Centennial Spotlight: Jack Brown
Jack Brown was committed to giving back to the community that raised him.
The San Bernardino native served as executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years, and his philanthropic efforts included launching Stater Bros. Charities in 2008. The nonprofit has invested more than $54 million in a variety of causes, including fighting food insecurity, cancer research, education, and helping veterans.
Brown entered the grocery world at age 13, when he started working as a box boy at Berk’s Market Spot. He attended San Bernardino Valley College in the late 1950s, where he studied business administration and served as founding president of SBVC’s first Greek fraternity, Beta Tau Omega.
“Valley College was a tremendous first step in my career," Brown said in an interview with the SBVC Foundation.
He went on to attend San Jose State University and UCLA and joined the U.S. Navy.
Throughout his life, Brown donated his time to causes that improved life in the Inland Empire. He was the founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County and a board member of local chapters of the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, and YMCA. His dedication to service earned him regional and national recognition, and in 1993 he became the first SBVC alumnus to receive the California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. Brown, a 1991 inductee into the SBVC Alumni Hall of Fame, died in 2016 at age 76.
The San Bernardino native served as executive chairman of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years, and his philanthropic efforts included launching Stater Bros. Charities in 2008. The nonprofit has invested more than $54 million in a variety of causes, including fighting food insecurity, cancer research, education, and helping veterans.
Brown entered the grocery world at age 13, when he started working as a box boy at Berk’s Market Spot. He attended San Bernardino Valley College in the late 1950s, where he studied business administration and served as founding president of SBVC’s first Greek fraternity, Beta Tau Omega.
“Valley College was a tremendous first step in my career," Brown said in an interview with the SBVC Foundation.
He went on to attend San Jose State University and UCLA and joined the U.S. Navy.
Throughout his life, Brown donated his time to causes that improved life in the Inland Empire. He was the founding chairman of Children’s Fund of San Bernardino County and a board member of local chapters of the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, and YMCA. His dedication to service earned him regional and national recognition, and in 1993 he became the first SBVC alumnus to receive the California Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. Brown, a 1991 inductee into the SBVC Alumni Hall of Fame, died in 2016 at age 76.
