In Passing: Bryant Alan Browne

Bryant Alan Browne, a professor of water chemistry and soil physics at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a leading researcher into water quality, died Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. He was 56.

Browne's death in St. Michael's Hospital followed a two-year battle with esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by 20 family members, including his wife of 27 years, Kathryn Lane-Browne, and his daughters Padraigin, 26, Adeline, 23, and Zoe, 21.

Described by one colleague as "probably the finest educator I ever met," Browne led his last class Monday -- a spirited discussion of hydrology -- with the aid of a portable oxygen tank. "That got my adrenaline going," he said after the session.

Over the course of 15 years at the UWSP College of Natural Resources, Browne won both the UWSP Excellence in Teaching Award and the UWSP Excellence in Research Award. He published well over a dozen research papers, most recently focusing on the effects of agricultural pollution on Wisconsin groundwater. Browne also developed and patented a process for collecting dissolved gases in water.

"He was an amazing scholar as well as a teacher," said Ron Hensler, professor of soil and waste resources at UWSP. "His research was always there, too; he had many projects, and many undergraduates had experiences that you generally don't get until you are in master's and Ph.D. programs."

Browne was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and grew up in Freeport, N.Y., a village on Long Island. He graduated from Brooklyn Preparatory High School and earned a B.A. degree in English at Boston College.

It was only then that he turned to science. He continued undergraduate studies, securing a B.S. degree in soil science at the University of Massachusetts. He then completed a master's in soil science at the University of California-Berkeley and a doctorate in civil engineering at the University of Syracuse.

Browne worked for six years as a consulting engineer on environmental issues and then shifted to the teaching and research that became his passion. He held instructional posts at Syracuse and Duke University before joining the faculty at UWSP in 1993.

The Browne family settled into a house on Clark Street and planted deep Stevens Point roots there and in their present home on Plover Street. Padraigin, Adeline and Zoe graduated from SPASH, where Mrs. Browne teaches chemistry.

Thousands of UWSP students came under Browne's tutelage. "Bryant was hands down the best professor that I ever had," said Jeremy Wyss, who studied under Browne and became his laboratory assistant for three years after graduation. "He taught very difficult courses, but he was able to articulate complex ideas in simple ways. He would then take those ideas and build on them and look at the world as a holistic approach."

Wyss, whose family had a heritage of farming in Black River Falls, now does environmental consulting for a firm in Atlanta. "I met Bryant and became a scientist because of him," Wyss said.
Bill DeVita, a UWSP Laboratory manager who helped Browne develop a device for measuring the age of water, called Browne "a passionate and brilliant man with an incredible sense of curiosity."

Juli Bowling, who served as Browne's research program manager, said, "He was such an interesting man because he tried to give a gruff persona, but he was a big teddy bear. He always tried to do the best for everyone, and he always made sure people performed to the best of their abilities and beyond."

In January 2007, Browne was diagnosed with stage-four esophageal cancer, a condition that is almost uniformly fatal at a rapid pace. He fought the disease through grueling treatments, never flagging in dedication to teaching and never losing his cheer.

Les Werner, an assistant professor of forestry at UWSP, rated Browne as "probably the finest" teacher of his experience because, he said, Browne "took the hard sciences out of the box and then put the burden on the students to figure out what they needed and then apply the formulas. It was unconventional, but Bryant was able to reach all students at all levels."

Werner also said, "I called my nephew, who was one of Bryant's students and worked in his lab. He said, 'It absolutely amazes me the amount of engagement and effort Bryant maintained over the last two years.' That is the thing we will never forget."

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Joseph's Convent Chapel, in Stevens Point, at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, 2008. A visitation will be held at the chapel beginning at 3 p.m. Monday. A memorial is established in Browne's name for St. Michael's Oncology Center, St. Michaels Hospital, 900 Illinois Ave., Stevens Point WI 54481.

(In entirety from wisinfo.com)