I knew that Curt Brown couldn’t resist playing a church organ somewhere for long.

The former BJ reporter retired from New Life Episcopal Church in Uniontown in 2014 after nearly two decades.

November 17 he un-retired and became the organist at Brecksville United Methodist Church.

Maybe the septuagenarian’s next gig will be in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Passau, Germany, which has the largest church organ in the world – 17,774 pipes and 233 registers. Paula and I were surrounded by organ music emanating from pipe clusters in the ceiling and from all four walls of the structure. Amazing experience!


Former BJ photographer Tom Marvin, who plays his guitar on his farm near Salt Fork Park in Ohio and wherever he travels around the country and beyond, has a musical memory with Curt:

“Curt and I played the music for Rubber City Sorrows together many, many years ago. That song never made the top 10, or even the top 1  million!”
 

 Curt came to Ohio from the Charleston Gazette, where he was city editor, to the BJ (1971-74), then became the PR guy for the United Rubber Workers and the United Steelworkers.

I came to Ohio from the Charleston Daily Mail, the Gazette’s sister paper, to work at the Dayton Daily News before I migrated to the BJ in 1969 (and retired in 1996, which makes the two dates easy to remember since the 6 and 9 are transposed).

Curt, 70, teaches piano and organ at his Highland Square home. He also does organ recitals. His mother and two sisters also played the piano.

Curt was married to the late Jolan "Jody" Moldvay Brown. There’s a Curt Brown, Jr. floating around this country, too.

Curt's response to this article:

Thanks John!

Wish I were still 70 but turned 73 last month. Since I resigned from my previous regular organ job in 2014 I have been subbing at various area churches and decided I missed the regular weekly commitment so I was very happy to begin at Brecksville United Methodist Nov. 17—a warm and welcoming congregation and home to a beautiful Casavant pipe organ.

Didn't really cover labor at the ABJ but worked on State Desk, covered police and was finally on the night city desk as well as religion writer when I went to work for the URW in 1974..

Son Curt Jr. just finished his MFA in Book Art and Fiction at Mills College graduate school in Oakland, CA. where he also studied electronic music as electives.

Good memories of three years at ABJ '71-'74 which was by far the greatest newspaper in Ohio at the time.