Phyllis R. Brown

Dr. Phyllis R. Brown, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend, world-renowned chemist, writer died July 8th in Providence RI. She was a woman who wore many hats and was ahead of her time. As Bert’s wife and partner for 65 years, they produced two careers and family together. Phyllis had her sights on Bert even as a young adolescent and at 17 announced to her father that she wanted to marry him. And then they had a remarkable run: 4 children, 9 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren. They were a great team. Then there is her professional life. She went back to school when she had 4 kids, ages 14-9. She was accepted into a trial program at Brown for return to college students: older students who no one anticipated would succeed. She took that as a dare. 8 years later with a newly minted Ph.D., she began a 30 year journey, and became internationally known as “the Mother of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography”, and the mother of Analytic Chemistry. We have heard her referred to both ways. Phyllis attended Simmons College, received her BS in chemistry from George Washington University and a PhD in chemistry from Brown University. She did post doctoral work in the pharmacology section of Brown and joined the faculty of the University of Rhode Island in 1973, promoted to full professor in 1980 and them professor emerita. Phyllis was the author of over 200 articles and wrote/edited 5 books on HPLC and/or CE.. For 25 years she was an editor of the Advances in Chromatography series and numerous other publications. Phyllis received a Fulbright Fellowship, the Tswett Medal in Chromatography, the Dal Nogare Award in Chromatography, the Governor's Medal for Contributions to Science and Technology in the State of Rhode Island, the Scholarly Achievement Award for Excellence in Research at URI, a Citation from Brown University for Outstanding Research in the Field of Chemistry, the Csaba Horvath Medal for Separation Science, and an Award by the Eastern Analytical Symposium for Achievements in Separation Science. These past four decades, Phyllis has been an activist in supporting and promoting women in chemistry. Phyllis Brown touched many people personally and professionally and lives on in her many accomplishments. She and her spirit will be missed by many people. The funeral will be Friday, July 10, 2015 at 10:30 at Sugarman's Funeral Home, 458 Hope Street, Providence. Shiva will be at Laurelmead, 355 Blackstone Boulevard, Providence Saturday 6-8:30pm and Sunday 1:30-4PM, 6-8PM. Shiva will also be at the home of Alan and Elisabeth Groveman, 10 Schoolhouse Lane, Chester, New Jersey 07930, July 13 6-8PM and July14 2-4PM. Donations may be made to Phyllis Rosen Brown Fund The Office of Advancement, Simmons College 300 The Fenway, Boston MA 02115 Or The Phyllis Rosen Brown Chemistry Endowment Fund URI Foundation 79 Upper College Road Kingston, RI 02881