Evening star., 1945-07-07

race and the white people of the
city brought tribute by the late
President Roosevelt in 1888, who
declared Ito you who have played
in the Nations Capital through q
long life and a long and devoted
pastorate, the words of the psalmist
have special application: The lines
are fallen unto me in pleasant
places; yea, have a good heritage
Freed from slavery by Lincoln's S
Emancipation Proclamation, DR.
Brooks entered Lincoln University
in 1866. Despite the fact he did not
learn TO read and write until he was
IA, the Young student completed his
bachelor of arts in 1872 and the
theology degree year later.
He joined the First African Bap-
tist Church in 1873, beginning the
same year to teach Sunday school
He married his first wife, Miss Eva
Holmes of Florida, in 1874. They
had 10 children, of whom still
survive. Mrs. Brooks died in 1912
Clerk in Post Office.
Soon after, DR.. Brooks became q
clerk in the Richmond post Office,
but left that position after a short
time to become Sunday school mis-
sionary for Virginia for the Amer
ican Baptist Publication Society OF
Philadelphia. Then he decided to
enter the ministry and was ordained
in December, 1876. He became
pastor of the Second African Bap-
tiSt Church of Richmond the fol-
lowing year, holding that position
until 1880 DR.. Brooks gave up
that ministry to take another Sun
day school missionary position in
Louisiana, holding the latter job
until 1882 when he came to the
District at 81.
During his So years here DR..
Brooks has seen both the city and
his church grow in numbers and
dignity. His personal contribution
to good relationships between per-
sons of different races and faiths in
the city were paid tribute to on
February 81, 1914, when a group of
Protestant, Catholic and Jewish
clergymen gathered at the Univer-
saliSt National Memorial Church to
honor the then 93-year-old minister.
On that occasion he was awarded
the honorary degree by his COL
leagues of the cloth of doctor of
devotion" the citation saying, "This
ambassador of good news has stood
CALAMITY before his wistful people
proclaiming messages of comfort
and courage, of hope in the midst of
exceedingly difficult days, of faith
with which he and they were EN-
abled to stand anything that hap
pened to them.'"
Cited in Editorial.
The degree was awarded by the
Board of Directors of the Washing
ton Federation of Churches and was
presented by DIR. Frederick E. Reis-
sig, executive director of the fedora
ton.
The Star of February "a, 1914,
said in an editorial that DR.. Brooks
had earned the city's appreciation
"by lifetime of labor as a preacher
of the Word, as a teacher of the
American doctrine of freedom and
responsibility and as leader in
many civic and social causes de-
signed for the benefit of the whole
people
DR.. Brooks is survived by his
widow, Mrs. Viola Brooks, and by
the four children from his first wife,
Mrs. Albert G.. Terrell, Mrs. An
toinette Mitchell, Miss Julia E.
Brooks and Albert N. D. Brooks, all
of Washington; a sister, Mrs. Lucy
B. Lewis of Richmond, Va: IL
grandchildren and great-grand-
children.
Funeral services will be held at
pm. Tuesday at the church at Nine
teenth and I streets NV. Burial
will be In Lincoln Memorial Gene