Sunday, October 2, 2016

Transcription of my Mom’s Funeral - Julia McLean Brossman

Transcription of my Mom’s Funeral - Julia McLean Brossman Thanks to Mary Alice for here editing help.


Officiating Moravian Minister: Today's service is in celebration for the life of Julia McLean Brossman who was born on October 4th 1925 and died September 4th 2016. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and life, he who believe in me though he die yet shall he live. And whoever learns and believes in me shall never die". The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear. The Lord is the stronghold of my life and whom shall I be afraid. Let us pray: Almighty God and our father, from whom we come and to whom our spirits return. You’ve been… by a long generation, You’re our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Grant us Your blessing in this hour and enable us to put our trust in You that our spirits may grow calm and our hearts be comforted. Put their lives beyond the shadows of earth and help us to see the light of eternity, so that we find grace and strength for this and every time of need through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As I read the 23rd Psalm, you’re welcome to follow along and share whatever you remember about yourself. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down beside the still waters, He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou are with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, and anointeth my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.

Get His words from the gospel of John, the 14th chapter “let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And I go and prepare a place for you; I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I’m going. Thomas said; Lord we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way? Jesus said to them; I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but by me. If you’d have known me you’d have known my father also. Henceforth you know Him and you see Him.

If you love me you will keep my commandment, and I will pray to the Father and He will send you another counselor to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth though the world cannot receive because if they see Him they will know it’s Him. You know for He dwells with you and will be in you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you, not as the world gives, though I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. And these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the 8th chapter: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, but you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. But you have received the spirit of adoption, where we cry, Abba, father. Or just the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit, that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ; provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

I considered that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory which is to be revealed to us. We’ve known that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. What then shall we say to this; if God is for us, who is against us, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, persecution, famine or nakedness, peril or sword? Now in all these things we are more than conquerors of Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our lord.”

Martin would like to share some things with you this morning.


Martin: I want to take a moment and go over a few stories of my mother’s life. She told me once I don’t want a formal funeral, I want a party, so I encourage laughter while we’re here and others in remembering her because she wanted us to celebrate her life. But the one thing I remember the most is when I was about 9 years old she was in the living room and she pointed to the floor and said I want to die in my home, and that’s your job to make sure I can pass at my home.

When I was 20 years old she pointed to the same area of the floor and said the same thing, when I was 40 years old she repeated it. and so every time we went to the hospital, I was praying that she get home in case something didn’t work out and I’m so pleased to say thanks to the great care of the caregivers, Bridget’s good work, she passed peacefully in her room in her bed upstairs but, it wasn’t on the floor in the living room where I expected.

Many people didn’t realize that, including me, what a unique mother I truly had. So I want to share a few stories about her life to kind of bring it to our consciousness to remember her with the goal of embracing and rejoicing her life. When we came here to get the grave site my dad didn’t want me to be burdened as their only child, so he pre-paid and setup the gravesite. Of course I was a little surprised when he surprised me and said I got a site for you and your wife too, so you’ll see your stone up there with me as well. But he was effective in that my mother approved to set when she sold on one of the gravesites, one of the women said “‘the name’ and ‘beloved wife’” and she went “none of that”, not because she didn’t respect my father or appreciate it but because she was determined in the end to be seen as an equal--she was such an advocate for women being seen as an equal in her life, and I just got a chuckle thinking about that when we got the stones done, you know because it was important to her that her legacy was respected.

And not only was she an equal she was a legend, a living legend that existed. As a child I learned that she was interesting: her sister who was older was remembered by her mostly as everyone said how beautiful Mary was, which is really interesting, and then she said “she’s the beautiful one”. And it wasn’t till later in life that I realized her sister was quite a bit older, so of course she would be more attractive at that age, but my mother as you can see from the pictures was incredibly beautiful. But in some ways that led to the decision “I can’t be beautiful, so I will be smart”, and it was the sort of the piece that committed her to being smart.

And not only was she smart, she often intimidated or guessed the game, because we have a nuclear physicist come to visit, might be a friend theirs, she’d be asking him frontier things about his field that he wasn’t aware of, because she had researched before he even came to visit.

I also learned some other things as she aged as well; she told me when she was older that the doctor told her that because of her severe back problem and pain she had, which she had apparently had most of her life and really didn’t talk much about it, that her child, me, was probably going to be born dead. And her being pragmatic made sure that not only they didn’t set up the crib at first because they didn’t know if I would survive but she also was working on a paper folding book and really threw herself into the research for it, in case something didn’t work out.

The touching thing about it is that I asked my mum and that’s the story I never knew before, “what happened”? And she said “well after you were born the pain never occurred”, so I think I could take a little credit here in that. But probably the alignment of her body stopped it, but she had pain so severe that she was crippled a lot, and she never talked about it but really had difficulty fighting it, up until that point in her life.

