Annapolis, Md (March 25, 2006) - The first African American Commandant of the Naval Academy, Capt. Bruce Grooms stands with Retired Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Wesley Brown Field House at the U.S. Naval Academy. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)Wesley A. Brown, a son of the District who became the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, entered the pantheon of military heroes yesterday as the academy's newest facility was dedicated in his honor.
The Navy's highest brass celebrated Brown as a pioneer of racial justice with attendant pomp at yesterday's opening of the $52 million Wesley A. Brown Field House on the scenic bank of the Severn River in Annapolis. Brown's life story was hailed as an American tale of courage and perseverance, grace and humility.
"He fought a war his whole life for all of us to improve who we are as individuals, who we are both as a Navy and a nation," said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It was his noble calling and it was his call to service and citizenship that led to lasting change in our Navy and in our nation."
Capt. Peter W. McGeory, the academy's senior chaplain, paid tribute to Brown. "He is a true American treasure, and may all of us learn from his courage, his grace, his humor and his humility," McGeory said.
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(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)Annapolis, Md. (March 25, 2006) - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen talks with Ret. Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Wesley Brown Field House at the U.S. Naval Academy. The 140,000 square-foot complex will sport facilities for physical education, varsity and intramural athletics, club sports and personal fitness, at a cost of about $52 million dollars. The project is scheduled to be complete by 2008. Brown was the first African American graduate of the Academy in 1949. There had been five before him, but they were all forced out.
Brown's story was not particularly well known until the publication in 2005 of Robert J. Schneller Jr.'s book, "Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy's First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality." This book documents the experiences of the first five African Americans admitted to the Academy and the challenges Brown and the others faced.
Photo: (Courtesy of Brown Family) Wesley A. Brown U.S. Army photo.Brown became the first in his family to attend college, at Howard University. Prior to 1945, he began his military career with a stint in the Army before applying to the Naval Academy. He originally wanted to go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and served in the US Navy from May 2, 1944–June 30, 1969.
He was nominated for admission and later appointed to USNA, by New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
The Wesley A. Brown Field House houses facilities for physical education, varsity and intramural athletics, club sports and personal fitness. The field house utilizes the most advanced technology for personal condition and combat preparedness.
Yesterday, with the dedication of this facility, Ret. Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown joined the likes of William F. Halsey Jr. and Chester W. Nimitz, Alfred Thayer Mahan and Hyman G. Rickover with a rare honor of having a Naval Academy building named after him.
Read: 1st Black Graduate Joins Elite Group (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032500994.html)
Photo Gallery: Wesley A. Brown Field House Construction: http://navysports.cstv.com/photogallery/gallery_index.html?school=navy&sport=&
Note to Readers: We were unable to verify if Ret. Lt. Cmdr. Brown is an alumnus of Howard University. If any historians have verification of this fact and year of graduation, please provide us with a link. Thank you.
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