San Joaquin Delta College trustee, educator and mother Teresa Brown dies at 74

Teresa Brown, who served on San Joaquin Delta College’s Board of Trustees for more than 14 years, died early morning on Sept. 11.

She was 74.

Brilliant, loving and very honest is how Jim Hughes, Brown's partner of 27 years, described her.

Brown had a “very short illness,” and for some time, she also had been dealing with “several health problems” that quickly became critical, Hughes said.

“I just think she was an extraordinary person and just (had) so many gifts and so many talents, and she just went out there and did things,” he said.

Brown was born May 24, 1948 in Pittsburgh. She grew up in a coal mining town outside of the city.

“Her family on both sides was Slovak. Her grandparents on both sides came from Czechoslovakia," Hughes said.

Slovak was Brown’s first language, but she was able to read many other languages — some of which include Latin, Koine Greek, Hebrew, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Polish, Hughes said.

Brown's parents did not attend college; her mother only finished the eighth grade, and her father joined the military right after high school. She was a first-generation college student who attended West Virginia University and graduated with an undergraduate degree in journalism.

For 18 years, Brown worked in newspapers, radio and TV.

“She was a gifted writer,” Hughes said.

“She did all these things in journalism when she was younger and then she was teaching Sunday school for kindergarteners and she got asked to teach adults and they kind of hooked her,” he continued.

She, like her two younger sisters, continued her education and went on to become a college professor; her sister, Peggy, became a lawyer and her sister, Judy, a doctor.

Brown received a master's degree in education and theology, and in 1992, she moved to California, along with her daughter, Amber, to earn a doctorate in Biblical studies from University of California, Berkeley, and the Graduate Theological Union.

She started teaching online classes in 1996 and later became the director of online education for the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, where she taught Biblical learning classes.

“Teresa was a very good teacher. She was passionate about Biblical studies, and she loved teaching adults both at (the) graduate school level or adult education level for the Catholic Church and she just had (a) passion and she had a way to engage students and help them understand,” Hughes said.

In 2002, Brown moved to Tracy from Richmond with her daughter to live with Hughes. The two met at a grocery store and dated for a few years before deciding it was time to live together. Tracy was the best location in between both of their jobs at the time, Hughes said.

Brown lived in Tracy for 20 years, and in 2008, she was elected to Delta’s Board of Trustees. As the Area 6 trustee, she represented Tracy and Mountain House. It was on that board where she worked alongside Steve Castellanos, who was also elected in 2008.

They served together on Delta's Board for 12 years. They were also both part of the Community College League of California.

“She was to me, in many ways, a model trustee and a great role model,” said Steve Castellanos, Brown's friend and trustee of the San Joaquin Delta College Foundation.

“Her goal was to help students, and she took a look at every aspect of Community College Board operations to make sure that she can find those opportunities on behalf of students,” he continued.

Brown was set to occupy her seat through 2024. The college is seeking applications for those seeking to be appointed to fill out the term.

“She always put Delta College first to the best interest of the school, and she always stood up for what was right,” Hughes said.

More SJ Delta College news:

• Community steps in to help pay funeral costs for stepmother of student with cancer

• Hear from the candidates at Q&A forums at San Joaquin Delta College

“Teresa was dedicated to defending the civil rights and supports for those with disabilities. Her fierce spirit is inspirational. Her legacy will be her unwavering faith, advocacy, and model for public service," Doreen Bestolarides, a friend, registered nurse, and board member of the Alliance for Disability in Health Care Education (ADHCE) said in an email. "She would want us to keep her daughter and all others with disabilities, seen, understood, safe and happy."

Brown was also a mother: Every year, she celebrated the day she met her adopted daughter, Amber. Every Aug. 8 was known as "Amber Day,” Hughes said.

Amber was almost 4 years old when she and Brown met. She is now 44 years old and will be turning 45 in a few weeks.

“Teresa just loved her from the beginning,” Hughes said.

Brown is survived by her partner, Jim, and daughter Amber, both of Tracy, as well as her sisters, Peggy Rash of West Virginia and Judy Rash.

Brown’s services are pending.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin Delta College longtime trustee dies at 74