Eighteen mile west of Valdosta, Georgia, there lies a town called Quitman, the county seat for Brooks County. From this town comes a man, Dr. Robert L. Brown, who has made a significant difference in the lives of thousands of people in Jacksonville. Certainly his story has been told before in the local newspapers in the Jacksonville area. But his is the kind of story that never goes away, because his achievements keep working for the good of the people. For those of you who missed it in the past, for those of you who never tire of hearing about him, and for you who have never heard of him before, this is for you.

Pleasantly surprised by his jovial demeanor emanating from the inside (he really didn’t smile much), his remarks and reaction to the interview were both enlightening and full of humor. Having to hold his own as he interacted with seven brothers and two sisters probably has a lot to do with his personality.

One would expect Dr. Brown, who is of strong and impressive stature, to have been a heck of an athlete, but says he, “I’m not a sports person, my father would not allow us to play sports. He said, ‘if you have enough energy to play sports, you have enough energy to work and help us support you.’ ” And so the 10 siblings did just that––helping their father on his farm where they raised crops of water melon, tobacco and peanuts.

Even as a young person, Dr. Brown took his responsibilities seriously. His participation in school activities at Washington Street High School included things like the honor society and student council. He said that when he went to college, he went there focused only on getting a degree, however, he did take a little time to pledge Phi Beta Sigma and to do some of the other things that college students do, and was a disc jockey at WJIZ 96.3 FM Station in Albany, GA.

Dr. Brown earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology from Fort Valley State in 1972. Marching in his cap and gown that morning and catching a 2:55 bus that afternoon to Fort Jackson, SC didn’t leave him much time to celebrate.

After serving his country in the military, Dr. Brown returned to academics earning his master’s from Pepperdine University and Tuskegee Institute, premed from Florida State and Doctorate the University of Florida Medical School. After finishing medical school, he came to Jacksonville for his residency which he completed in 1987. He has been in Jacksonville ever since, and now has a private practice on Soutel. Says Dr. Brown, “Having gone to med school with a wife and four kids, I made a promise to God, because there were sometimes, that I couldn’t study because I had a wife and kids, that once I got out, I would serve the area that helped me get through med school. I would give back. I chose this area because of George Barnes.”

Barnes came into Dr. Brown’s life through a mutual acquaintance. His was location on Soutel, caused Dr. Brown to come looking in the same area; it was the perfect site for keeping his promise to God. Unfortunately, his first attempt to purchase his existing site was refused. It wasn’t until Thomas Dukes interceded for him that the land deal was completed. Having built an office on the site where he is currently located, Dr. Brown acquired the property next door. That move proved to be the second step toward establishing a self-sufficient community in the area.

One day as Dr. Brown just happened to be talking to Lynwood Robinson, he said, “Lynwood, why do we have to drive all over Jacksonville just to pay the light bill and you White boys can go in your “back yard” and pay yours?” He responded, ‘So what are you going to do?’ I said, I’m going to build an office and you are going to rent it and we’ll have one out here. He said, ‘Yeah, why not?’ So the tax office came. So then, Gary Williams told me he wanted to put an office here. So, I built the other end for him and in the meantime, I added this other little section in the middle. That’s where I put my wife, Gloria with her travel agency.”

When patients saw what Dr. Brown was doing, they went to him and said, “We need a grocery store.” Clearly, Dr. Brown had impacted the community in a way that was pleasing, and beneficial to its residents. But he was being inspired to do more and that was the beginning of a new chapter, his acquaintance with Mr. Davis founder of Winn Dixie, which came as a result of an observation made by Mr. Fuller, owner of the Gate Service Station in close proximity to Dr. Brown’s medical practice. Through the blessings of Mr. Davis, the Soutel community has a national known chain grocery store.

Dr. Brown is an example of one who keeps his promise to God. While he is dedicated to his medical practice, he is just as concerned about economic develpment for the benefit of the people he serves.