People

Harold Brown

Harold Percy Brown was born March 22, 1886 in Guildford, Surrey, England to parents Fanny (Excell) and Stephen Brown. He was educated at Becckles College in Suffolk and worked as an accountant in England until moving to Canada in 1908.

Brown worked as an accountant in 1908-09 before moving to Alberta, where he continued his career in accounting until joining the University of Alberta as director of the Division of Visual Instruction with the Department of Extension. In 1927, he became the first program director and announcer at CKUA ("UA" for "University of Alberta") radio.

An executive member of the Canadian Red Cross Society, Brown was also a founder of the Jasper Place Community League, the first such community league in Edmonton. In 1921, he became the first secretary of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, which, in 1960, awarded him a lifetime membership.

From 1936-55, Brown was secretary of the National Film Board of Canada’s Edmonton branch. In 1957, he received a certificate of commemoration at the Canadian Film Awards. He is also the recipient of a 1960 recognition award from the National Recreation Association of America and of a 1983 recognition award from the Edmonton Historical Board.

Brown married his first wife, Evelina Mann, in 1911. His second wife was a woman by the name of Jean. He had four children, Percy, Leslie, Ronald, and Margaret.

Brown passed away November 17, 1965 in Edmonton, Alberta.

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