| For those who don’t know Dan Brown, the dean of the Social and Behavioral Science division at Moorpark College, they may be surprised at just how often they have seen him.
An advocate of making energy efficient, “green” choices, Brown’s primary source of transportation is his bike, a far cry from the typical, more practical means of travel that most people utilize. His humility and dedication to living a clean, conscience and active lifestyle are the exact opposite you would expect from a man so accomplished.
“I have very strong convictions about everything,” Brown said with a hearty laugh in reguards to his recycling habit that has been an ongoing topic of conversation on campus.
Brown, bike accompanying, makes frequent trips to the local recycling center from campus, recycling cans and bottles he comes across in an effort to generate profit that is ultimately poured back into the school via the President’s Circle Foundation.
“I think we really are at a tipping point,” Brown continued, regarding the impending environmental crisis, “and it’s going to take some cold, hard decisions.”
When he isn’t fulfilling his duties at Moorpark, Brown is what could be considered an authority on Nazi women of the SS (Schutzstaffel), an area of study that is largely untouched and extremely fascinating.
Author of the books, “The Camp Women: The Female Auxiliaries who Assisted the SS in Running the Nazi Concentration Camp System” and “The Beautiful Beast: The Life and Crimes of SS-Aufseherin Irma Grese,” Brown’s expertise on the subject is demonstrated.
Furthering the point, Brown is frequently invited to speak at conventions concerning the holocaust, currently he is preparing for an overseas venture to speak at “The Personages of World War II and the Holocaust: Victims, Rescuers, Liberators and Executioners” in Riga, Latvia. Brown’s upcoming presentation will deal with the validity of certain documentaries made about the events that transpired in Europe during the Holocaust and the event as a whole stands to “reverse… the growing trend of neglect and distortion of historical truth about World War II and the Holocaust” according to the dean.
Nearing retirement, Brown couldn’t be more satisfied with the varied career he has enjoyed over the years.
A teacher and former staff member of institutions across the country, Brown started part-time at Moorpark Community College in 1984, while he worked as a night clerk at the Tipsy Fox liquor store in Oxnard on the side. He became part of the full time staff in 1986.
“It’s been a good experience,” mused Brown, a man with an effervescent smile and the vitality of a rising sun.
Not only is his impending retirement in June a loss to the staff here at Moorpark, but it is a loss for the fostering minds taking for granted what this man’s efforts have and will accomplish.
If you happen to notice a man taking a break from pedaling his bicycle to pick up garbage on the side of the road, be sure to give a wave and consider the possibility of more people doing what, to Brown, is a merry routine.
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