A Pennsylvania Cenotaph for Clifford Brown (This document is a summary report of Patrick Dorian’s portion of the panel presentation

at the Clifford Brown Symposium on October 31, 2008) Clifford Brown lived in Philadelphia in a duplex at 4624 Sansom Street during his final years. He performed in Philadelphia clubs for about seven or eight years in the late 1940s and 1950s while in high school; while attending Delaware State College, the University of Delaware, and Maryland State College; and until his death in 1956. I have been trying to permanently acknowledge Clifford Brown’s legacy in Pennsylvania because he made important strides in his musical development in Philadelphia jazz performance spaces and became one of the most important jazz trumpet players in history before dying on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Bedford (midway between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh). Although Brown’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, has permanently memorialized him, Pennsylvania has not. In mid-2005, I contacted Brown’s widow to inquire about her feelings regarding a cenotaph for Clifford Brown near Bedford, but I did not receive a response, quite possibly because LaRue Brown-Watson died the month after I sent the letter. My timing for recognizing Brown was in accordance with the fiftieth anniversary of his death on June 26, 1956. I then contacted my local Pennsylvania state representative, the Honorable John Siptroth, who investigated the possibility of a cenotaph with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority. I suggested naming an exit interchange, rest stop, or highway section after Clifford Brown. They responded that they do not acknowledge highway fatalities with memorials, regardless of the person’s importance. Representative Siptroth and I subsequently constructed the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania House Resolution No. 656, which was presented in the House on April 5, 2006. This document describes several of Clifford Brown’s historic musical contributions and mentions his tragic death at age 25. The conclusion says, “Resolved, That the House of Representatives commemorates the life of Clifford Brown, the celebrated and influential jazz trumpeter whose death occurred 50 years ago this June.” Also noteworthy is that the Washington Post paid tribute to Clifford Brown by publishing Matt Schudel’s feature article on Brownie’s short but iconic career on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. I spoke with writers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Patriot-News (Harrisburg), and the Philadelphia Inquirer in February and March 2006, but none of them followed through on writing a story. I have thought of many types of markers memorializing this great artist and American. He was an absolutely pristine role model. In an age of self-destructiveness, he was not a user of any substances (although he did have a penchant for doughnuts!). He is jazz lore’s ultimate tragedy: he died on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on his way to a gig in Chicago (a visit to the Selmer musical instrument factory was also planned). It is my hope that with a prominently visible cenotaph on an interstate highway, his greatness might be on the

minds of hundreds of thousands of people each year, perpetuating curiosity and investigation for future generations. Since the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority dashed my dream of a memorial highway (or a 30-foot high sculpture of a trumpet pointing toward the heavens) near the site of his death outside of Bedford, PA, I’ve considered that they might have a point concerning the memorialization of the site of his death. Perhaps my proposal might be thought of as a macabre concept. As an uplifting alternative, I propose that a portion of I-95 (or a rest stop/service area) between Philadelphia and Wilmington, DE be dedicated in his honor. Even though I-95 didn’t exist while he was alive, it is the major direct traffic artery between his birthplace and the city of his final residence, where, during the late 1940s and early 1950s, he “cut his jazz teeth.” Brownie would have traveled I-95 regularly had he lived into the 1960s and beyond. Both cities embrace his greatness.

The Clifford Brown Memorial Highway- To Philadelphia and Back | To Wilmington and Back.

If a rest stop/service area could be named after him, it could have photos and LP covers on the walls, a bust prominently displayed, and his recordings played 24/7 over the building sound system. There are many other highway segments named after persons who arguably have a limited legacy, especially when compared to the heritage that Clifford Brown left behind. Let’s make it convenient for hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate this American treasure. Submitted November 16, 2008 by Patrick C. Dorian Professor of Music Music Department | Office 236 | Fine & Performing Arts Center East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 200 Prospect Street East Stroudsburg, PA 18301-2999

phone: 570/422-3171 e-mail: pdorian@po-box.esu.edu fax: 570/422-3008 http://www.esu.edu/~pdorian