Obituary of Leigh Edwin Brown

L. Edwin (Ed) Brown, 84, son of Paul Brown and Thelma Brungart Brown McClellan was born on December 1, 1933 in Centre Hall Pennsylvania and died at his residence in St. Augustine Beach on May 25, 2018. He was predeceased by his wife Edith Baird Brown and his brothers Ronald and Robert Brown of Pennsylvania. He is survived by his sister Marie Goss of Mesa Arizona, sister-in-laws Catherine Brown and Vicke Baird of Pennsylvania, and ten nieces and nephews. Ed graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Hotel Administration, and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with an M.Ed. and also received an honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Johnson and Wales University. He was a veteran of the United States Army having served in Germany. Ed was the Ambassador and former Executive Vice President of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) 1980-1994. He trained and mentored hundreds of culinary students who always affectionately referred to him as Uncle Ed. He served as the Secretary General of the World Association of Chef's Societies 1992-1996 and 2004-2008, representing eighty-four nations and six million members and he traveled to more than fifty-nine of those countries during his career. Among his many awards Ed was inducted into the American Academy of Chef's Honorary Hall of Fame in 1998 and was a life member of the Order of the Golden Toque. Ed was national coordinator of the American Culinary Federation Institute and the national apprenticeship training program for cooks which was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to establish training programs throughout the USA for 5,500 apprentices. To date over 25,000 persons have been enrolled in this successful program. Ed was a member of the St. Augustine Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and was a perpetual member of Ashlar Lodge #98 F&AM. He was an active member of the St. Augustine Yacht Club and attended the Memorial Presbyterian Church of St. Augustine. Ed will be missed by his many friends all over the world. Funeral services and entombment will be handled by the Koch Funeral Home, 2401 South Atherton Street, in State College Pennsylvania. Family gathering and service will be at 10 a.m. followed by entombment in Centre County Memorial Park on Saturday June 2. Local arrangements are being handled by Craig Funeral Home, Crematory & Memorial Park of St. Augustine, FL. Memorial contributions in Ed Brown's memory may be made to Community Hospice & Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257 notated for the Community Hospice of St. Augustine.