Brown Family Donates Three Pear Trees at HHS
The Brown family has been associated with Huntington High School for many years. Jim and Jane Brown are both graduates of the school and the couple's three daughters have all played on the Blue Devil tennis team. The last of the trio, Jamie Brown, will graduate in June.
To commemorate the end of an era, the Brown's donated three Cleveland pear trees to the district. The trees have been planted along the high school tennis court complex on Holdsworth Drive. They are expected to grow and become strong and ultimately provide shade to tennis spectators.
Jim and Jane Brown were both members of Huntington's Class of 1980. Mr. Brown went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and flew helicopters in the U.S. Army. Mrs. Brown attended college in upstate New York. The couple married and settled in Huntington and sent their daughters, Paige, Erin and Jamie through their own alma mater.
Each of the Cleveland pear trees signifies one of the Brown children. "My parents felt they wanted to give back to the school that has been such a big part of their lives," said Jamie Brown, a Huntington senior who plans to attend Gettysburg College in the fall. "We donated the trees to show our appreciation to the school."
"I coached the Brown girls over 12 years, one at a time, four years each," said Jamie Fishlow, Huntington's longtime tennis coach. "They all made the varsity as freshman and they were all integral parts of the teams they played on. They are all great young woman; a pleasure to coach and wonderful to be around. They all worked very hard during their careers and they were always willing to learn."
The Brown children's parents, grandparents and an aunt came to every home match and even some away contests. "They were always supportive and they were only there to cheer on the team," Mr. Fishlow said. "It will be strange next fall to not have a Brown girl on the team as well as not having the family on the sidelines. The trees will be a beautiful reminder of the great contribution they made to Huntington tennis and from now on when I look at them I will be reminded of how much Paige, Erin and Jamie have meant to me."
"My grandfather would put his folding chair up on the hill to watch me play and in the early fall it would get pretty warm," Jamie Brown said. "We're hoping this offers shade to some of the spectators as well as pretty flowering buds in the spring. Even though next fall will be the first time in 12 years that a Brown won't be represented on the courts, at least Mr. Fishlow can look at the trees and think of us and how much we enjoyed playing for him".
Erin Brown is finishing her undergraduate degree at George Washington University and plans to attend graduate school in the fall. Each of the Brown girls made substantial contributions to the Blue Devil tennis program and they will long be remembered fondly.
"I was very excited to hear that my parents were donating the trees, it makes me feel like my sisters and I will always be a part of Huntington tennis," said Paige Brown, who graduated from Huntington in 2005 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree at the College of the Holy Cross in 2009. She now resides in Washington, DC and works as an accountant with The Carlyle Group.
"I remember participating in the original fundraiser to create the beautiful courts we have now, which was a tournament in memory of Ryan Kelly and Judd Cavalier," Paige Brown said. "The courts look completely different now than they did my freshman year and it is great to see that they have been kept up so nicely."
Mr. Kelly was killed in a car crash on New York Avenue and Mr. Cavalier perished at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Both played tennis in Huntington, first at J. Taylor Finley Junior High School and later on the JV and varsity Blue Devil teams.
"My whole family attended HHS and it holds a special place in all of our hearts," Paige Brown said. "Tennis and Mr. Fishlow are part of some of my best memories of high school. I was the first of the Brown girls to play tennis with Mr. Fishlow and I'd like to think that I set the bar for the next 12 years that we would be on the team. It was like clockwork; one of us graduated and the next joined the team. Unfortunately, all good things come to end."
The bond between each of the Brown's and Mr. Fishlow has grown strong. "Mr. Fishlow was a great coach and has become like family to us over the years," Paige Brown said. "He loves tennis and always pushed us to be our best. He knew that we cared about the development of our games and he would be just as invested in our game as we were. We could always count on him for encouragement and support. I have kept up my tennis over the years, played in college and currently play in USTA leagues."