LEFT:  Former Va. Gov. and current U.S. Senator George F. Allen, Jr. towers over Janet Brown, but look who's in control of the conversation!

Matthew Jordan Brown, 17, just after graduation from North Cross School, May 1997.
 
 

LEFT to RIGHT:  Donna Dean, Janet Brown, Former First Lady Roxane Gilmore, Sheriff Mike Brown, 1998.
 
 
 
 
 

The Shakespeare Centre, Great Britain, and On the Rocks at Connemara, Ireland, UK, Spring 1997.  "... I have watched the moon rise over Galway Bay and drank with Dubs and watched the lights dance on ruined churches in Connemara, my home.  I have touched the grave of Shakespeare and ordered a cheeseburger in a Stratford cafe...." a line from "If it all Falls Down," one of the last poems Matthew wrote.  Sheriff Mike and Matthew Brown pose for Mom, the photographer, on Matthew's graduation present:  a trip to the UK to see the castles, visit friends, and pay homage to William Shakespeare, one of Matthew's great inspirations, at the Shakespeare Centre, the Bard's gravsite, and many other Shakespeare-related sites.  This would be the last big trip the Browns took together as a family, but by far the most memorable.
 
 

Matthew enchants a crowd of children (and some adult onlookers) at a garden party, 1997.  Matthew excelled at magic and traveled the globe collaborating with other magicians.  He thrived on the delight he brought to children's eyes, and relished the marvel on the faces of even the most skeptical of observers.

Matthew's love of the performing arts lives on with The Matthew Jordan Brown Foundation, and his dream of inspiring all young people to shine through their creative abilities is at long last coming true.  For more information about the MJB Foundation, Matthew's poetry, an available compact disc of a Symphony composed in Matthew's memory, as well as a booklet of selected works by Matthew, and the MJB Foundation, please see the Merchandise section or call 804-299-5080 or 1-800-540-2970.