| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The life of a beloved baseball player and a renowned |
|
|
cardiologist drew to a close with the passing of Robert William |
|
|
Brown of Fort Worth on March 25, 2021, at the age of 96; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The son of William and Myrtle Brown, Bobby Brown was |
|
|
born on October 25, 1924, in Seattle, and he grew up with a sister, |
|
|
Beverley; he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and played |
|
|
college baseball at Stanford, UCLA, and Tulane while beginning his |
|
|
medical education as part of an officer training program; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Nicknamed "Golden Boy" for his blond hair and the |
|
|
large bonus he received when he signed to play for the New York |
|
|
Yankees, Mr. Brown made his major league debut in 1946; utilized |
|
|
largely as an infielder and a pinch hitter, he compiled a .300 |
|
|
average in 1947 and 1948 but earned his greatest acclaim for his |
|
|
exceptional postseason play while helping the Yankees win four |
|
|
championships; in the 1947 World Series, he went three for three and |
|
|
delivered a crucial run-scoring double in the decisive Game 7; two |
|
|
years later, he tallied six hits in 12 at bats in the series, and in |
|
|
1950 he scored the only run in Game 1; in eight major league |
|
|
seasons, he tallied 452 hits, 237 runs batted in, and a lifetime |
|
|
batting average of .279; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, During his years with the Yankees, Mr. Brown |
|
|
continued his studies at Tulane University, spending winters in |
|
|
class and often missing spring training; he received his medical |
|
|
degree in 1950 and left the team in the summer of 1952 for service in |
|
|
the Korean War; he was a battalion surgeon near the front lines and |
|
|
later served at an Army hospital in Tokyo before being discharged in |
|
|
1954; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Brown briefly rejoined the Yankees that year but |
|
|
opted to give up his career as a ballplayer to train as a |
|
|
cardiologist; after completing his studies in 1958, he moved to |
|
|
Fort Worth to open a private practice; except for a sabbatical in |
|
|
1974, when he served as the interim president of the Texas Rangers, |
|
|
he worked as a doctor until 1984; he then returned to baseball in |
|
|
his role as president of the American League, holding that post |
|
|
until retiring in 1994; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Brown and his wife, Sara, shared a rewarding |
|
|
marriage that spanned six decades before she passed away in 2012; |
|
|
they were the parents of three children, Pete, Beverley, and |
|
|
Kaydee, and the family later grew to include 10 grandchildren, |
|
|
Geren, Robert, Jeffrey, Rebecca, Jack, Pete, Edward, Jayne, Sara, |
|
|
and Will, and 14 great-grandchildren; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Revered for his outstanding play on the field and |
|
|
his dedicated service as a cardiologist and baseball executive, |
|
|
Bobby Brown lived a life that was rich in family, friends, and |
|
|
professional accomplishments, and he leaves behind a legacy that |
|
|
will long be treasured by all those who held him dear; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Robert William |
|
|
Brown and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family; |
|
|
and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
|
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Bobby |
|
|
Brown. |