Meeting Willie Brown for the first time

Willie Brown and I

A lady friend of mine who attended Spelman College informed me that she had a professor whose husband was deaf. Knowing that I volunteer and mentor athletes at the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Springs, she asked if I knew a man named Willie Brown and I said no. After not knowing who he was, I asked my friend for permission to introduce me to her professor's husband. Willie Brown and I exchanged numbers and got to know one another. As we go along, I have learned a lot of interesting things about him. One week before the Mike Glenn's event which took place at Townsend Center at University of West Georgia, he invited me to the event. Hours before the event started, we met for the first time and had very good conversation about our personal lives and discussed our childhood experiences. 

Short biography on Willie Brown

Willie Brown at Mike Glenn basketball camp

Willie Brown was born in Macon, Georgia and attended Georgia School for the Deaf where he received his primary education. During his sophomore year at GSD, Willie was 6'6 recording countless double figures per game. Willie holds a school record of 2,016 points in four years at GSD, he was also voted number one high school player in northeast Georgia. He continued his basketball career at Hofstra University in New York along with hearing teammates. After college, Willie and his close friend Fred Stone became the first deaf high school referee in the state of Georgia. 

Throughout the game, I had a one-on-one session with the junior varsity nose guard and center to get a better understanding of the game.

Within a few minutes left before halftime, the coach decided to let the star player rest. The head coach for Georgia School for the Deaf is located in the top left with the green hat. While number 14 was resting, I approached him to discuss his mistakes and details on what he could improve to help his team to perform better.

Georgia School for the deaf (GSD) was established by the state legislature in 1846. After being established in the northwest territory, GSD became eleventh residential school for the deaf established in United States. GSD has an huge campus measuring up to 480 acres in the small community of Cave Spring. What is so unique about Cave Spring and GSD? It allows business owners and Cave Spring residents to communicate with each other in sign language.