January 17, 2019 / VU professor accepts citizen of the year award
LINK to photo of Brown accepting award, click HERE
CUTLINE: Duane Chattin, left, president of the Vincennes Civitan Club,
presents Norbert Brown the Citizen of the Year Award for 2018.
VINCENNES, Ind. - Norbert Brown, a Vincennes University
automotive professor and program coordinator, was presented the 2018
Vincennes Civitan Citizen of the Year award on Thursday.
The award is bestowed upon individuals who promote good
citizenship through outstanding volunteer service to their community.
The award was first presented to the late Isaac K. Beckes in 1954.
Brown was recognized for his creation of the Vincennes Indiana
Remember When Facebook group which currently features more than 20,000
historical photos of Vincennes and surrounding areas. When the
Vincennes native started the group, he didn’t foresee the popularity
it would gain.
“I put a few historical Vincennes photographs on there to share
with some friends,” he said. “They asked me if it was okay if they
shared with their friends. I said, ‘Sure. Tell them if they find a
Vincennes photo and they’d like to share it to load it to the site.’ I
didn’t anticipate it going over as well as it did. Now there’s more
than 10,000 members, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 historical
photographs of Vincennes, and many discussions about various topics in
Vincennes history.”
Brown has also read the first three pages of Vincennes
newspapers dating back to 1807 and has created a database of
historical information. He collects historical documents and
publications and also gives presentations related to area history to
local groups.
“Norbert has served our community with great dedication in
multiple capacities,” said Vincennes Civitan Club President Duane
Chattin. “We particularly appreciate the way he creatively celebrates
our past to inspire a better future for our community.”
Chattin presented Brown with a plaque during a luncheon at the
Harmony Society. Brown is the 59th recipient of the award which has
also been presented to such notable residents as Phyllis Sweeney,
Robert “Angel” Lange, Scott Shipman, Helen Seirp, Jim Osborne, LaDonna
Lane, Georgiann Leonard, Dale Phillips, Nancy Carie, and Dr. Alan Stewart.
Brown is the Collision Repair and Refinishing Program
coordinator and a professor in VU’s College of Technology. He and his
wife, Amy, have two children.
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VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University
Relations, www.vinu.edu/newsroom