My parents loved to travel and… but her spot for travel started early in her life when she went on a trip to Norway. While most people from our small town of Winston-Salem didn’t necessarily go on large trips, our aunts did. We had aunts that went there but it still was pretty unusual and she told me a wonderful story about the trip and what occurred is; on the boat, the boats were segregated so the African-Americans and whites were separate, so they were separating people wow! And there was one young girl there that was black and she had no place to stay because there wasn’t another black woman to stay with, and what occurred is my mother volunteered, “well, of course she could stay with me”.
To my mother who saw no color, that was just normal, but to the people on the ship it had such a big effect. She said “you know it’s so strange because I was treated so well after that”, well all the staff that worked there was African-American, so you know, when they saw what she did without even blinking in a time when that behavior was most uncommon... that to me set the tone of much of her life.

She also told me the story of “well I got kind of in trouble on the trail” and she apparently; you know those giant ships that had those giant smokestacks, well she thought it’d be a good view to climb in. So she apparently climbed the smokestack and the captain came out, saw this woman at the top of the smokestacks and I think she was sort of grounded for the rest of the trip. But this act defined her fearlessness and her adventure in life.

What’s really been the cornerstone throughout her life is speaking for those who didn’t have a voice. And I don’t know where that was started:  it might have been, maybe it was from the “I’m not beautiful, I’ve got to be smart or something else” that seemed to drive much of her life. Now she came to Washington, we haven’t figured out exactly where, but we know her brother, the late Ed McLean was working there at a neighboring research laboratory, and he had a good friend Martin Brossman, my father, and introduced them.

So apparently that’s how they met. She got a job there as a research analyst and this is very important in her life because she would tell me stories about working as a labor or research analyst that she saw there was a crisis with children being abused in the workplace and she convinced the people in her office to get pictures of the abused children, which she used to create a newsletter, which went to the congressmen of these abused children, which then led to child labor laws,  which ultimately led to the labor department writing it.
Now back then I had someone research this to verify it--back then women weren’t given credit for doing work--she did a lot of the core research for the child labor laws, for which she didn’t get credit, but we found evidence that my mother as far as I can see was most likely the primary catalyst for our child labor laws today.

Her activities extended beyond that, another story I remember was; apparently when she was in college she earned the right to go to Raleigh while the legislators were out on leave. What happened is they were doing a re-enactment of the congress and she proposed in this re-enactment simulation that the laws that said African-Americans must sit at the back of the bus should be dropped. Well apparently the Greensboro Times picked it up and the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross in the president’s yard of her college.

And she tells it as; how afraid she was of being thrown out of school, but she had a friend who was very private, someone whom people liked to make fun of, and she had always looked out for that friend and that friend’s father. That friend heard of her concern and she goes “well my father’s a judge.  Let me talk to him”, and her father talked to the school: she didn’t get any further trouble as long as she didn’t do more of this.

So I really want to set the tone of the time she lived in, thankfully she didn’t stop there. She wrote a book on paper folding before I was born. A copy of it is there. It was a lost art of the manuscript she found that existed, she hadn’t proved it, she tracked it down. There was a congress of people that then found out about it.  They were trying to beat her to it and they forced getting the book published. It was in old Japanese that then was translated into newer Japanese, but it was such a bad translation that she had to figure out all the paper folding modes through reverse engineering, so there’s part of her that was an engineer at heart.

In fourth grade I found myself in what was then called “Retarded Class,” and what occurred is I wasn’t able to read like other students. All I knew was, as a fourth grader, I was in the class and we made brutal fun of people. I was worried, and then I remember my mother yelling at the principal saying “have in Washington you seen him talk to adults”?  She then forced their hand, to get me into the GW Reading Clinic that had just opened, where I was then diagnosed with dyslexia. They also took some type of IQ, which was like 145, so she went back to the principal and said “he may not read fast but this is him”.

So she was a pioneer in my life as well, and made sure that I was taken care of. Then, I was in Washington, D.C. in school when Martin Luther King was shot. That was the burning of Washington where people may not remember, but Washington almost burned to the ground. I was at a wood-work school for boys downtown and about 95% of the students there were African-Americans.  I came out of the building and a gang said “let’s get a honky”. And I was looking for him to get, because my hero has been shot down and I had forgotten the color of my skin, luckily my peers remembered it and a group of young black kids surrounded me. I remember one hitting me on the back and then yelling “run”. We then got safely to the bus and I got home.  

When I got home, my mother had bags packed at the front door because we didn’t know if the burning would stop. After the shooting of King we didn’t know if Washington would be still standing, it was a really serious time and my mother’s first concern when I came in the door was to sit down with me and say “these are good people, they’re just very angry”. She was so worried that I’d make a judgment about African-Americans based on the burning of Washington. That was the next priority over safety when I came in the door. Of course the silly thing is she didn’t realize that I wanted to join them because my hero had been cut down, and that I never really explained to her.

Working on an idea one time, I remember I was trying to change, she called and she said “you’re going to get fired! Where did you learn this”? And I said “from you mom, you inspired me”, and she was quiet. At 70 years old, I remember her sitting at the dining room table with a friend and my mother, just like a normal story, said “you know I was driving today and this woman was so recklessly driving that I knew she was going to kill her little child, so I pulled her over, and I scolded her and I told her she had to promise me she would never recklessly drive like that again before I let her get back in the car”. And she said she was a tall woman and she was shaking, think about that folks!

