Frank Brown Sr.; Businessman, Civil Rights Activist

Frank Brown Sr., 79, a pioneer black Los Angeles businessman and civil rights activist. Brown launched the city’s first black-owned glass company, attracting a clientele ranging from the late palimony attorney Marvin Mitchelson to gospel superstar James Cleveland. He also won contracts with financial institutions such as Glendale Savings and Sumitomo Bank. A World War II veteran, Brown became the first black member of the Glaziers and Glass Workers Union in 1953. He taught his craft at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and was an active member of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and the Los Angeles branch of the National Urban League. In Los Angeles on Dec. 21 of heart failure.