‘Uncompromising empathy’: Longtime Centre County judge Charles C. Brown dies at 88
Charles C. Brown Jr., a longtime Centre County district attorney and judge whose legal and judicial service spanned more than half a century, died Wednesday at 88.
Over a career that began in the early 1960s, Brown served Centre County as a three-term district attorney before he was elected judge. He spent at least 28 years on the bench, including many years as President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, retiring in 2007.
Known for his fairness, quick wit and legal mind, he continued hearing cases after his retirement as a senior judge and mediator.
“Judge Brown had a magnetic presence, that blended fierce compassion and uncompromising empathy,” Centre County Court Administrator Kendra Miknis wrote Wednesday in an email to court staff, county officials and the county bar association. “He had an authoritative manner that commanded respect in, and outside, of the courtroom.”
Brown is the second retired Centre County president judge to die in as many weeks, marking the loss of two longtime figures in the county’s legal community.
David E. Grine, who was remembered for his down-to-earth demeanor and willingness to help others, died in late May after a decadeslong career as a police officer, district attorney and judge.
“Two great losses of wonderful men so close together,” retired Centre County Court Administrator Maxine Ishler told the Centre Daily Times.
When Brown retired, Ishler described him as the “grandfather of the courts.” Former District Attorney Michael Madeira said Brown was the “institution within the institution.”
The county commissioners in December 2007 approved a proclamation honoring Brown for his “fairness and robustness” as well as his “brilliant legal mind.” Brown said he found child custody disputes to be the most trying, often questioning if he made the best decision for the child.
“That’s the toughest part of the job,” Brown said at the time. “Kids, they’re innocent. They only have one childhood.”
According to CDT archives, he kept an extensive collection of baseball memorabilia in his chambers and twice acquired the Bellefonte home of baseball Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward. When asked to recall some of his favorite childhood books, Brown said he read nearly all sports novels written by the late John R. Tunis. He also counted the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Dodgers as his favorite pro teams.
Brown said in 2007 that the courts were the “thin line between the people and chaos.”
“If there is no respect for the courts, why would anyone pay attention?” Brown said at the time. “My role in 28 years is (to) be worthy of this justice system.”
Elected to replace his spot on the bench, former Centre County President Judge Pamela Ruest told the CDT he was one of her earliest supporters and encouraged her to run.
“I will always be grateful for his encouragement and support,” Ruest said. “We will all deeply miss him.”
Brown, a native of Bellefonte, long held an affinity for his hometown. He graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1955, and his first job was stocking shelves breaking down cardboard boxes for his dad at G.C. Murphy in Bellefonte, according to his obituary.
He was a graduate of Juniata College (1959) and the New York University School of Law (1962), before started his career as an attorney in Bellefonte. He was a founding partner of McQuaide, Blasko and Brown.
Ishler, the retired court administrator, said it was an honor to have worked with Brown.
“He had a brilliant legal mind and memory and always had high expectations for all those who worked with him. We are all better people because of him,” she said. “His leadership over the years made me so proud of the Centre County Court and was greatly appreciated by the staff, the legal community and Centre County as a whole.”
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; four children; five step-children and 21 grandchildren.
