April 25, 2023

The University mourns the loss of Chris William Brown, 84, professor emeritus of chemistry, who died April 8 with his beloved wife of 39 years, Kathleen (McCall) Brown, at his side.

Chris earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry at Xavier University and a doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He was a chemistry professor at the University of Rhode Island for 42 years. He specialized in infrared and Raman spectroscopy, authoring more than 170 publications over his career. He taught physical and analytical chemistry and especially enjoyed mentoring more than 30 graduate students, many of whom became close friends.

A funeral Mass will be held June 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Bernard Church in North Kingstown. In loving memory of Chris, please consider donating to Sailors for the Sea to protect the waters he loved sailing on. Please see the full obituary.