Interview with Lee F. Browne - Caltech Oral Histories

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
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