IL SR1368

Floyd A. Brown, a radio and TV personality from Elgin, passed away on December 9, 2022, at age 92.

Brown was the first African American to sign with NBC and WMAQ, and worked at WGN from 1971 to 1999 as a sportscaster and host of The Floyd Brown Show for over 29 years, featuring jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Brown was inducted into WGN Radio's Walk of Fame on March 22, 2016, and received awards including the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award from Judson University and the Trailblazer Award from the Quad City Urban League.

Brown served as a founding member of the Elgin Human Relations Commission, president of the Elgin Housing Commission, and was the first African American member of a private country club in Illinois.

The Senate mourns Brown's passing and extends condolences to his surviving wife of 67 years, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Brown, his two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.