News and Events - Oral Lee Brown Honorary Degree

Oral Brown stands as an exemplary model in drawing upon her faith to help others less fortunate than herself, to support her community, and to help fashion a more humane and just world. - Dr. Larry Brewster, School of Education Acting Dean

At the May 22, 2004 combined School of Education and School of Nursing Commencement, Oral Lee Brown ‘86, founder of Oakland’s Oral Lee Foundation, a philanthropic and education-focused organization, received an honorary degree.

Brown, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Professional Studies, has received national publicity and congressional recognition for her 1987 initiative to "adopt" a first-grade class in East Oakland, promising them a college education if they stayed in school. With Brown’s mentoring and support, all 23 students graduated from high school and 19 now attend college or graduate school.

Oral Brown’s life certainly reflects the Vision, Mission, and Values Statement of the University of San Francisco, which calls for “faith that does justice” and a “culture of service that respects and promotes the dignity of every person.”

Oral Brown was born in poverty in the Mississippi Delta and came to California as a young woman. She went to work for Blue Cross Insurance and rose through the ranks to become a managing supervisor of fifty-five employees. While working at Blue Cross, she also raised a family of three daughters and pursued a college degree at the University of San Francisco, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Professional Studies. She also obtained a broker’s license, became successful in real estate, and acquired the Nationwide Realty/T.P.I Corporation in Oakland. Later, she purchased Cobbler’s Restaurant where she became head chef and manager. Her most popular desert, Oral Lee Peach Cobbler, became a marketing success.

Her business accomplishments, coupled with her religious faith, prompted her to support her community and, in 1987, Oral Brown adopted the entire first-grade class of Brookfield Elementary School in East Oakland. She promised all twenty-three children in the first-grade class that if they stayed in school and studied hard, she would guarantee them a college education. Toward that goal, Mrs. Brown set aside $10,000 annually in a special trust account to provide the financial base for the children’s future education. She then organized community and corporate support for the project and established the Oral Lee Brown Foundation to provide financial, educational, social, and emotional support for the children.

In addition to providing financial support, Mrs. Brown visited with the children and their families on a regular basis, served as a mentor for each child, and ensured that the children and their families received the support services they needed. All twenty-three children graduated from high school, and nineteen are currently enrolled in four-year colleges or universities. Other community-based organizations have benefited from Mrs. Brown’s community service ethic, and she is an active member of the Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, the Oakland Community Housing Resource Board, and the Alameda County Assessment Appeal Board, among others.

Oral Brown has received local, state, and national recognition for her commitment and leadership in creating educational opportunities for youth from her community. She was named Woman of the Year in 2000 by State Senator Don Perata and Assemblywoman Audie Bock, received the John Stanford Education Heroes Award by the U.S. Department of Education, was honored at the Black History Month Awards sponsored by Union Bank of California and KQED, was named Humanitarian of the Year 2000 by the East Bay Agency for Children, and was given the Koshland Civic Unity Award by the San Francisco Foundation. She has received congressional recognition from Representatives Ron Dellums and Barbara Lee, has been the subject of numerous articles in national magazines, and has been interviewed on various television and news shows. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed an Oral Lee Brown Day in the City of Oakland.

The University of San Francisco is proud to join with many other organizations in honoring Oral Brown. She stands as an exemplary model in drawing upon her faith to help others less fortunate than herself, to support her community, and to help "fashion a more humane and just world," as called for in the Vision, Mission, and Values Statement of the University of San Francisco. For this reason, the university conferred upon Oral Brown the degree of Doctor of Humane letters, honoris causa, with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereunto.

May 2004

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