BRENTWOOD ACADEMY CELEBRATES LEGACY OF FOUNDING HEADMASTER WITH NAMING AND DEDICATION OF THE BILL AND BETH BROWN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Brentwood, TN - (March 6, 2025) In a special ceremony that included many members of the Brentwood Academy community, BA leadership officially named and dedicated the campus middle school building in honor of William B. Brown, Jr. (Bill) and his wife, Beth. The event, held inside the middle school, paid tribute to Mr. and Mrs. Brown’s lifelong dedication to the school and its students. The Brentwood Academy middle school was built in 1999 and designed to reflect Mr. Brown’s experience as a young boy at Camp Hy-Lake, with an open design, “den-like” family spaces, and wood beam accents. Current Head of School Curt Masters shared, “In the Bible, people set a pile of rocks as a memorial of what God had done, to prompt people to explain why it was there to younger generations. When I was hired at BA, three piles of rocks were set up where the dens would be, where people gathered around to pray for what God would be doing. And now God is still at work in this place.”
Surrounded by family members, alums, current students, and long-time members of the Brentwood Academy community, the dedication ceremony celebrated the past and the future of middle school. Current Middle School Director Jenny Cretin commented, “I am so grateful to have a front row seat to Mr. Brown's vision every single day. His vision was about community and mentorship, not just for students, but for faculty as well. Twenty-five years later, the vision is a reality, and we are honored to have Bill and Beth Brown’s names on this building.”
William B. Brown, Jr., founded Brentwood Academy and was headmaster from 1969-2000. In the summer of 1999, a financial gift combined with an acquisition of land allowed for the building of the middle school. Mr. Brown was instrumental in shaping the values, mission statement, and academic standards that have impacted generations.
Nancy Brasher, BA’s first graduating class alumna and former middle school director, remarked, “God planted something in Mr. and Mrs. Brown that said, ‘build a school’. At that time, Brentwood was just land and not much else. The school was tiny, and Mr. Brown would talk to students about Jesus, and our salvation. It had such an impact. Mr. Brown would say that this building is not about him or Beth, he would say that everything we do is to the glory of God.”
In addition to prayer by two current students, Grammy award-winning songwriter Gordon Kennedy, a BA graduate from the class of 1978, performed a song he had written in honor of Mr. Brown. The ceremony was followed by a reception where attendees shared stories and celebrated the continued growth of BA.
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Brentwood Academy is a co-educational, independent, college preparatory school dedicated to nurturing and challenging each whole person—body, mind, and spirit—to the glory of God.
