Pat and Bud Brown have established The Chautauquan Daily Endowment Fund. The Browns said they hope this gift will be the first step toward growing enduring support for the Daily’s operations.
PATRICIA BEAGLE
Staff Writer
Pat and Bud Brown of Atlanta love the written word. Bud grew up in Houston, and Pat grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts. They met at the Robbins Library in Arlington; both earned Master of Library Science degrees from Simmons University and became librarians. Pat also taught school in Kenmore, New York, and taught a library course at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
From an early age, their love of words was kindled through reading newspapers. In the decades in which the couple has been coming to Chautauqua, The Chautauquan Daily has been a mainstay in planning days, weeks and summers. When the Daily arrives, Pat cannot wait to check the Briefly column. “What would we do without Briefly? I don’t want to miss anything,” she said.
Bud, on the other hand, especially enjoys reading about artists who will perform at Chautauqua.
Pat said, “It’s a quality newspaper. It’s a wonder that this community has a paper when other huge cities are no longer even having newspapers. They work so hard and diligently to provide high quality. It’s a joy to open your door and see the Daily waiting.”
The Browns cherish the Daily so much that they decided to meet with Debbie Moore, executive director of Chautauqua Foundation, to set up a new endowment fund in support of the Daily. “Pat and Bud’s energy about the importance of the Daily is infectious,” Moore said. “Their sincere care and respect for the value of the paper itself, and the staff who produce it, is heartwarming.”
Bud explained his motivation. “The Daily is an agency to bind people together, to know what’s going on at the Institution and to be a training ground for journalists,” he said. He felt it was important that the Daily have the resources needed to continue its work.
The Browns said they hope this gift will be the first step toward growing enduring support for the Daily’s operations. They encourage others to contribute to the endowment to support the publication for years to come.
Pat and Bud’s connection to Chautauqua runs deep; the Browns first visited the Chautauqua area 60 years ago and saw the Institution when staying at a Lutheran camp across the lake. “We knew about the Chautauqua movement, and someone at church told us we should go there,” Pat said.
One summer when Bud needed peace and quiet, he dropped off Pat and their 6-year-old daughter in Chautauqua for a week. Upon arrival, Pat’s tearful objection was, “I don’t know anybody here!” A week later, Pat’s tearful greeting to Bud was, “I don’t want to leave!”
Pat and Bud soon fell in love with the Baptist House, returning year after year to the kindness of Marilyn Phillips, a host there for more than 30 years. When the Browns were invited to take over as hosts, Pat was delighted. Bud said, “I’ll pray about it.” Pat, who can be feisty, quickly countered, “No, you won’t!” They became Baptist House hosts for the next decade.
Their daughter, Christine James, grew up attending Boys’ and Girls’ Club and became an international intellectual property attorney. She and her husband, David James, have two children. Lewis and Lydia also attended Club and reveled in Chautauqua. “Those kids thought we owned the Baptist House,” Pat recalled.
The Browns enjoyed working with the Department of Religion. “Joan Brown Campbell and Maureen Rovegno were so dear to the denominational houses and to us,” Pat said. The couple also found camaraderie in talking through situations with leaders of other denominational houses.
Pat and Bud laughed as they recalled stories of guests showering in the middle of the night and an allegation that a bottle of apple juice might have contained something other than apple juice. And did someone really sneak into the Baptist House without paying for a room? Pat was troubled about the morality of such a thing, but Bud was more concerned about the money. Some rumored incidents cannot be verified, but those were wonderful years for the couple.
The Browns are longtime members of the International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons and are involved in the ongoing effort to keep that interdenominational Christian organization active at Chautauqua.
Pat and Bud also love Chautauqua’s music. Bud is an organist and pianist with choral experience, and Pat plays the violin. Over the years, they adopted music students through the Connections program. They still stay in touch with Amy Hess, who went on to play violin for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
A love of reading led Pat to graduate from the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle in 2000. Bud graduated in 2010. Pat went on to complete every level of the CLSC Alumni Association’s Guild of Seven Seals and has now read 225 CLSC books. The Browns support the CLSC mosaic restoration project in the Hall of Philosophy. The two are also volunteer readers of books nominated for the Chautauqua Prize. They submit reviews to Chautauqua Institution.
This year, Pat and Bud couldn’t find lodging for CLSC Recognition Week, and they hate to miss the Recognition Day alumni parade. Enthusiasts of Ken Burns had snapped up Week Six rooms. “Then, we were given a miracle!” Pat proclaimed. “Our dear friend, Battie Bissell, called to tell us the Episcopal Cottage had an opening,” she said, using an affectionate nickname for local bat expert Caroline Van Kirk Bissell. Pat added, “And we got it! Bud drove us 1,000 miles in time to march on Recognition Day.” Pat’s love for the parade has been chronicled in the pages of the Daily; in 2025, Pat was shown proudly marching with the Class of 2000 in a photograph accompanying Recognition Day coverage.
