Prof. Patrick Joseph Browne was born in Berwyn, Illinois and grew up in Brookfield, Illinois. After his graduation from St. Joseph's High School in 1965, Pat received a B.A. in biology from North Central College in Naperville. It was while he was a student there that he began his study of jujitsu.
Pat had an interest in martial arts throughout his childhood and had studied some judo and karate while still in elementary school. In the fall of 1967, Pat visited the Naperville YMCA and saw DanZan Ryu jujitsu for the first time, and it was just what he had been looking for. The class that evening was taught by Steve Paulding Sensei, a longtime student of Professors Ray and Marie Law. Steve had a class full of beginners and he urged an enthusiastic Pat to join and help him. Pat began learning DanZan Ryu the next day.
Teaching judo and jujitsu
A few years later, Pat founded Explorer Post 187 Judo Club, where he taught until 1972. Pat was promoted to the rank of shodan in 1969. He also took over the Naperville Judo Club from Steve Paulding in July of that year, when Steve left the Midwest after completing his graduate studies. Pat was promoted to nidan in 1970. In 1973, Pat took a job as a biochemist at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, and was promoted to sandan that year.
In 1974, Pat moved his jujitsu club to the Downers Grove YMCA and renamed it the Suburban KodenKai. Pat continued to teach in Downers Grove until 1990. In 1983, Pat was promoted to Professor by the AJJF. During these years, Pat completed a Masters Degree in counseling psychology from the Alfred Adler Institute and worked as a therapist with AIDS patients.
Acupuncture and ikebana
Pat also developed an interest in acupuncture. In 1978 he graduated from the Accumoon School of Acupuncture, and in 1981, the Midwest Center for the Study of Oriental Medicine. He received national certification as an acupuncturist and served as the president of the Illinois State Acupuncture Association from 1988-1990. Pat was instrumental in getting acupuncture licensed in Illinois. The Illinois Acupuncture Practice Act was signed into law on January 31, 1997, a few months after his death.
Pat was a longtime volunteer at the AIDS Alternative Health Project in Chicago, where he helped patients with his extensive knowledge of Chinese medicine.
In 1991, Pat began the study of Ikenobo ikebana with Nakashima Sensei. Pat related the practice of flower arranging to his martial arts training and eventually achieved the rank of Advanced Student. Pat's arrangements were the focal point of the tokonoma at all of the Midwest jujitsu events for the next five years.
After his death, a scholarship fund was set up. Donations may be sent to:
The Pat Browne Scholarship Fund
c/o The Old Kent Bank
7515 Janes Ave.
Woodridge, IL 60517
Attn: Gina Cunningham |
