Gordon Brown, an entrepreneur known as “Mr. Campaign” for his commitment to fund-raising for Montreal’s Jewish community, died here Sunday at the age of 92.
Brown worked as a communal volunteer for some 50 years, during which time he also raised money to build Israeli institutions.
In 1995, he was awarded the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honor.
Brown’s profound impact on the community was much more than financial in scope.
“He was the quintessential community volunteer and leader,”said Penny Kolb, an official at Federation CJA. “He was known by all as ‘Mr. Campaign’ and will always be remembered as such. I owe my involvement” in the Jewish community “to Gordie. He was my lifelong mentor.”
Brown was born in the Ukraine and came to Montreal in 1908 with his parents and five siblings.
By age 17, Brown was already working at menial tasks, using the money to open a textile business that eventually flourished. The downtown office building that housed his company is still called the Gordon Brown Building, although the firm’s zenith was in the 1940s and 1950s.
Brown devoted his life to fund-raising, spearheading drives to benefit the general community through the CJA, as well as assisting many other groups.
Brown is survived by three children, 18 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
