In Praise of Phil Brown , my Brother from the same Mother

Let us celebrate Phillip Shelton Brown, my Brother from the same mother.<


Phil Brown lives ! Viva, Saint Phil Brown , viva ! Presente !


PSB, Pedro lives because half his Soul lives on through me . Half my soul left with him, and half his soul lives on in me. Phil is still alive because he lives inside my brain; so many of his words are in my memory.

Phillip Shelton Brown was born in Detroit , Michigan on June 18, 1955 to Cordelia and Charles Brown , a true bundle of joy who remained a joy to so many people throughout his long of Life.


Phil lived in Detroit, East Lansing, Detroit in the good ole original days of Lafayette Park . He attended Bailey in East Lansing, Chrysler and Miller in Detroit . He attended Cranbrook Academy where he was into Afro culture, Jazz, football star, big , joyous, friendly young man on campus. At the U Of M in Ann Arbor he lived for some years in South Quad Black Dorm. He was a Go Blue football walk-on; he was a member of the Jazz Essentials and Most Valuable Players . Black Action Movement political activists. He matriculated with a journalism BA from University of Michigan ,



Then he lived in Lansing graduating from Cooley law school with a Juris Doctorate degree. He was a Member of the Bar of the State Michigan for 45 years; he was an Attorney for City Council Research and Analysis , Mayor Young Appointee at Resource Recovery, Workers Comp trial attorney for Corporation Counsel’s office; Excellent legal reasoner. He was the lawyer’s Union President.


Phillip S. Brown , Gentleman and Scholar and Attorney and Counselor-at-law


He was a long term Democratic Party activist, with his mother and father in their activist careers; a hard working canvasser in Mayor Coleman A. Young’s many sponsored Campaigns. Rank and File Democrat ; campaign ground game veteran ; foot soldier and lawyer for Mayor Young


A true Michigander and Detroiter and Humanist Black American. Like me , a Child of the 1967 Detroit Urban Rebellion. We have been in the Black Liberation and Civil Rights Movement all of our adult lives.


He was surely a Member of the Black Philosopher, W.E.B. Dubois’s Talented Tenth of Black Folk !


My Man was a Primus inter paris ; leader among equals; leader from the ranks.


Phil had a very strong and disciplined work ethic; he worked hard and long did the mundane , boring , drudge work with grace and skill. Oh yes ! He had Full work ethic, worked hard professionally and in taking care of his FAMILY ! He certainly took care of me ! He cared for his house, garden and beloved dogs Muskie, Rusty and Chuckie, his turtle , Alexander; he attended to the mundane, and had many routines.


And most importantly, he played , laughed ; had fun ! Indulged Leisure, relaxed, took it easy. Oh how he enjoyed life, counted and celebrated his blessings, found the good in so many situations.


For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, that nobody can deny !


As a witness of much of that Life, as I said before, I consider Phil a Saint by my personal moral code as I have developed through my life ; and in which I only arrived at a conclusion that Phil reached very young, long , long before I fully realized it : The most important intelligence is high _social_ intelligence ; intellectual, academic intelligence is second to social intelligence. Phil was such a people person ; never met a stranger ; regularly, habitually caring for others, bringing humor, empathy, care of all kinds and in abundance to so many, many people. I repeat , he had extraordinary social, people relating , getting along with humans intelligence. He loved his neighbor as himself; sacrificed for others; did unto others as he would have them do unto him _in spades_.


Phil was the Salt of the Earth , urban Earth.


He was his many brothers’ keepers, especially me. And I say , thank you, thank you, thank you, I love you may brother; he had many brothers and sisters from other mothers, a great friend to so many; so often a friend in need and indeed.


Phillip was a Church member of Christ Church, Detroit


Phil was an elite amateur athlete, and sports fan. We played so many baseball and softball games together: My main teammate in life. He was famous for his powerful and accurate baseball outfielder throwing arm ; he was a star football running back in high school.


Phillip Shelton was a Ladies’ Gentleman, polite, gracious, diplomatic, socializer, extraordinarily attentive to everyone’s feelings.


He had complete Common sense, street sense even; he was a regular guy, very modest, not a bragger or egoist.


My Brother was a Hobbyist Extraordinaire : Coin collector, Fisherman, Saxophone Player, Bid Wisk Player, Photographer, Gardener, Potter , Casino denizen and more.


All that I’m saying about Phil is to demonstrate to myself and to y’all that We need not feel sorry for Phil, because he Lived, Loved and Laughed (and cried) as fully , as passionately as it is humanly possible ; he had much leisure and relaxation ; and he gracefully and continuously and _successfully_ toiled with the inevitable struggles of real life. HE TOOK CARE OF SO MANY AND SOCIALIZED, WITH CHARM AND DIPLOMACY, AS BEVERLY PUT IT, CONSTANTLY , EVERY DAY, WEEK AND MONTH; MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE I KNOW. By my personal moral standards, he was a Saint. I will be writing about my Saint for the rest of my life. He’s now an Angel.


I wish he had a more years, but he put into his 69 long years more living and loving than most . I'll just have to live longer and longer being Phil Beown still around . THE GREAT PHILLIP BROWN lives ! Serenity is Phil, KJ is Phil, I am Phil Brown , Sonitra is Phil Brown: , Bev , Celeste, Alex , Kim ,Woochie, Danielle , Ashley , and YOU AND YOU AND YOU’ALL are , too !