Roscoe Mumford Brown, retired custodian, died at home of cardiovascular disease January 19, 2001. Brown worked at WSU from 1972 until he went on disability leave due to failing eyesight in 1988. He retired May 1, 1993.

"I remember him as a very nice man on occasions when he would come into our office," said Mary Ann Wilson of personnel who dealt with Brown extensively. "To remember someone like that down the road years later is a sign that they truly impressed you."

Brown worked in many WSU buildings, and his friends and co-workers remembered him fondly. Ruby Kay Goodson, a 1977 retiree, worked with Brown. "He was a real gentleman, just like a brother to me. He was kind and always looked out for the people around him," she said. Goodson remembered that at one time, female custodians at WSU were called "matrons," and Brown helped convince management to grant the female maintenance employees the same title of custodian held by the university's male maintenance workers.

Brown was born in Omaha, Neb., March 16, 1924, to the late Harrison and Hattie Plouche Brown. After his mother died, he was raised by his aunt and uncle Isaac and Edna Plouche.

Brown served in the U.S. Navy during and after World War II, from January 1943 until 1946, when he received an honorable discharge. Brown went to barber school from 1946-49. He owned and operated his own barber shop on Dexter Street in Detroit from 1962-1972 before joining the staff of WSU.