Blessed to Make an Impact: Charlie Brown

By combining the power of his IRA distributions with a trust, Charlie Brown has generously made gifts to honor his wife's legacy through several named spaces in HudsonAlpha's Paul Propst Center

Elsie and Charlie Brown prioritized giving throughout their life together, even when they could not give back through financial gifts. Whether that meant giving back to their home community or giving back abroad, the couple believed they had the power to positively impact the world around them by giving of their time and experience.

An engineer in NASA's space program, Charlie had a passion for flying and owned his own aircraft. Until recently, he spent many hours in the cockpit flying for Angel Flight and Mercy Flight, helping those in need by giving free flights to medical facilities for those who could not afford the transportation costs. Elsie, a mathematics teacher, gave most of her time to volunteering with the Garden Guild, United Methodist Women, and Asbury Church. Together, Elsie and Charlie volunteered here in North Alabama as well as for nonprofits around the world.

The couple's love of science and STEM education combined with their desire to do good for humanity led them to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The Browns attended many of the Biotech 101 and 201 events led by Dr. Neil Lamb, even setting up streaming events for residents at the Magnolia Trace retirement community.

As the Browns worked hard to serve others through their time and abilities, they hoped to one day bless others through financial gifts. After Elsie's passing in 2021, Charlie felt inspired to honor her legacy in a way that would support HudsonAlpha's mission for generations to come.

Through a generous donation directed from his charitable trust and IRA distributions, Charlie named the Elsie Brown Conference Room and Elsie Brown Fountain in HudsonAlpha's Paul Propst Center, where much of the Institute's educational programs are housed.

Read on as Charlie shares about what HudsonAlpha meant to him and Elsie, and how he maximized his giving through IRA distributions into his charitable trust.

HudsonAlpha Foundation: You have supported HudsonAlpha in many ways over the years! What led you to HudsonAlpha?

Charlie Brown: One of HudsonAlpha's founders, Lonnie McMillian, was a close neighbor of ours for years. I did not know Jim Hudson, HudsonAlpha Co-Founder, but I believed they would do amazing things together for humanity through HudsonAlpha. I'm grateful to be a small part of that.

HAF: What causes do you care about supporting and how does HudsonAlpha align with that?

CB: My late wife Elsie and I cared about everything that helps people. For a long time, we wished we could have been philanthropists but didn't have the means. Instead, we believed that we could give back by volunteering our time and abilities. After Elsie passed and I wasn't able to volunteer anymore, I was grateful to have the means to give back financially, and HudsonAlpha is something that meant a lot to us both.

HAF: What has inspired you to support HudsonAlpha?

CB: Elsie worked for many years as a teacher, so she was passionate about HudsonAlpha's educational programs. On my part,I have always been fascinated by science since I worked in engineering. I'm inspired by HudsonAlpha's work that improves medical and health issues for people everywhere.

HAF: You've given your recent gifts as IRA distributions and distributions from a fund. Why did you choose to give in those ways?

CB: I have an IRA that I take required minimum distributions from every year, and I separately established a charitable trust that I put money into. By putting money into the trust myself and feeding into it from my IRA, I have been blessed to be able to make larger donations than I could have otherwise. It's what made the naming gifts in Elsie's honor possible.

HAF: Why do you think HudsonAlpha is important to our community?

CB: HudsonAlpha is a job creator in Huntsville, but it is also working on cutting-edge scientific research to improve health around the world. You're helping people in our community here and people everywhere when you support HudsonAlpha.

As a nonprofit organization, HudsonAlpha relies on philanthropic support to fuel genomics research and STEM education.

If you're interested in learning how you can support HudsonAlpha through IRA distributions or a charitable trust, please contact Jeff Moore, Director of Planned Giving and Major Gifts Officer, at [email protected].