the Cincinnati College of Music and the University of Dayton. From 1952 to 1954 he worked for American City Bureau, a national fund-raising organization. After doing field campaigning for this top firm until 1954, Brown spent the rest of the decade doing free-lance consulting work while studying extensively at the University of Dayton, Indiana University, Northwestern University, Xavier University and Wittenberg University. His course work was eclectic and reflect his varied interest—music, journalism, hospital administration, economics, and education.

In 1960, Brown returned to teaching in the Kettering (Ohio) City School system, teaching high school social sciences. Brown continued his public relations consultant service as a part-time weekend activity during the school year and covered most of the road and residence services during the summer. Major consulting projects undertaken by Brown include planning the 1971 and 1975 Convention for the Ohio Catholic Educator Association (OCEA), being editor for "Hospital Accounting," the official newsletter of the American Association of Hospital Accountants from 1958-1965, and being affiliated with Ketchum, Inc., a top-ranked fund raising firm based in Pittsburgh.

Hugh Brown, though now retired, continues to volunteer his knowledge and experience in fund-raising to nonprofit organizations. His area of expertise lies within the hospital and education fields. The Browns now live in Grove City, Ohio and spend their winters in Florida.

RELATED MATERIALS

American City Bureau Records, 1919-1982, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection consists of the personal business and consulting records of Hugh N. Brown and cover the years 1940-1991. It is organized into three series: Consultant Files, Instructional Data Records, and Business Records.

The Consultant Files, 1952-1982, include overviews of the client, outlines of fund-raising and improvement programs, recommendations for change, and time lines for these changes to occur. The files are arranged by type: Business Organizations, Churches, Civic Organizations, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Medical Institutions, Museums, Non-Profit Organizations, Philanthropic Organizations, and Political Campaigns.

The Instructional Data Records, 1953-1990, consist of general "how to" publications on fund-raising, planning, and public relations. Many of the publications were written by Hugh Brown.

The Business Records, 1952-1991, include correspondence to companies and organizations not dealing with specific campaigns, personal planning lists and memos, teaching information from his job as a high school teacher, records of his job hunting endeavors, and his resume. Also included are articles about fund-raising written by Hugh Brown, and sample contracts used by him when beginning a consulting position.

SERIES LIST