Kathleen Brown, 75, art teacher
Kathleen Dugas Brown, 75, of Malvern, an art teacher and cofounder of the Malvern Arts Association, died at home Saturday, June 11, of breast cancer.
Kathleen Dugas Brown, 75, of Malvern, an art teacher and cofounder of the Malvern Arts Association, died at home Saturday, June 11, of breast cancer.
Mrs. Brown graduated from what is now Moore College of Art & Design in 1962, and taught art at General Wayne Junior High School in Malvern for 15 years.
"Her students loved her," her family said in a tribute. "She inspired them. She could teach anyone to draw and paint better than they ever thought they could."
At General Wayne, she met Jerry Brown, then the industrial arts teacher. They married in June 1968.
In 1976, Mrs. Brown cofounded the Malvern Arts Association, which offered classes, art shows, and enrichment programs for borough residents.
While still employed with the local schools in 1981, she wrote and self-published a book, Malvern Public School and Its Children. The book chronicled the development of the elementary school from its inception in the 1890s to its closing in 1981. The building then became Malvern's town hall, library, and police station.
In 1982, Mrs. Brown decided to create a mural in Sugartown Elementary School, and arranged for all the students to paint it. Later, officials renovated the building, but kept the mural intact because it was so important to the children and the faculty.
Mrs. Brown also taught private summer art lessons en plein air, or in the open air, at farms in Willistown Township.
In 1984, drawing on her magnetism, creativity, and organizational skills, she founded a public relations and event planning business, Business Art & Promotion. Among her clients were Radnor Hunt Races, Thorncroft Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Vintage Grand Prix, and Malvern Victorian Christmas.
"Kathie could woo the sun out of the sky, and brought many luminaries to our area through her work," her family said.
Mrs. Brown was born in Bethlehem to Margaret and Joseph Dugas, both first-generation Americans of Hungarian and Slovakian descent. Her parents recognized her talent and arranged for her to study under Jerry Quier, a Bethlehem painter.
She grew to love painting, gardening, bird watching, being a spectator at the Malvern Memorial Parade, and celebrating Christmas.
Besides her husband, she is survived by son Zachary; daughter Amy Dugas Brown; three grandchildren; and a sister.
A visitation at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, will be followed by funeral services at 3 p.m. at Mauger Givnish Funeral Home, 24 Monument Ave., Malvern. Burial will be private.
Donations may be made to Breast Cancer Research at https://give.bcrfcure.org/kathiedugasbrown.
610-313-8102