At 70 years old my mother forced this woman off the road in Washington DC, got her out of the car, scolded her that she better be a better parent. And she would have done that when she was 40years old. You know that’s to me the force of who my mother was along the way.

I do have to tell you a little story that happened within recent times; Bridget was at the hospital with my father and they were sitting there and she saw they were ok and they were hungry, so she says “I’m going to get you a snack”, because they said they were hungry. So she goes down to Sibley to get a snack and then when she comes back what she finds out is; my father had noticed her nodding off and said “lie in this empty bed”. I don’t know if you know, in hospitals you don’t get to lie in a sterile bed, so apparently the nurse came in and scolded her. Then as Bridget’s coming back--and hopefully, Bridget, I am as close to the story as possible--Bridget comes back and as she’s coming back in the nurse comes and scolds her a second time. My mother looks at her, slaps her and says “you will never again speak to a woman of my age like that”. And I know the tone of voice of that nurse like I heard it yesterday because she would have slapped her when I was 12 years old too and said the same thing.

So Bridget, who is so concerned, calls me up and tells me; just like that, it’s my mum taking charge here. The hospital calls up in a rage and wearing me out, they were just wailing into me and I said “look I’m the power of attorney here, I’ll apologize to anyone. It’s not acceptable and what do you need me to do”? She wouldn’t stop and I said “wait a second, if you don’t want to stop and work with me, then I will let the Washington Post know that a five foot-one Southern girl with grey eyes is a major threat to Sibley hospital. I’m happy to make that phone call or you walk”.

The woman got very quiet and then said “you know your mother will have to come with a police escort every time she comes to see your dad”. I almost broke out laughing because I knew how this was going to work out. So long story short is; Bridget’s describing it and my mother gets on the phone and she’s escorted by the young policeman under her arm walking down and when she asked me “why did she have the police or escort”, I said “mom because you’re so important now they’ve recognized it too that you get a police escort every single time you visit Dad in the hospital.”

I was awarded a National Science Foundation scholarship in Physics, Electronics, Acoustics and Holography at Ball State University while in high school at the Field School. When I came home from the scholarship program, I talked to my Mom about writing up my notes on Holography because that excited me the most.  She said if I researched it and wrote it up long hand she would edit it and type it up. This was another example of her supporting me.

At the time, our rec room had a number of blank walls.  I was consumed the for the rest of the summer with research. I ended the summer by filling all our blank wall space with my notes and research.  I also was exercising at the Y for a break. Very smart on her part for I realize now that she knew what could happen when young boys have an open summer and I said “I want to write a book on holography”, and she said “you hand write it out I will type it up”. So a copy of the hundred and fifteen page book, which consumed my summer, probably kept me out of trouble, it is over there as well. That’s one of countless things my mother did. (Here is a link to pictures of the final Holography book that I wrote: https://goo.gl/photos/86CzwoydPPWJ1fyZA )

I really want to close with the fact that my mother truly was a living embodiment of the of the Quaker quote “Speak truth to power”, and when I was thinking of it I wrote this phrase down because I’ve met so many people in my life that say “well that’s out of my comfort zone”, and I realize because of my mother, I know if I’m in my comfort zone, then I’m a walking dead. If I’m not pushing the envelope to be outside my comfort zone, then I’m not alive, and I learned that gift from my mother--that not everyone has learned. So the invitation to all of you is: find ways to stand outside your comfort zone, in honoring my mum use good common sense as most of the time she would, and I hope you appreciate and remember her like I did. And thank you so much for coming.

Officiating minister: Does someone else have anything they want to share at this time?