Each Summer Season, the Daily is tasked with capturing moments like these that preserve the spirit of Chautauqua for generations to come. For Interim Managing Editor of The Chautauquan Daily Dave Munch, gifts like Pat and Bud’s are integral to the paper’s longevity. “A gift like this is so important to keep the Daily as folks have known it,” Munch said. “The Daily was not immune to budget cuts that happened. Philanthropy is so important to maintain the Daily [and its staff] for the quality of product that people expect.”
Students gain valuable real-world experience working at the Daily. Alumni of the paper include Nancy Gibbs, former editor-in-chief of Time Magazine, and Almar Latour, chief executive officer and publisher of Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal. When Latour returned to Chautauqua to lecture at the Amphitheater, he even showed the audience his old press pass from the Daily.
Munch and Assistant Editor Julia Weber noted that other interns have gone on to work for The Boston Globe, The Indianapolis Star, The Sacramento Bee, Dallas Morning News, NPR, The New York Times and Aerospace Magazine.
This year, the Daily has 17 interns: reporters, designers, photographers and a copy editor. Munch explained that most interns are in the junior or senior year of an undergraduate program in journalism, photography or design. The Daily’s editorial staff arrives two weeks prior to the season and works until the final weekend to publish the paper six days per week.
Skill set is important, and Munch pointed out that attitude also matters. “I am looking for people who will enjoy [a summer] of art and culture on a lake,” he said. “This is a fantastic first internship for a lot of reasons. This community is so open and welcoming. It is a very safe place to do things you are not completely comfortable with, like approaching strangers and taking pictures of people you don’t know.”
Weber added, “It teaches you to write about things in a novel way, to open your eyes and find the story. It gives you a unique ability to cover the larger narrative as to why something is important. That is a valuable skill that Daily interns get here.”
What is the best thing about being a part of the Daily? Without hesitation, Munch responded, “the staff.” He explained that every year, interns who have never before been to Chautauqua quickly become a team. “We see the growth and improvement,” he said.
Weber shared that the readers bring her joy. “I love our readers,” she said. “It is tremendously rewarding to work for a paper where the readers are as invested as they are in Chautauqua. I covered the [2025 Forum Dialogues] for the Daily, and it was powerful to see people come out and say, ‘We want a print paper.’ It reminds me that my work matters, and it gets me up in the morning to know that I am providing news to people who care about it.”
Cody Englander, an intern in his second year at The Chautauquan Daily, recently completed a Bachelor of Science in communication studies and a Bachelor of Science in journalism with a minor in film studies from Ohio University. Last summer, he covered recreation and finance. “It was wonderful to have such an eye-opening experience in my first year,” he recalled. This year, Englander is reporting on the School of Music and the Institution’s administration.
Englander reflected on two summers as a Daily intern. “The experience of being on the grounds is special,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for everyone I work with, wherever they sit. It is so great seeing everyone come together to help each other. We all work together to get this paper out every day.”
Speaking about wisdom gained here, Englander said, “I have learned to be a better writer. I’ve learned to take feedback. Other interns and I talked about a few of the recent mistakes we have made. We’re young. It’s important to be critical of oneself, but also important to be rational.”
What advice would Englander give to future interns? “Experience it all. Talk to people. Leave the newsroom. Go to everything. Experience food week. Go to the MSFO, the CSO. Go watch a ballet. One of the best things I watched this year was the Wuthering Heights ballet. You are going to find something here that is unlike anything you have seen; you have to experience it.” He added, “This place helps you find a voice. Experiences that you get at Chautauqua are so pivotal.”
Englander remains in touch with people he worked with last summer. “I’d like to think I have made connections that are going to last far beyond this internship,” he remarked. What lies ahead? “I want to be able to tell human stories, to be able to have people’s voices heard, helping people through stories,” he said.
Many Chautauquans have expressed that they love, value and want to keep the Daily. In the same way that Chautauqua’s arts programs nourish the community while elevating the career experience of dancers, musicians, artists and theater professionals, The Chautauquan Daily nourishes the community while elevating the career experience of writers, photographers, graphic designers and editors.
Pat and Bud Brown planted a seed: a new endowment that can help keep The Chautauquan Daily alive and growing. Any Chautauquan who cares about the Daily may help; a contribution in any amount can be made to Chautauqua Foundation designated to The Chautauquan Daily Endowment Fund. Long may we hear the words, “Get your Chautauquan Daily!”
