A role model’s role model: Longtime Hilton Head leader dies at 68

Charlie Brown came to Hilton Head Island in 1974 to work for Sea Pines and ended up being the island’s first black general manager of a major hotel and a trustee of the Heritage Classic Foundation.

He was a role model’s role model — setting an example of corporate leadership by dressing to the nines, constantly making personal connections, and getting involved in the community. He worked to open doors for other minorities.

Charles Heyward Brown Sr., 68, died June 29 at his home in Bluffton. He had medical problems since suffering a stroke in March, friends said.

His funeral is to be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Luke A.M.E. Church in Charleston with burial in Riverview Memorial Park. Visitation is to 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Dorothy’s Home for Funerals, 78 Canon St., Charleston.

“He was a very positive, upbeat person who was always a delight to be around, and fit very well with the goals and purposes of the Heritage Classic Foundation,” said foundation chairman Simon Fraser. “He will be sorely missed.”

Brown arrived on Hilton Head as a 25-year-old with his wife, Verbenna, and three children. He came from his native Charleston to work in food and beverage for Sea Pines when founder Charles E. Fraser was in charge.

He rose to become the first and only African-American general manager of the Hilton Head Inn, an oceanfront flagship enterprise for Sea Pines. He served as the general manager until the property was sold to the Marriott Vacation Club International, then he became its community relations and supplier diversity manager until his retirement in September 2016. He worked briefly as the maître d’ for the S.C. Yacht Club.

The smart phone seemed to have been invented for Charlie. While many people his age were looking puzzled at flip phones, Charlie was constantly working his cellphone to keep tab of his endless connections, including politicians like U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford; former President Bill Clinton; and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who taught him at C.A. Brown High School.

His outgoing personality helped him click with most everyone he met, and he was highly sought after by many organizations.

He did volunteer work with the American Heart Association; the Hilton Head Hospital Community Advisory Board, Community Relations Board and Governing Board; the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry; and the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Greater Chamber of Commerce board of directors, where he rose to become its first African American chairman. He also was active with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton NAACP chapter.

As a trustee for the Heritage Classic Foundation, the nonprofit that stages the annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing PGA Tour event in Sea Pines, Brown worked on the Scholars Committee.

Board vice chairman Don Calhoon wrote on the funeral home’s tribute page that “he truly enjoyed interviewing and selecting young people for the four-year college scholarships. His laughter was infectious to all around him. He was always dressed to the nines. Such a first-class man. We will miss Charlie as an individual as well as a long-tenured and highly respected trustee.”

But his obituary is filled with his many behind-the-scenes contributions, such as his work “with many local organizations and churches to ensure they received support from various businesses and were given the opportunity to participate in prominent island events.

“Especially close to his heart was the Fast Lane Track Club, which trained area youth in track and field events. For many years, Charlie made sure the club youths traveled to competitions at college campuses across the country; he would arrange accommodations and transportation, and raise funds to cover expenses. He believed these experiences would help students have a disciplined foundation and inspire them to pursue a college education.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 10:53 AM with the headline "A role model’s role model: Longtime Hilton Head leader dies at 68."