Sandy: I’m Sandy and Julia’s niece Martin: And other daughter Sandy: And I’m just going to comment on Julia’s influence on her nieces. I talk to my two sisters about Julia a lot and she’s had a powerful influence in all of our careers. In fact I’ve got a funny story where I got my first job as a waitress when I was 16, and you know I when I received my first pay check they paid me $2 and 20 cents an hour as minimum wage as a waitress. And then they deducted 80 cents an hour as the breakage fee whether you broke anything or not, and I looked at that and I thought “that doesn’t look right to me”. So I called Julia because I could call her about anything. I told her I talked to another waitress and this happened to everybody, it’s not just me breaking things, and so Julia just said “well that’s not right”. And she said “I’m going to look into this”, so she went and looked into it, and she said “I will call you back”. And so she called me back and she said “this is the person you need to talk to for the wage and hour division of the Department of Labor, and this is how you make your complaint and this is the phone number”. She went over it with me and trained me because she didn’t want to do it herself. Julia wanted to make sure that I was able to do that for myself and advocate for myself. I called them and I did everything she told me I should do and within about a week, it was really fast, the boss came out and he gave every single waitress a check, and each check was in different amounts. I had only been working there a couple of weeks at that point, but I still got my eighty cents an hour back. The boss didn’t tell the truth, he told us that the checks were a gift from himself to each of the waitresses, but the ones who were there the longest got huge checks and they were just so grateful, they didn’t know they should really be grateful to Julia. Julia had a real sense of social justice and she was really pleased that the waitresses got what they were entitled to and were not being cheated. This experience was really what started me thinking about law and how laws could affect people’s lives, and I became a lawyer partially because of that. I talked to my sisters and we all agreed that we were always encouraged in our careers by Julia, and as far as she was concerned there was no limit to what a woman could do. Julia was very political and always tried to be a force for positive change. Now none of us are extremely political but we all benefitted from her encouragement, no matter what we chose to do with our lives. When I got out of law school, there was a freeze on government hiring. I knew I wanted a Federal career and I found that the Navy was hiring. I decided to join the Navy. My father was appalled at my decision and just said “I will support you as long as it takes, please don’t join the military”! No one in our family had ever joined the military. Dad had been in World War II, but that was it. He did not want me to join, and when Julia heard she was so positive and said "that sounds like an adventure, just imagine where you could go”. You know, she was supportive and it did turn out to be an adventure--I was stationed in Spain and San Francisco and Newport, Rhode Island--I had some wonderful years. I had a really informative, good time and it gave me a love of travel that I have to this day. My sisters have that same love of travel. Today I brought a poem to read to you about Julia. One of my sisters, Susan, is a poet and a professor and she wrote this for Aunt Julia; she has published it in a book and it is called “Origami”. To the artist emptiness is potential, she takes the flat sheet of paper and folds it into another dimension, an elegant extraction of something real. The original sheet is still all there, nothing has been cut or taken away, although not all of it is visible. What you can’t see gives depth to what you can; you could unfold it, but the lines are permanent, the sheet will never lie quite flat again. The image is merely paper, flimsy at the mirror and yet it may outlast the hand that made it." And that’s how we feel about Julia, she'll outlast us all.
Officiating minister: Anyone else? I encourage you guys, since one way of remembering is to share your memories with each other. That’s a beautiful thing I think that helps us all. I never knew her and I can tell you I wished I would have, I read the online biography, I read as much information as Martin has shared, I saw the video. And where the phrases stuck with me, in online biography it said "true to her Moravian roots". I’ve got to tell you, she doesn’t just have a Moravian root, she’s the whole tree! She really is, with some of the principles of the Moravian church are “unity” and “equality”, and it sounds like she embodied that and spoke those.

And another facet of the Moravian church is the lifting up of women. In the 1600s a Bishop Amos Cornelius of the Moravian Church put forth the idea that girls should be educated as well as boys and that influenced the Moravian church--they will never rebuild a community or a house of worship, without building a school that included girls. This is hundreds of years ahead of her time and she embodied all of that, and she lived it out and as Martin said, she raised her voice to bring about equality and unity and what a beautiful thing!   

When I think of all that she has done, as her eulogy said, I wonder what she would say to us today. I would think that she would have something to say and my guess would be that she would say "I'm okay don’t worry about me", and I’m pretty sure the other thing she would say was "I have begun a work that’s not complete" and the best we can do is to work for the completion of that unity and equality among all people. Value people; she valued people and then she did something about that.

All of us are in unique positions in our communities and we have certain opportunities where it important that we show we value people, and I think that is a tribute to her legacy and is really meaningful.

So as you share your memories also think; what can I do to continue the things that she began, to find areas where these values still need application today, and there are many. So share your memories, listen to her voice because she’ll speak to you as she speaks to the authorities that she may change.

Let us pray: Oh God, who is the strength of your servant, redeem the soul of your servant, we bless Your Name. For all of those who died in the Lord who now rest from their labors and having received the end of their faith even the salvation of their souls. Especially we call to remember your loving kindness and your tender mercies to Julia Brossman for all your goodness that let her have a larger portion in the joys of earthly life, your Hand guiding the way like her pilgrimage.

We give you thanks and praise, especially thank you for the grace that kindled in her heart and life, the love of your dear name. Enable her to fight a good fight, to endure to the end and to obtain the victory. Yes to be more than conquerors through him who loved us, we magnify your Holy Name for trials and temptations being ended, sickness and death being passed with all the dangers and difficulties of this mortal life, her spirit has a place in your presence.

We pray that we rejoice in the triumph of the saints may profit by their example, that becoming followers of their faith and patience we may also enter with them into an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, but does not fade away. For the life we have joy at this time and all who have faithfully live and all who peacefully died. We thank you for all the fair memories and all living hope for the sacred ties that bind us to the unseen world of your Holiness that will encompass us like a cloud of witnesses and they did this to having a home for our hearts.

And we be followers of those who now inherit Your promise, Jesus Christ our Lord. And now may the God of Peace, who brought again for the gathering where Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. The service will continue at the gravesite.



