Algie “AC” Brown, M.D. (DERM ’68)

Roswell, GA 1936-2018 – Algie Curry “AC” Brown, MD, age 82, of Roswell, GA, passed away on Monday, May 14, 2018. He is survived by his wife of almost 42 years, Anna Kathryn Swalm Brown; his sons Algie Curry Brown, Jr. (Natalie), Martin Braxton Brown (Kristin), and his daughter Kathryn Felder Brown; his grandchildren Mary Martin Brown, Oliver Curry Brown who will forever miss their “PaPa”; his brother Juan Anthony Brown and sister-in-law Kay Whatley Brown of Anderson, SC; Henry Bolton, a close family friend; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Dr. Brown was born in 1936 in Greenville, SC to Algie Ephram Brown and Juanita Curry Brown Thomas. After graduating from Greenville High in 1954, Furman University in 1957, and the Medical College of South Carolina in 1961, he completed his medical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital in 1962. Dr. Brown was drafted by the US Air Force at the start of the Vietnam War and assigned to the Far East in Venereal Disease and Intelligence. He served as a Captain and was stationed in Japan from 1962-1964.

Following an honorable discharge in 1964, Dr. Brown completed his Residency in Dermatology at Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1967, after which he completed a Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic for Dermatopathology as the Graduate Professor/Chairman from 1967-1968.

Dr. Brown’s accomplished medical career spanned over 32 years in Atlanta, GA. With joint appointments in Medicine (Dermatology) and Pathology (Dermatopathology) at the Emory University School of Medicine from 1968-1974, he founded the first American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) accredited training program, the first Dermatopathology Lab, and conducted extensive research in forensic medicine/pathology with a special interest in vitiligo and alopecia areata.

After his departure from Emory, he established the Atlanta Skin and Cancer Clinic and the Atlanta Dermatopathology Laboratory in 1975, where he practiced medicine until 2000. He loved medicine, his practice, and especially his patients. During his career, Dr. Brown was also granted four US patents relating to gait analysis and was a member of numerous local and national medical associations, as well as a consultant to the US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation. For all of these accomplishments, Dr. Brown was awarded The Order of the Palmetto by his home State of South Carolina – the highest civilian honor granted by the Governor of South Carolina.

Dr. Brown met his wife, Anna Kathryn, in Atlanta, GA at an art auction at the Phipps Plaza in 1976 and was later married at the Mount Paran United Methodist Church in Atlanta in 1977. Together they enjoyed travel, South Carolina beaches, and spending time with friends.

Dr. Brown was charismatic, kind, vivacious and brought energy and dedication to every interest he pursued and every person who had the opportunity to meet him. He loved tennis and golf and made many lifelong friends at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He was known for his humor, good sportsmanship, and catchphrases “Hey baby!” and “I’m still kickin!”. Dr. Brown enjoyed many a martini with four fat olives (on the side). He was infinitely curious and creative becoming an accomplished artist and painter later in life, finishing over 150 oil paintings of Depression-era scenes in The South.

Dr. Brown’s friends and family will remember him for his larger-than-life personality, his passion and commitment to lifelong learning and medicine, and the care he gave to his patients, friends, and family.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 at 1pm at the Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30305. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Medicine at 268 Calhoun Street MSC 182 Charleston, SC 29425 (http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/giving/foundation) or The Spruill Art Center at 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road Atlanta, GA 30338 (http://www.spruillarts.org/donate/annualfund).