Louis Reginald Brothers, Sr. — a Father, a Civic Leader, a Veteran, and a Friend — transitioned from this world to the next at age 97 on Saturday evening, February 28, 2015 at his home in Vienna, Virginia. His only child, Reggie, Jr. and his family were with him at the time of his passing.
The late Brothers and his wife of 60 years, the former Yvonne Bernice Manning who preceded him in death in September 2010, relocated south to Virginia to be nearby their immediate family as they grew deeper into retirement. Up until that relocation, Brothers had lived his entire life in and around Boston, Massachusetts, with their last northern homestead being a familiar and friendly address to family, friends and neighbors: 29 Charlotte Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Brothers’ life journey began on November 15, 1917, arriving to proud parents Lewis O. and Martha L. (Munroe) Brothers, and a welcome addition to a family that would eventually include four sons and one daughter — Kenneth, Alfred, Mildred and Roy. He would occupy the 3rd born position and is now recognized as the last member of his immediate family to pass on.
Many would suggest that Brothers was the personification of “Boston Strong,” having attended Boston Public Schools exclusively prior to earning his Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from Boston University in 1955. Prior to his collegiate years, Brothers served stateside during World War II as a Paratrooper with the United States Air Force’s 555th Parachute Infantry (separate) Battalion — obtaining the rank of Sergeant Major at the time of his honorable discharge from service in 1946.
His professional career (which began in 1958) was peppered with streaks of his humanitarian spirit, specifically, his foresight to lead the effort to establish an employee credit union during his tenure as the Purchasing Contracting Officer for the Electronic Systems Division and the Air Force Systems Command at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. He served as the credit union’s president and officially retired from federal service in 1973.
In 1974, Brothers began a four-year position with Newton, Massachusetts-based manufacturing company Solar Control Products Corporation, serving as Purchasing Agent before formally joining the retirement ranks alongside his wife Bernice. Along the way and well into his retirement years, Brothers would still immerse himself in the civic needs of his immediate Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods as well as global concerns that were intimate to his own earthly walk.
He was a co-founder of the Roxbury Branch of the YMCA and served as its first president in the 1960s. As a board member of the Friends of Framingham, Inc., he was a lead organizer (and treasurer) of a first-ever pre-release center for female offenders — Charlotte House — in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. He was appointed an Associate State Director for the American Association of Retired Persons, board member of the Boston Chapter of the NAACP, trustee of the Woodbury Memorial Fund, assistant treasurer of the Putnam Child Guidance Center, and board member of the St. Mark Social Center.
A prostate cancer survivor, Brothers later became an advocate for early detection and assisted in the development of a prostate cancer support group at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and played an active role with the American Cancer Society and the Department of Public Health and their outreach effort into communities of color. ACS prominently featured him in collateral material, television spots and in-person events during his tenure as their campaign spokesperson.
Civic leader
Fondly remembered as “The Patron of Charlotte Street” during his 38 years there, Brothers organized the local crime-watch patrol and had its participants fully equipped with walkie-talkies. He created his own neighborhood stimulus program by hiring the area youth to do his yard work instead of doing it on his own — thereby instilling an early positive work ethic and getting some money into the pockets of others that were in need. His good neighbor mindset was on full display during many of Boston’s notorious winter “nor’easters,” where Brothers would clear sidewalks on both sides of Charlotte Street with the earliest, if not only snow blower on the block.
Brothers was a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., having joined its ranks during his Boston University years and ultimately serving as Basileus of two local chapters: Gamma, the fraternity’s 3rd established chapter and Boston-area alumni chapter Eta Phi. He was recognized by his fraternity in 1994 with one of its highest member honors, the Carter G. Woodson Humanitarian Award.
Having led a life guided by sacrifice and love for all mankind, several other citations for his service came his way. They include the YMCA Outstanding Service Award (1956-1966), 20-year Service Recognition Award (1986), and Outstanding Leadership Award (1989), AARP Dedicated Service Citation (1990-94), Harvard Street Health Center’s Black Male Life Center Award (1995), Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Rebecca Lee Award for Outstanding Contribution to Improving Health Care in Communities of Color (1996), and the Longwood Area Prostate Cancer Support Group’s Outstanding Leadership Award (1998).
Louis Reginald Brothers, Sr. has a surviving legacy that includes the only child from his lifelong marriage, Dr. L. Reggie Brothers, Jr., who currently serves as Undersecretary for Science and Technology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and his wife Cynthia (Tinajero), granddaughter Jasmine, nieces Mrs. Donna Jones, Mrs. Adrienne McClure, Mrs. Pamela Graham and Mrs. Patricia Haley, nephew Dr. Alfred Brothers Jr., and numerous cousins and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Army Emergency Relief Fund: http://www.aerhq.org/dnn563/Donations/HonoraryorMemorial.aspx