We all enjoyed dinner after the funeral

Link to the video of the funeral
https://youtu.be/reqH5W_dIKc

Link to the Facebook page in honor of her
https://www.facebook.com/juliamcleanbrossman/

Comments from others about her life
http://mymcleanhistory.blogspot.com/2016/09/comments-from-others-about-my-late-mom.html

Photos of her life







Friday, September 9, 2016

Comments from others about my late Mom, Julia McLean Brossman from friends and families



Comments from others about my late Mom, Julia McLean Brossman from friends and families


"Your mother was beautiful, compassionate and intelligent. She always treated me kindly. (So did your father, who was equally remarkable.) It's clear that you've inherited those wonderful traits. Prayers and blessings."
- Richard D Grassi 
"Julia Brossman was my aunt and we referred to her as "Aunt Ju-Ja" for some reason.  Although we lived some distance apart I have very vivid memories of her beautiful smile, sparkling blue eyes and her inquisitive mind.  I always thought that Aunt Ju Ja knew so much about everything and I think that she did! If you ever brought up a subject you had better know what you were talking about because she was going to quiz you on it thoroughly.  Aunt Ju Ja always referred to herself as a professional student and she was!  Thank you Ju Ja for the impact that you had on the world!"            Love,  Julie - - Cushman Joyce 
MEMORIES OF AUNT JUDY

"Every 4th of July,  my favorite thing to do is watch the PBS television show A Capital Fourth, broadcast live from the Mall in Washington D.C.  Most importantly, I tune in to hear the National Symphony play Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.  As I listen and watch the  combination of the orchestra, fireworks, bells, and military cannons build to a dramatic conclusion, I am reminded once again of the many things that Aunt Judy taught  me to appreciate.  It was in her Washington D.C. apartment some 60 years  ago, while visiting from North Carolina, that she and my Uncle Marty introduced me to this piece, playing it over and over until I could picture myself there in Moscow as the Russians pushed back and conquered Napoleon's  invading army. 
I visited Judy and Marty frequently while growing up ; usually with my family, but sometimes by myself.  On every trip to see them in Washington we could count on a full agenda of visiting the latest exhibits in all the museums and galleries. Her stamina was unbelievable; we would be exhausted long before the day was over, and she was still going strong.  But we kept going because she had lined up so many interesting things to see.  She knew how to spot the celebrities, whether it was sneaking into a Senate committee  meeting to see Teddy Kennedy, or catching a glimpse of Alice Roosevelt Longworth , daughter of Teddy Roosevelt, in her wide brimmed hat, driving by in her chauffeured car. I remember the joy on her face as she showed me the homes in her neighborhood  of many famous and infamous (mostly Nixon's buddies) Washington people. She and Marty loved to take us on  picnics at historic sites nearby, whether it be Manassas Bull Run battlefield on the drive to Washington, or Ft. McHenry with its Star Spangled Banner legacy. Her talent in origami, and her book on the subject,  is one thing that stands out when I think of her own legacy. When I hear the name Watergate mentioned today, I don't necessarily think of a building that was broken into, and the subsequent scandal ; I mostly remember the free concerts on summer nights next to the Potomac River at the Watergate Steps..
We will all miss her  very much."
Bert Cushman 
"The main thing that comes to mind about Judy is that great things can come from small packages! Her small stature did not match her ability to take on any challenge. She was such a strong-willed soul that never seemed discouraged when trying to beat a challenge! Aunt Judy always made me feel that she was happy to see me when we were together. I always felt like I had her undivided attention. I was amazed how she set out to learn everything about Japan, it's culture, and it's people, and then to publish the book on origami! She was always excited about everything- a new easy recipe that she had found, a beautiful scarf from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that would complete a perfect outfit. She was never overdressed, but always smartly dressed. Those beautiful sparkling blue eyes and gorgeous smile welcomed anyone that she met. I remember how mom would tell me about these fabulous "flower" arrangements that she actually crafted out of vegetables to be used for special luncheons. Her one characteristic that stands out more than anything was her appetite for learning! It was like she was on a lifelong mission to learn as much about everything as she could. The way she usually did this was through a conversation with anyone she met. I can picture her sitting up on the edge of her chair, facing me, or anyone else for that matter, talking through questioning as if you were the only one in the room, and I think she was truly interested. Because of this, Aunt Judy had a vast knowledge of so many subjects. I loved watching her in conversation with family. Their was always varied, intense conversations with lots of laughter, and she adored
You, Marty, as much as any mother I have ever known!
Wish we could be with you tomorrow. You will be in our hearts!"
Craig Weaver
"Aunt Judy was such a positive force in our lives and she will be truly missed. She had that spark/sparkle in her eyes at all times depending on the issue! We loved her and will always think of her. Our times together were so much fun. Maybe when you finally retire someday, we can recreate her putz. "
Love always, Sandy, Frank and Derek Jablonski 
"You have been such a devoted and beloved son to your mom over these many years, and I know that her love for you will be a part of you always.  I like to think that she is now back with your Dad and discussing all kinds of amazing things, as well as talking about how wonderful you are and how proud they are of you and all you have accomplished. 
I don’t have any specific stories to share, but I do know that I had many wonderful conversations with your mom out at the Bungalow about so many different topics.  She had a rare breadth and depth of knowledge about the world and its many wonders.  I was also always touched by the interest she took in what was happening i my life.  She truly listened cared, and i felt that, and loved that about her. 
Please give Barbara my love as well.  Many hugs to you, dear cousin, during this very hard time."
Much love, Nancy 
"I really loved her enthusiasm and energy. She was so good at inviting us kids into a conversation and making us feel included--very valuable for building self-esteem and confidence. I've tried to emulate that characteristic in my life. She was a wonderful aunt and I will miss her."
Fred Mclean
My Mom had an article written about her in the Reading Eagle SATURDAY, SEP. 10:
Experpts:  Not Forgotten: Julia McLean Brossman was fierce fighter for civil rights
"The books that Julia "Judy" McLean Brossman co-wrote were not beach reads.
You probably never read this one: "State Child-labor Standards; A State-by-state Summary of Laws Affecting the Employment of Minors Under 18 Years of Age." Or this one: "Hazardous Employment Prohibited for Minors Under State Child-labor Laws."
But they were important analyses for government officials and others involved in protecting children. Published in the 1950s by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Standards, they reflected Brossman's love of human rights."
and
"Her interest in politics and advocacy for civil rights were nurtured at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, now called North Carolina at Greensboro, where she participated in student government and the International Relations Club.
During her college years, she participated in the North Carolina Student Legislature, a model state General Assembly comprised of delegates from the state's colleges. Delegates formed a Senate and House of Representatives and approved bills that they recommended to state government.
In 1945, the Student Legislature voted to invite delegates from black colleges, and promptly lost its faculty adviser, who resigned. But 27 black delegates did join the legislature, and the group, along with Southern born-and-raised Julia, unanimously approved a resolution that said there was "convincing evidence that the races can effectively cooperate," Martin Brossman said.
"She did things that no one, really, in her family had done," Martin said. "I'm not sure that she didn't come into the world with a piece of that in her."
Big thanks to Reading Eagle and Jim Lewis


