Family of the Year
Brooks family to be honored during Homecoming weekend ceremony
The Brooks family will be honored as the Family of the Year during the College’s Alumni Impact Awards, which will be held Sept. 30 as part of Homecoming festivities. (Back row from left) Marjorie, Ira Mae, Ada and Glenn, (front) Raymond and Chris.
A family that sent eight children to Monmouth College will be honored as Family of the Year as part of the College’s Homecoming festivities. The Brooks family of Monmouth will be honored, along with several other award recipients, at the Alumni Impact Awards, which will be 6 p.m. Sept. 30 in Mellinger Commons in the Center for Science and Business. Following the awards ceremony, The Brooks Brothers/The Very Live Band will perform for alumni and friends in Market Alley, just off the Public Square in Monmouth.
Although they did not themselves attend college, Charles and Daisy Brooks were two extremely influential members of the Monmouth College family. They encouraged all eight of their children to attend Monmouth, from which six received their degrees.
A member of the College maintenance staff who possessed only a sixth-grade education, Charles instilled in his children a strong work ethic – a trait that helped them succeed academically in the face of racial prejudices that continued to confront African American students as late as the 1970s. From Daisy, who worked as a cook for Monmouth fraternities, they received a love for learning and the arts.
Being honored posthumously, in addition to their parents, will be Don Brooks ’51, Paul Brooks ’51, Ira Mae Brooks Walsh ’57 and Marjorie Brooks ’58. Living honorees will be Ray Brooks ’53, an All-American football player, who was a teacher and scientific researcher; Ada Brooks Groff ’59, a Mayo Clinic-trained physical therapist; Glenn Brooks ’61, a Hall of Fame athlete, renowned musician and retired administrator; and Chris Brooks ’72, also a musician who has taught at Monmouth College.
Monmouth’s 2016 Homecoming will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Homecoming 2016 information and online registration
Although they did not themselves attend college, Charles and Daisy Brooks were two extremely influential members of the Monmouth College family. They encouraged all eight of their children to attend Monmouth, from which six received their degrees.
A member of the College maintenance staff who possessed only a sixth-grade education, Charles instilled in his children a strong work ethic – a trait that helped them succeed academically in the face of racial prejudices that continued to confront African American students as late as the 1970s. From Daisy, who worked as a cook for Monmouth fraternities, they received a love for learning and the arts.
Being honored posthumously, in addition to their parents, will be Don Brooks ’51, Paul Brooks ’51, Ira Mae Brooks Walsh ’57 and Marjorie Brooks ’58. Living honorees will be Ray Brooks ’53, an All-American football player, who was a teacher and scientific researcher; Ada Brooks Groff ’59, a Mayo Clinic-trained physical therapist; Glenn Brooks ’61, a Hall of Fame athlete, renowned musician and retired administrator; and Chris Brooks ’72, also a musician who has taught at Monmouth College.
Monmouth’s 2016 Homecoming will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Homecoming 2016 information and online registration
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