Chuck and Katie Brown

It’s the fall of 1959, and school’s just started. The air is crisp, and the trees are beginning to turn. Katie and Sandy are friends in UW’s Pi Phi sorority. Sandy is dating Terry, who is friends with Chuck Brown, a veteran of the Korean conflict who’s just returned to campus to resume his studies.

Chuck has his eye on Katie, who is very popular. She serves as Commander of the Air Force ROTC women cadets who performed during basketball halftime. She is a member of the influential women’s honorary, Mortar Board. She is elected Homecoming Queen.

Chuck and Katie have restored a vintage manure spreader for the express purpose of spreading Poke Pride. It is part of their tractor and buggy collection. You can see it at Homecoming and parades around the state.

“I feel so blessed and fortunate because I had a wonderful college experience,” Katie says, looking back to that time, while Chuck adds, “She was Miss Everything, and I was Mister Nothing.”

One night at the Sigma Chi house, Terry says, “Chuck, I hear Katie Kugland isn’t dating anyone right now. You better get her called for the Homecoming Dance.” And so, Chuck screws up his courage and phones, and then phones again, and again—it takes a few tries, since there is only one phone and a lot of girls living in the Pi Phi House.

“You probably don’t know me,” Chuck says, “but I know who you are. I know it’s early, but I’d like to ask you out for the Homecoming Dance.” At the time, Chuck explains, moms told their daughters to go with the first guy who asked you, so he was trying to be the first to ask. There’s a pause, and then Katie says, “Well, yes, I’d like that very much.”

They chat, and Chuck offers to go before Homecoming on what is called a Coke date—where you met for sodas and get to know each other. Katie agrees. Chuck is over the 

moon when they hang up, but then doubts begin to creep in. Did she really know who  he was? And so, he retraces his steps and calls her back, dialing repeatedly until he gets past the busy signal and then waits as Katie returns to the phone. “So, are you sure you know who I am?” he asks. “Yes,” she says. Chuck is elated.

And now Chuck and Katie Brown have been married for over 60 years, living in Wheatland and running their business—C.H. Brown Co., which first sold farming equipment and then transitioned to helping operators finance that equipment. They raised their two girls, Brenda and Kristi. They held season tickets to UW Athletics for over 50 years. And through it all, their lives have been closely intertwined with their alma mater, the University of Wyoming.

The Browns have served UW in many ways, as well as on many other boards and commissions. Katie served on the UW Library Board, and Chuck served as president of the UW Board of Trustees and of the Alumni Association Board. Chuck also served on the Federal Reserve Board in Denver.

In fact, the Browns became lifetime members of the Alumni Association right after they graduated. Their first support of UW was Alumni Association dues in 1966, and the first UW fund they contributed to was a general scholarship. Since then, they’ve given generously to areas across campus such as their colleges—Education and Business—the Alumni Association, UW Athletics, and much more.

“We’ve tried to do a good job of running our businesses, and we’ve just tried to give back and be good citizens,” Chuck says. “We both received what we thought were outstanding educations, and they have served us so well throughout our lifetimes.”

And now the Browns have gone even further to use their family trust to set up an estate gift to benefit UW. The endowment is very flexible and benefits Athletics, the colleges of Business and Education, UW Libraries, and the Alumni Association.

“We have purposely left those gifts wide open—for the best use,” Chuck says. “There are others closer to the need who can better determine where the trust proceeds should go. As far as we’re concerned, it’s money well spent.”

A gift that you create while planning your estate is a great way to have a huge impact on UW students and the faculty and programs that support them. Contact us to find out more!

To talk over your options, contact Brett Befus, Associate Vice President for Development, at (307) 766-4259 or bbefus@uwyo.edu.

What’s your Wyoming Legacy?