See her Obituary:
http://inmemoryofamentor.blogspot.com/2016/09/julia-mclean-brossman-obituary-of-my.html

About her history:
http://mymcleanhistory.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-mother-julia-mclean-brossman.html

Facebook page in honor of her:
https://www.facebook.com/juliamcleanbrossman/





Friday, July 4, 2014

My Mother - Julia McLean Brossman


Julia McLean Brossman
Mother of Martin W. Brossman III and Wife of Martin W. Brossman II

Julia McLean Brossman was born on October 4, 1925 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. That same year that Julia was born, the Slater Normal and Industrial School would become Winston-Salem Teacher’s College and the first African American institution in the United States to grant degrees for teaching elementary students. No one knew then what an important role Julia McLean would play in the area of racial equality and social justice in future years.

Julia grew up during an eventful time in the world. There were the Roaring Twenties with Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic in 1927 followed by the Stock Market Crash in 1929 and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Nationally, during the 1930s, there was a new focus on foreign relations after Hitler come to power in 1933. That same year Prohibition was repealed. In 1938, when Julia Mclean was 13, the United States Housing Authority was established and the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed in Congress.

As a teenager, Julia learned along with the rest of the world of Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland in September 1939 and thus the beginning of World War II. Because President Franklin Roosevelt was preparing Americans for what he considered the inevitability of war, he instigated the first peacetime draft in 1940. It was a solemn occasion when the United States actually entered World War II after the Japanese bombed the American fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941 when Julia was in high school.

After the bombing in Pearl Harbor, the world changed for all Americans. Young men went off to war and women taking over jobs and roles they previously never considered filling. Julia McLean had the personality and skills to adapt to this new world very well.

Julia was an excellent student. Everyone knew and expected Julia to attend college after graduating from high school in 1943. With her thirst for learning and new experiences, Julia was destined for important accomplishments. She chose to start her independent life at Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro in the fall of 1943. Woman’s College would later become the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-G).

That same year, African American workers at the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina held their first strike. This event led to the establishment of the Food, Tobacco and Agricultural Workers International Union, Local 22, which became a vehicle for civil rights activism.

Though Winston-Salem was only 30 miles or so from Greensboro, Woman’s College might as well have been a world away. There was no Interstate Highway System and automobiles were a luxury not the necessity they are today. Even communication by telephone was a challenge. No one had even dreamed of cell phones or the internet.

True to her religious upbringing in the Moravian church, Julia participated in the Young Christian Women’s Association (YWCA) all four years of college. Started in 1858, the YWCA has been at the forefront of movements such as the empowerment of women, the elimination of racism and representation for laborers throughout its history. Julia served on the YWCA Dance Committee during her Sophomore year and in the YWCA Cabinet for her Junior and Senior years.

During all four years of college, Julia McLean was involved in the International Relations Club serving as Program Chair in her Sophmore year, Vice President in her Junior Year and Corresponding Secretary in her Senior year. She also participated in Student Government during her Junior and Senior years.

World War II had a major impact on Greensboro, the home of Woman’s College, with the large petroleum tank farm and a variety of industries that helped to support the war efforts. Cone Mills Corporation and other textile companies manufactured military uniforms. Mock, Judson & Voehringer Hosiery Mill converted their operation to producing material for parachutes. J. D. Wilkins, Co. made parts for landing craft on which troops stormed beaches. The Intelligence community thought that Greensboro was an enemy target because of these industries, particularly the petroleum tank farm. At dusk, the streets became quiet and curtains were drawn to hide glowing lights.

