University Of Delaware: In Memoriam

Press release from the University of Delaware:

Article by UDaily staff

April 23, 2021

Community remembers retired vice president for government and public relations

John Trimble Brook, retired vice president for government and public relations at the University of Delaware, died on April 16, 2021, from cancer. He was 82.

Mr. Brook served as a University leader for more than 26 years. He joined the campus in 1970 as director of public safety, building a professional security department over the next several years. He modernized the campus security into a professional police force, introduced the campus bus system, installed student safety measures and championed the parking garage on West Main Street.

About John T. Brook

A graduate of Allegheny College with a degree in history, Mr. Brook earned his juris doctor degree from Ohio State University. He was a member of the Ohio Bar and was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Before coming to UD, Mr. Brook served as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for seven years, investigating bank robberies, kidnappings and other crimes, including being case manager for a case involving a spy from the former Soviet Union.

After retiring, he served as executive director of the Small Business Alliance of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Historic Review Board of New Castle County, the corporate Board of Directors and Management Committee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, the Committee of 100 and the board of the Diabetes Association.

A long-time member of the Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, he sang in the choir and served as an elder there. He was also president of the Head of Christiana Church Cemetery board. 

He was a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as a member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Mr. Brook is survived by Katherine E. Brook, his wife of 60 years; three children: Laura B. Tipton (Daniel) of Landenberg, Pennsylvania; Susan Stauffer Brook and William Scott Brook (Lori), both of Newark; six grandchildren: John Daniel Tipton, Sarah Brook Tipton, Michael Scott Tipton, Matthew Thomas Tipton, Megan Nicole Brook and Cara Rylee Brook. He is also survived by his brothers, Richard (Sonja) of Huntley, Illinois, and David (Mary Ashley) of Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as two nieces and two nephews.

A visitation will be held from 9-10 a.m., Saturday, June 5, at Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, 1100 West Church Rd., Newark, Delaware, followed by a memorial service at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Face masks will be required for all in attendance. Representatives from the UD Police Department will attend in support of the Brook family.

Contributions in Mr. Brook’s name may be made to Allegheny College, 520 North Main St., Meadville, PA 16335, or the Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, 100 West Church Rd., Newark, DE 19702.

To read Mr. Brook’s full obituary or share memories and condolences, visit Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes.

This press release was produced by the University of Delaware. The views expressed here are the author’s own.