Remembering a Friend
As my friend and colleague, Chester Brown, is being laid to rest today, I thought it would be fitting to use my platform to pay tribute to his memory as having him be the featured artist for the entire month of April. Chester served his country as a member of the United States Air Force and served his community of Jefferson City as a law enforcement officer in various fields from 1970 until he retired in 2005. But this is not how I know Chester. I, like so many others, know him as a photographer. One of our local greats. He was a prominent figure among music shows, charitable events and community art projects such as Angiepalooza, The Red Slipper Warrior Project, Capitol City Productions, and Arcania. As a long time member of the Missouri chapter of the Professional Photographers of America, whenever he’d meet a new photographer he made sure they knew about MOPPA and did his best to recruit them. He was just so quick to lend a hand to just about any one and loved all things music and photography related. Not one to sit still for too long he was constantly pushing himself to try out different genres of photography and set out to do so with this inspiring mix of pragmatism and childlike excitement. I loved listening to him talk about whatever his next project was going to be and we would often troubleshoot the looks over the phone. Chester is also completely responsible for my love of concert photography. A few years ago, we were talking about a show he had coming up and he said I should come join him and shoot. Anyone who knows Chester knows he was a lot of fun to hang out with even if you were on opposite sides of the room, so I said sure! It was great fun as he showed me the ropes and gave me some tips and tricks to getting some great shots and it is now my favorite photography hobby. I couldn't be more grateful for the amount of time and friendship he gave me. A remarkable person with his unassuming attitude and sincere approach to life made him truly one of a kind. I hope he knew how much he was loved and respected. Chester had one son whom he was unwaveringly proud of so please keep him in your thoughts.
It was my pleasure to know you and an honor to call you a friend. Rest easy, Chester. You will be sorely missed.
CHESTER BROWN December 3rd, 1953 - March 28th, 2021