Dr. Dorothy Mae Harrell Brown, a retired English professor, died Sunday, Jan. 13, at Arbor Terrace in Decatur, Ga. She was the beloved wife of Max I. Brown and daughter of May and Fred C. Harrell.

She is survived by her sons, Max H. Brown and Bruce S. Brown; her daughter-in-law, Carolyn; her brother, Robert Harrell; and several nieces and nephews.

Dr. Brown was 86.  Born in Hot Springs, she had lived in New Orleans for over 50 years. A graduate of LSU, she earned both her Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research interests were three: 1) Elizabethan and Restoration drama; 2) Christianity and literature; and 3) southern writers, in particular Louisiana women writers. Dr. Brown taught at City College of Loyola University. There she was honored as the Dux Academicus for her distinguished academic leadership and was beloved by her students. Dr. Brown also taught with the programs for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. She was one of Loyola’s early study-abroad professors and took students to England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as leading theater tours in the UK, U.S. and Canada. She was the author of “Christian Humanism in the Late English Morality Plays” and the co-editor of “Louisiana Women Writers: New Essays and Comprehensive Bibliography” and other publications in her field. Dr. Brown was the chair of the southeastern division of the American Religion and Literature Society, as well as a member of numerous professional organizations. Dr. Brown was a member and deacon of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.

A memorial service will be held at a later date before burial at Hollywood Cemetery in Hot Springs.

Arrangements by Floral Hills Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Tucker, Ga.

Published: 01/18/2013