Olympia’s L.P. Brown Elementary School, 2000 26th Avenue NW, is named for Leland Pennock Brown, a long-time Superintendent of Olympia School District. He left a strong educational legacy for his community.
Leland Brown: Becoming a Teacher
Leland “Lee” Brown was born on June 4, 1893 to Emerson and Lela Mitchell Brown in Glenwood, Iowa. The family relocated to Malvern, Iowa before moving across the country to Seattle and, finally, Auburn. Emerson was a newspaper editor and publisher, working on the Auburn Globe-Republican.
His son’s interest lay in education, not newspapers. Brown’s older sister Grace, after all, had been a teacher back in Iowa. Graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1916, Brown took a job as principal at the Lebam High School in Pacific County, Washington.
Brown worked at the school two years. Now the United States was at war. On May 22, 1918 he married Maude L. Herren (1895-1983) in Seattle. Two months later he enlisted in the Army Medical Corps. He served overseas fourteen months, initially assigned to Base Hospital No. 5. After the armistice, Brown was transferred to a finance and accounting unit. During this time he was promoted to sergeant.
Olympia High School
Discharged from the military in July 1919, Brown joined the faculty of Olympia High School for the 1919-1920 year. The school had just settled into its new home earlier that year after a fire destroyed their old building.
Brown was head of the English department, athletic director, and football coach. But in spring 1920, principal Elmer Breckner resigned to become superintendent of the Olympia School District. Brown was chosen to replace him. He was only 26.
The new principal threw himself into the role. He also started teaching a journalism class for the 1920-1921, 1921-1922 and 1922-1923 school years. Students learned the reporting, editorial, business, and mechanical parts of newspaper publishing. His class designed the yearbook and revamped the school’s newspaper, the Olympus, from a monthly magazine to a biweekly newspaper. Brown even had his students intern at local newspapers.
Leland and Maude welcomed their only child, daughter Katherine Jean, in 1921.
L.P. Brown: Superintendent of Olympia Schools
In 1931, Elmer Breckner resigned as Olympia superintendent to become the superintendent of Tacoma schools. Praised by teachers for maintaining the highest standard of efficiency in educational programming, Brown was chosen to replace him.
Brown had his work cut out for him. The Great Depression was an extraordinary challenge. The district was forced to delay building maintenance, lay off staff, and slash salaries during the 1933-1934 school year in order to keep the doors open.
But through Brown’s leadership, they were able to quickly bounce back. Enrollment grew and with more state funding, they were able to lower the 1936-1937 special school levy while at the same time increasing the district’s budget and restoring teacher salaries.
While still acting as superintendent, Brown was appointed by Governor Clarence Martin to the Washington State Board of Education—ironically, again succeeding Elmer Brechner. “I am glad,” he told reporters, “to be of any service possible in furthering the cause of education in the state of Washington.” He also served on the state vocational education board.
Community Man
As a noted educator, Brown was a leader in his community. Part of many professional state and national teacher organizations, he even served as secretary for the Washington Education Association board of directors in the 1930s. An admired toastmaster and speaker, he often spoke at PTA meetings and club meetings.
Brown was active with organizations that were dedicated to helping young people. For example, he was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Olympia and was elected their president in 1925. He also served on the boards of the YMCA and the Olympia Public Library. Brown was a member of the American Legion Post No. 3, the Olympia Elks, and the United Churches, as well as a director of the Olympia Chamber of Commerce.
An “educator by profession,” Brown was a “golf enthusiast by choice.” A member of the Olympia Country and Golf Club, he advised the new Olympia High School golf team when it formed in 1928. He also loved basketball. He played on the OHS faculty team in 1923 and in his later years would like to leave his office to watch the student team practice from the gym balcony.
His wife Maude was also active in Olympia groups. She belonged to United Churches women’s groups and Chapter Y of the P.E.O. She also helped found the Olympia Girl Scouts.
L.P. Brown Elementary School
Due to ill health, Leland Brown resigned as superintendent of the Olympia School District in 1957. He acted as administrative consultant to the School Board until he formally retired the next year after 39 years with the district.
Students and faculty held a reunion to celebrate his career. But there were more honors coming. In October 1963, the District decided to name the new West Side school in his honor. Brown passed away on December 21, 1963 in Olympia. L.P. Brown Elementary School opened its doors in January 1965. A portrait of him was unveiled at the dedication.
Brown, however, was humble about his accomplishments. “I really can’t understand what all this fuss is about,” he told the Daily Olympian at his retirement. “I was only doing a job that I enjoyed.” But, as many of the students and teachers he served over the years certainly felt, he had done it well.
