Hi ! My name is Tom Brown and I am a retired seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher from Seitz Middle School in Riverview, Michigan. I've taught in the Detroit, Michigan area since 1970 and became a teacher for the Riverview Community School District in 1973. In June of 2006, I decided to retire from teaching. I graduated from Allen Park High School in 1966. In 1968 I earned an A.A. degree from Henry Ford Community College. I received my B.S. and M.A. degrees from Eastern Michigan University.
I have had the pleasure of teaching with the best staff and in the best school district for 32 1/2 years. I am extremely honored about being selected into the book Who's Who Among America's Teachers. In 2005 I was selected for the seventh time out of nine publishings of Whot's Who Among America's Teachers. To be selected a teacher must be nominated by "Senior Honor Students." Over 90 percent of the teachers who earn recognition in the book teach at the high school level. It is far more difficult to be nominated by students who you have not taught for four or five years. Because I was the sponsor for our School's Junior Honor Society for ten years, I was awarded an "Honorary Membership" into the Red Oaks Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society on June 3, 1998. In May of 2001, I was recognized as "Special Educator" by our School Districts Special Education Director - Mr. Howard Berlin!
I'm also a Vietnam Era Veteran and belong to the Vietnam Veterans of America Plymouth-Canton, Michigan. I am the Chapter's Web Master, Editor of our Homefront Newsletter, Co-Chair of our Annual Essay Competition, and Co-Chair of our Fishing Derby. During my two years of active military service I was extremely lucky to stay in the U.S. during the time of the Viet Nam War - especially since I was drafted after I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. Degree. In my first year of military service, I was assigned to work on the Pershing I Nuclear Missile at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. During my final year at Fort Sill, I had the honor of being selected to be the personal "Aide" for Colonel Parker, III Army Corps Commanding Officer.
My hobbies include watching University Michigan football, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Detroit Pistons, and the Detroit Red Wings, fishing, astronomy, computers, and music - playing the accordion and keyboards. I've been playing the accordion since I was seven years old. When I was fifteen, I joined a dance band and have been playing as a professional musician ever since with various bands and orchestras. My longest continuous gig was playing every Saturday night from 1972 - 1979 at the Riverview/Wyandotte Moose Club with a five piece dance band called The Highlanders. Playing with professional musicians twice my age was an extreme honor as well as a great learning experience. They taught me how to read music charts, change key signatures on the spot, and to play music from the "Big Band Era." But the band that I played with the longest is The Knight Kats.
The Knight Kats 2005: Tom Brown (accordion and keyboards) Tom DeMartin (drums & vocals), Jim Stefan (guitar & vocals). This is the latest picture of us taken on December 30, 2005:
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I started playing with the Knight Kats when I was in 11th grade and continued playing with them until I was drafted into the U.S. Army in December of 1970 after I had just graduated from Eastern Michigan University. I reformed the original Knight Kats band in 1979 and this time we played together for about seven years. If you look closely, you can see my wife Cheryl who was our female vocalist - lucky me! I have also played with other bands and orchestras in the Detroit area during the past forty years. Most of my recent musical engagements have been as a strolling accordionist. I have to give my mother credit and thanks for making me practice the accordion at least one hour every day and two hours on Saturday and Sunday - even during summer! Currently I am a member of both the American Accordinists' Association and the Michigan Accordion Society.
I have three heroes. Al Kaline who played right field for the Detroit Tigers, Art Van Damme who is the world's greatest jazz accordionist, and my father! I was the luckiest boy on my street because my father played baseball and football with all the neighborhood kids! He was our Scout Master, Little League Manager, and WYMCA bus driver/director. It was because of my dad that I decided to become a teacher since he was a social studies teacher and a principal for more than forty years with the Detroit Public Schools.
My Favorite Web Pages for Michigan Football
Mr. Brown's Cyber School Home Page
Page created by: seitzteacher@yahoo.com
