CUTLINE: Duane Chattin, left, president of the Vincennes Civitan Club, presents Norbert Brown the Citizen of the Year Award for 2018.

VINCENNES, Ind. - Norbert Brown, a Vincennes University automotive professor and program coordinator, was presented the 2018 Vincennes Civitan Citizen of the Year award on Thursday.

The award is bestowed upon individuals who promote good citizenship through outstanding volunteer service to their community. The award was first presented to the late Isaac K. Beckes in 1954.

Brown was recognized for his creation of the Vincennes Indiana Remember When Facebook group which currently features more than 20,000 historical photos of Vincennes and surrounding areas. When the Vincennes native started the group, he didn’t foresee the popularity it would gain.

“I put a few historical Vincennes photographs on there to share with some friends,” he said. “They asked me if it was okay if they shared with their friends. I said, ‘Sure. Tell them if they find a Vincennes photo and they’d like to share it to load it to the site.’ I didn’t anticipate it going over as well as it did. Now there’s more than 10,000 members, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 historical photographs of Vincennes, and many discussions about various topics in Vincennes history.”

Brown has also read the first three pages of Vincennes newspapers dating back to 1807 and has created a database of historical information. He collects historical documents and publications and also gives presentations related to area history to local groups.

“Norbert has served our community with great dedication in multiple capacities,” said Vincennes Civitan Club President Duane Chattin. “We particularly appreciate the way he creatively celebrates our past to inspire a better future for our community.”

Chattin presented Brown with a plaque during a luncheon at the Harmony Society. Brown is the 59th recipient of the award which has also been presented to such notable residents as Phyllis Sweeney, Robert “Angel” Lange, Scott Shipman, Helen Seirp, Jim Osborne, LaDonna Lane, Georgiann Leonard, Dale Phillips, Nancy Carie, and Dr. Alan Stewart.

Brown is the Collision Repair and Refinishing Program coordinator and a professor in VU’s College of Technology. He and his wife, Amy, have two children.

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