Remembering Dr. Roy Irwin Brown
The Board of Directors sadly announces the passing of Dr Roy Irwin Brown. Dr. Brown was a founding member of the Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation. Dr. Brown was a distinguished professor of psychology who in his lifetime worked and taught at several universities including Bristol University (England), University of Adelaide (Australia), and University of Calgary. Throughout his career many honours and awards were bestowed upon this eloquent communicator, including an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ghent, for his distinguished scientific research in disability studies, the Dr. Robert E. Cooke Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry and the IASSIDD Distinguished Service Citation.
For the Health Foundation Roy brought not just experience and insight, but also heart to the organization. Roy had the rare ability to listen deeply and speak with purpose. When he spoke, people paid attention—not out of obligation, but out of respect for a man who thought before he spoke, and who always aimed to uplift, not diminish. He was never the loudest voice in the room, but he was often the wisest. Roy was a man of immense integrity and thoughtful conviction. He lived not for recognition or applause, but for purpose. His sense of duty to his community was matched only by his humility, and those fortunate enough to work alongside him knew him as a steady and compassionate voice of reason.
Roy's passing will leave an immense gap in the lives of so many people who respected and indeed loved him for the way he reached out, embraced people and enriched their lives.