World War II came to an end in Europe on May 8, 1945 with Prime Minister Winston Churchill proclaiming victory when Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on August 6 and August 9, 1945. On August 10th, Hirohito, Japan’s Emperor, agreed to surrender. World War II ended for the entire world on August 15, 1945 as Julia McLean was heading back to Woman’s College for her Junior year. Julia participated in the Post War Action Commission during her Junior and Senior years.

Julia’s major in college was sociology. She was a member of the Sociology Club and Alpha Kappa Delta during her Junior and Senior years. In her Senior year, Julia served as President of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society founded in 1920. Alpha Kappa Delta’s mission is “…to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of sociology, the research of social problems and such other social and intellectual activities that lead to improvement in the human condition.”

Perhaps the most impactful activity that Julia McLean participated in while in college was the Student Legislature. The North Carolina Student Legislature (NCSL), founded in 1937, is the oldest continuously active student legislature in the country. More than 5,000 students from more than 25 public and private universities, colleges, community colleges and technical schools from across North Carolina have participated in NCSL. Julia McLean is one of those 5,000. Notable alumni include Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor James Holshouser, Senator Robert Morgan, Secretary of Labor John Brooks and Charlotte Mayor Eddie Knox.

The Student Legislature groups meet regularly at their respective campuses during the year to prepare for statewide meetings, most notably the Annual Session. During this model General Assembly held in Raleigh, delegates present bills researched year-long to the NCSL body. Legislation that passes both houses at the Annual Session is signed by the Student Governor and presented to the North Carolina General Assembly and prominent state leaders each year for consideration. The impact of this group is impressive with more than 40% of the NCSL’s legislative ideas have been written into law.

Julia McLean participated in the State Student Legislature during her Sophomore, Junior and Senior years, serving as Secretary during her Junior year. Julia attended the 8th Annual Session of the NCSL on November 17-18, 1944 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Twelve colleges and universities including Woman’s College participated that year. Jean Varentoni from Woman’s College was the Senate Clerk. Students spent the nights at State College (now called North Carolina State University or NCSU) and at the Church of the Good Shepherd.

During the 8th Annual Session, bills that passed both Houses included:
  • ·      An increase in teachers’ salaries.
  • ·      Women to serve on juries in North Carolina.
  • ·      State-supported socialization of medicine requiring one 60-bed hospital for each county.
Other bills that were introduced but did not pass both Houses include:
  • ·     Prohibiting “closed shop” labor policies in North Carolina and opposition to the idea that union membership should not be allowed in certain industries.
  • ·      “Deindustrializing” Germany after the war
  • ·      Lowering the voting age to 18, a heavily debated issue.
A resolution was passed by both houses to provide “Adequate Medical Care for the People of North Carolina.” The News & Observer called the NCSL Student Assembly that year “the largest meeting of its kind in the nation.” Many of the state student legislatures across the country had fallen apart when the war started because they were largely dominated by men who later went off to war. Since its inception, the North Carolina Student Legislature always had large participation by women who helped the organization to continue and actually thrive during the war.

Julia McLean attended the 9th Annual Session of the NCSL on November 30 and December 1, 1945 in Raleigh. Seventeen colleges and universities participated including Woman’s College. Burnice Wesehier from Woman’s College was the House Clerk. While several issues of state-wide and nationwide appeal were discussed, few if any bills passed both Houses. However, this Session did not lack action or controversy. The delegation from Woman’s College introduced a resolution to abolish all Jim Crow laws in North Carolina; however the bill did not pass both Houses.

The greatest controversy came from a Carolina (later to be known as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or UNC-CH) student, Buddy Glenn. He made a motion to invite black college students to the Tenth Annual Session the following year. The motion passed 110 to 48. Word of the motion spread quickly throughout Raleigh even eliciting Secretary of State Thad Eure to come speak to the group. He told them he was “fearful that you (the students) may be jeopardizing the beautiful picture toward which we (the state) are moving.” Eure stated that racial progress in North Carolina was “going splendidly,” and that the actions of the Student Legislature could endanger further progress. There were rumors that the Annual Sessions would end, that Carolina (UNC-CH) in particular would lose state appropriations and that the “name of Chapel Hill would be mud.”

During the following week, December 2-9, 1945, letters to the editor on both sides of the issue appeared in newspapers across the state. Most letters supported the students. A Clayton man wrote to the News & Observer, “The North Carolina Student Legislative Assembly has made a step forward by voting to accept and invite students from Negro colleges and universities…At long last it seems like educated people are beginning to grasp the true meaning of democracy.”

There was considerable and very vocal opposition to the integration issue suggesting that the Carolina students were either Communists or Northerners or both. UNC President, Frank Porter Graham, was prompted to release a statement in support of the students on December 9, 1945. “The overwhelming majority of the Carolina students attending the Student Legislature were from Eastern, Piedmont, and Western North Carolina. Even if all the votes of the Carolina students (which were not unanimous) had been excluded the votes of students from other colleges would have made a clear affirmative majority for the resolution on invitation…These students in large majority are serious minded and studious, with a high sense of sobriety, with a fine sense of decency, and a responsible sense of freedom.”

