James G Brown

Memorial services for James G. Brown, 100, of Bradenton, will be held at a later date. Mr. Brown died February 19, 2015, after a long and well-lived life. Born April 23, 1914, in Macon, Georgia, he was the son of Edward Lee Brown and Mary Olivia Blackshear Brown. He was preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Alice Marek Brown, his wife of 27 years, Patricia L. Brown, and his brother, Edward Blackshear Brown. He moved with his family to Beachton, Georgia, at an early age, and attended schools in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1935 with a degree in electrical engineering. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. His early career was with General Electric in Schenectady, New York and Chicago, where he was instrumental in the early development of X-ray tubes. He was granted several patents during this time. In 1941 he entered active duty with the U.S. Army. He served during World War II as a production engineering officer in the manufacture of ordnance materiel associated with antiaircraft artillery, in the Chicago Ordnance District. He retired with disability due to an injury in 1945. Following his retirement from the Army, he moved to Bradenton, where he owned and operated a small business. In 1953, he went to work for Douglas Aircraft Corporation in Long Beach, California. In 1955, he joined General Dynamics Convair, working in San Diego and Cape Canaveral. With Convair, he led in the development of the Atlas missile for the U.S. Air Force. He was the lead Missile Engineer for Project Score, in which an Atlas 10B launched the world’s first communication satellite in December 1958. He later worked for Aerospace Corp. in Los Angeles as manager of the Space Experiments Support Program Office. He finished his career with the Martin-Marietta Skylab Integration team in Huntsville, Alabama. He retired in 1970, with homes in Bradenton and Dillsboro, North Carolina. He later settled in Bradenton full time. Mr. Brown was a man of many interests, and was known as a gardener, poet, and teller of stories. He is survived by his niece, Mary Gene Cotten, nephew, Edward Blackshear Brown, Jr., niece, Diane Marek Yerkes, nephew, Dennis Marek, and niece Lori Marek Birtley.