Interview with Lee F. Browne - Caltech Oral Histories

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Browne–32 percent of his fees paid. Now, when you go up there, if you do that, I think we can get him.” Chris said, “That’s wonderful,” and he never did go to see him. He called him and said that he couldn’t make it. COHEN: That’s bad. So you didn’t get him? BROWNE: We had a lot of “bad” [faculty members]. I just happened to mention that one, because that’s a key name. You see, that would have been a good kid here on campus. Certain kinds of kids draw other kids. COHEN: Of course. BROWNE: That’s why I’m using him [as an example]. But there were other faculty that did much the same thing. There were many faculty here who didn’t want any students like that here. COHEN: They got bit with the racism bug is what you’re saying? BROWNE: I don’t quite know whether it was racism or whether it was something else. It wasn’t always racism. Some of it was, but some of it was just that “certain people don’t belong in these fields.” And that’s independent of race or sex. But they just felt that there were certain things the person would be better off doing. COHEN: I see. If they weren’t really tops in the science, “Let him do something else that would be better for him.” BROWNE: Yes. COHEN: OK. I know what you’re saying. BROWNE: I brought another boy here who was the top student at the Little Red Schoolhouse in New York. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Browne_L
Browne–33 COHEN: OK. BROWNE: And I negotiated a full scholarship for him from the Carnation Company. And I was told by the Carnation Company—one of those companies who gave money—that they didn’t want this kid to ever fail anything and if he did they’d pull the money. So he was doing great in everything, but he was flunking chemistry. I called him into my office one day and said, “What’s happening with you?” He said, “Nothing. I’m doing good.” I said, “In everything?” He said, “Yes. I’m a little behind in chemistry, but I’ll catch up.” I said, “Well, that’s why I’m calling you, because I understand you’re flunking chemistry.” He said, “What are you doing meddling in my business?” COHEN: Did you tell him you had to? BROWNE: No. He told me, “I don’t want you meddling in my business. You don’t have nothing to do with me.” This was typical of many African American parents. I used to have a six-week program prior to school opening to help them get broken in, and they’d say, “I don’t want my kid in that program.” And to some of them I’d say, “Well, you can still come in September. You don’t have to come to that program.” Kids that didn’t come to that six-week program would flunk out, because they didn’t know what the volume of work was or the intensity of the work. So they were just shocked and they would flunk out. COHEN: Sure. BROWNE: And many parents were upset. COHEN: They just didn’t want their child treated any differently. BROWNE: That’s right. And I’d say, “This is not different treatment, because I’m not going to let him take any watered-down courses when he’s a freshman. That’s one thing we don’t do in this program. We may do something in that first six weeks in the summer, but not after school http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Browne_L
Page 1 and 2: LEE F. BROWNE (b. 1922) INTERVIEWED
Page 3 and 4: Lee Brown with the Black Students U
Page 5 and 6: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Page 7 and 8: Browne-3 BROWNE: Oh, yes. But by th
Page 9 and 10: Browne-5 business of killing and cu
Page 11 and 12: Browne-7 COHEN: Yes. BROWNE: Well,
Page 13 and 14: Browne-9 BROWNE: Well, they said th
Page 15 and 16: Browne-11 BROWNE: So I wrote them.
Page 17 and 18: Browne-13 COHEN: Yes. BROWNE: And g
Page 19 and 20: Browne-15 BROWNE: So I did that. An
Page 21 and 22: Browne-17 COHEN: It was a very good
Page 23 and 24: Browne-19 he said that he didn’t
Page 25 and 26: Browne-21 BROWNE: You see? And I ha
Page 27 and 28: Browne-23 communities—“…that
Page 29 and 30: Browne-25 COHEN: And what was it ca
Page 31 and 32: Browne-27 COHEN: So you came in abo
Page 33 and 34: Browne-29 BROWNE: A large number of
Page 35: Browne-31 COHEN: Were you having fu
Page 39 and 40: Browne-35 their nationality. So I
Page 41 and 42: Browne-37 COHEN: But now, I’m try
Page 43 and 44: Browne-39 COHEN: Can you tell me? B
Page 45 and 46: Browne-41 COHEN: There are still so
Page 47: Browne-43 COHEN: But you certainly

Interview with Lee F. Browne - Caltech Oral Histories

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