Following the controversy during the 9th Annual Session, the faculty founder withdrew putting the 10th Annual Session of the NCSL in jeopardy. However, the students rallied and took over the complete organization of the 10th Annual Session. Only one previously active school, Wake Forest, refused to attend.

The 10th Annual Session of the North Carolina Student Legislature took place on December 6-7, 1946 with Delegate Julia McLean in attendance. Twenty-one colleges and universities participated including Woman’s College and five historically black institutions. There were 27 black delegates in attendance including 13 in the House and 14 in the Senate. In fact, the Senate President Pro Tem was Eunice Tucker from St. Augustine’s College and the House Recording Clerk was Claudius Black, also from St. Augustine’s College.

The 10th Annual Session was very active with the consideration of 36 bills. The Session was scheduled to end at noon on Saturday, but continued until 3:00 p.m. because of the full agenda and lively debate. The following bills were passed by both Houses:

  • ·      Establishment of two 4-year state medical schools, one for whites and one for Negroes (the bill originally was introduced by NC A & T University to create one school for both blacks and whites).
  • ·      Establishment of a world government.
  • ·      Flat 30% increase in salary for all public school instructors.
  • ·      Requirement for each child between 6 and 18 be required to attend school for a nine month period each year, beginning in September (This bill was introduced by the delegation from St. Augustine’s College).
  • ·      Abolishment of capital punishment in the state for persons under age 18.
  • ·      Increase of the minimum wage to 65 cents per hour.

The delegation from Woman’s College introduced two bills, neither of which passed both Houses:
·      A mandate for the State to provide $1.00 per day for all indigent patients, amounting to $500,000 annually. The appropriation of $9 million to Woman’s College for “immediate and future needs.”

Other bills that were introduced but did not pass both Houses included:

  • ·      Free health examinations to all North Carolina citizens annually.
  • ·      Make “closed shops” illegal in North Carolina.
  • ·      Establishment of a domestic relations department in state government to consider problems in domestic relations of North Carolina residents and to aid them in finding solutions to the problems.
  • ·      Provision of at least one social worker per county.
  • ·      Repeal of the state sales tax.

A unanimous resolution came from the 10th Annual Session presenting “convincing evidence that the races can effectively cooperate.”

In the Spring of 1947, Julia McLean graduated from Woman’s College with an A. B. in Sociology making the Dean’s List in her Junior and Senior years. There’s no doubt that Julia was influenced by the times she grew up in. Her college years were filled with activities related to the racial equality and social justice.

During 1946 while still in college, she co-wrote a publication, “State Child-Labor Standards: Child-Labor Serious No. 2” that was published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards.

Following college, Julia McLean wrote the “State Child-Labor Standards,” published in 1953 by the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards in Washington, DC. She also co-wrote two other publications that were published by the same agency:

  • ·      “State Child-Labor Standards: A State-By-State Summary of Laws Affecting the Employment of Minors Under 18 Years of Age,” published in 1953.
  • ·      “Hazardous Employment Prohibited for Minors under State Child-Labor Laws, Volumes 205-211,” published in 1959.
All three of these books are still available today on the internet as Google Books or at the Open Library.

While the steps that were taken by Julia McLean and the other students involved with the North Carolina Student Legislature during those pivotal years in 1945 and 1946 were only part of a larger movement involving many other people, they played a key role in the civil rights movement. College students from around the state had the courage to stand up for their fellow black students and welcome them to their organization. The publicity they received for taking such action was state-wide. These students including Julia McLean were courageous in helping to provide a voice to others and giving confidence to other college students that they could actually make a difference in the area of racial equality.

It would take 14 more years before that important day on February 1, 1960 when four black college students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sat down at an all-white Woolworth’s lunch counter and refused to leave after they were denied service. The four students purchased small items in other parts of the store and kept their receipts, then sat down at the lunch counter and asked to be served. After being denied service, they produced their receipts and asked why their money was good everywhere else at the store, but not at the lunch counter. Hundreds of others soon joined in this sit-in, which lasted several months. Such protests quickly spread across the South, ultimately leading to the desegregation of Woolworth's and other chains.

Other things my Mother loved include:
  • World Travel
  • Research
  • Studying Architect
  • Political discussions 
  • Creating Moravian Putz each Christmas for visitor to see in the fireplace coming out of into the living room. Was spectacular. 


More to come about the writing of the book on Paper-folding with my Father, Martin W. Brossman II:
A Japanese paper-folding classic : excerpt from the "lost" Kan no mado. 


Video of my Mother and her brother Ed McLean in 2008 talking about growing up.


And a few more stories


My Mother and her Brother - on becoming Moravians 

Thanks to those that helped research and write this and if you have other information or corrections please let me know. Martin AT CoachingSupport DOT com (write out to reduce spam) or call me at 919-847-4757
- Martin W. Brossman III
Also info on my late Father Martin W. Brossman II.

My Mom has passed on to a better place and you can learn more about her here:
Then here the obituary: 

Video of me (her son) speaking at her Funeral:
https://youtu.be/reqH5W_dIKc?t=4m39s

Transcript of the Funeral 

Facebook in honor of her

Thanks again for taking the time to read this.