Aubrey Kenna Brown, Jr., M.D., aged 94, passed away peacefully at his residence on Tuesday, August 11, 2015. He was born on August 25, 1920 in Greenville, South Carolina to Dr. Aubrey and Augusta Nelson Brown, Sr. His family moved to numerous military medical army posts throughout his early years, including stations in Iowa, South Carolina, Texas, and Panama.
Kenna graduated from the Texas Military Institute in San Antonio in 1938. In 1942, he graduated from the Citadel Military College in Charleston, South Carolina. That same year, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He continued his education and graduated from the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in 1945.
In 1945, Kenna married Mildred Deloach Phillips of Memphis, Tennessee. He served an internship at San Antonio’s Robert B. Green Hospital, after which, he was inducted into the U.S. Army at Ft. Sam Houston Brooke General Hospital. He served on staff at Tripler Army Hospital in Hawaii for three years, 1947-1949, before transferring to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. During the Korean War, Kenna served as surgeon of the 24th Infantry Division in Korea as well as the interim commanding officer of the 24th Division Medical Battalion. After the Korean War, he served as Chief of Surgery at the station hospital in Camp Zama, Japan.
After completing his residency in Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T.) at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., he served as Assistant Chief of E.N.T. for two years. He was then transferred to Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he became the Chief of the E.N.T. service. In 1964, he was transferred to Brooke General Army Hospital in San Antonio, Texas where he served as Chief of E.N.T. In 1966, Kenna retired from the military after 22 years of active duty, with the rank of Colonel.
Upon his military retirement, Kenna accepted a position in the Division of E.N.T. at Scott & White Clinic. During his time at Scott &White, he served as Chief of the E.N.T. Division from 1970-1981. He was elected as President of the Clinic Staff Organization in 1974 and was also honored to serve on the Scott & White Hospital Board of Trustees and the Scott & White Clinic Board of Directors. In 1979, he was named a Professor of Surgery of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine.
Kenna was a Diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology, a member of the American Society of Facial Plastic Surgery and was a Fellow in the following: the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In addition, he was a member of the Texas Otolaryngological Association and a member of the Texas Society for Electron Microscopy. Kenna retired from Scott & White in 1990 at age 70.
Always an avid outdoorsman, Kenna enjoyed camping, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, and bow hunting with his family and many friends well into his 80’s. Kenna was a founding member of the Bell County Piddle and Paddle Society, a canoeing club. He was a voracious reader, with a lifelong love of learning.
Kenna and Mildred were founding members of St. Francis Episcopal Church, where he served for many years on the Vestry and as a Layreader. Kenna was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. All of his friends and family enjoyed his delightful, dry wit and sense of humor.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Mildred Phillips Brown, and a son, Aubrey Kenna Brown, III, who died in infancy in 1946. He is survived by his four children: William Phillip’s Brown and wife, Debbie Lehmkuhl Brown, of Austin, Texas; Gail Brown Avots, and husband, Andre Avots, M.D. of Temple, Texas; Gary Kenna Brown, M.D. of Knoxville, Tennessee; Beth Brown Lang and husband, Steven Frank Lang of Austin, Texas; five grandchildren, Kristin Avots Murphy and husband, Donavan Kip Murphy, M.D. of San Francisco, California; Lauren Avots Bryan and husband, Wesley Kriston Bryan of Houston, Texas; Erik Kenna Avots, of Austin, Texas; Aubree Marie Brown of Austin, Texas and Laura Phillips Lang of Austin, Texas and one great-grandson, Luke William Murphy of San Francisco, California.
Memorial services will be held Tuesday, August 18th, at 10:00am at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Temple, Texas with the Reverend Brad St. Romain officiating. A reception for family and friends will be held in the parish hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be sent to Baylor, Scott and White Healthcare or to St. Francis Episcopal Church.
Scanio-Harper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online guestbook and obituary at www.scanioharperfuneralhome.com.
Posted in: Temple TX Daily Telegram
Posted on: 2015-08-15
Link to original obituary: http://www.tdtnews.com/obituaries/article_f29f8d86-4208-11e5-bc16-f3d0b1402a1c.html