L. Wallace Brown, or Wally, as he is well known, has both an amazing personal and family history in Westfield. His family reaches back over 300 years, as his great grandfather John C. Williams was born in town in 1791. Through the Williams, Mulford, Dary, and Brown generations - his family tree on his mothers side has been astounding. Wally was born in town on December 19, 1931 and resided at 648 West Broad Street. Wally grew up in Westfield where he was a football superstar who was recognized as a High School Heisman Trophy winner. Growing up, he was once taken on an airplane ride by James Plinton Jr. who is credited with having taught the Tuskegee Airmen flight tactics in the 1940's. He also remembers when Paul Robeson came to visit his uncle whom he went to school with. After high school, Wally joined the Marine Corp where he served in combat intelligence as an Adm. Chief in Korea. Upon returning home, he held positions from being a mailman, working at a local printer, and for a Westfield Pharmacy. Wally, a very modest man, then worked as a criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service where he was instrumental in solving a $10 million dollar fraud case involving a detailed tax preparer scheme. His work with the IRS later lead him to be part of the 1968 Secret Service protection detail protecting VP Hubert Humphrey. One of the most precious memories of his youth in town involves his relationship with Mrs. Florence Wallace, 'who was like a godmother to me,' a wonderful philanthropist and was married to Charles Wallace. Mr. Wallace was an inventor who is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives by inventing an automatic chlorinating device in the early 1900's when thousands of Americans were dying from Typhoid Fever. Wally retired in 1986 from the federal government, but would work another 22 years for the NJ Dept of Labor. Wally who just celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with his wife Verdell, has two wonderful children Wally Jr. and Mylene Y. Brown.
