On March 12, the Colorado College community lost the person who has quite possibly left the biggest impact on the College, his work and legacy shaping campus and academic life at CC forever. Glenn Ellis Brooks, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Political Science, former Dean of the College and Faculty passed away at the age of 93 after a short illness. Brooks is regarded as the creator of the Block Plan.
In her tribute to Brooks, CC’s Chaplain Kate Holbrook writes, “Glenn was a true servant leader of CC in, and outside, the classroom. He was a highly effective professor, whose engaged teaching and mentorship inspired generations. He encouraged students to be their best and most-authentic selves, even if it meant flying in the face of filial duty and expectation, retaining his students’ names and stories until his dying day.”
Brooks joined CC in 1960 as a professor of Political Science. During his long and distinguished career, he mentored and influenced countless students. At CC, he was a specialist in American Government, and his passions included civil rights, conscientious objection, and a liberal arts education. In 1968, Brooks was tasked by then CC President Lloyd E. Worner to find a way to set academics at the College apart from all others. Brooks headed up a campus-wide discussion on how the institution could do liberal arts in a new, better way. From that survey, he and a group of faculty created the Block Plan. The College transitioned to life on the Block Plan in the fall of 1970 and was forever changed.
Brooks later served as Dean of the College and Faculty from 1979 to 1987. In 2017, CC named a Presidential Award after him, honoring his enduring legacy with the Glenn Brooks Innovation and Courage Award. After retiring from teaching and serving as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Planning at CC, Brooks went on to have a fulfilling later-life career as a higher education consultant, which took him to places such as Lesotho; Puebla, Mexico; and American military bases all over the globe.
“The human soul is purported to weigh 21 grams,” Brooks’s daughters write in their tribute to their father. “We contend that Glenn’s weighs significantly more.”
Brooks was devoted to the College’s shared mission and collective work. He had vision and saw the potential and possibility of what it could become, always championing the highest good for CC and community.
“Many describe Glenn as a gentle, noble spirit with a strong moral compass,” Holbrook continues. “His fair-mindedness, ability to listen deeply to multiple sides, and genuine value of people created a strong community-builder who effectively bridged differences. He embodied courage by doing what he thought was right with integrity and conviction. Connected to himself, Glenn held a grounded sense of self-confidence with humility. He was consistent and genuine, with a deep love of people and ideas. He had the ability to hold seriousness with lightheartedness, enabling him to find humor in himself and the world.”
“His intellectual curiosity was inexhaustible,” say his daughters. “A gentle titan, Glenn earned respect not by demanding it, but through his unshakeable integrity and indomitable spirit. He was known for his sharp wit, his compassion, and his humility… His dotage was blemished by loss of mobility, eyesight, and hearing, but he never complained, and his core was never shaken. His love of life and people burned brightly right until the end.”
Brooks is survived by wife Ann ’82 (MAT); his daughters Beth ’80, Amy ’82, and Celia; grandchildren Jess ’10, Michael ’11, and Tess; great-grandchildren Cameron and Raegan; cherished “other” family Inna, Nina, and Nick; and innumerable friends, colleagues, and former students.
A celebration of Brooks’s amazing life is being planned for this coming autumn.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the following organizations: The staff of Brookdale Monument Valley Park, checks made out to: “Associate Appreciation Fund” and can be mailed or dropped off to: Brookdale Monument Valley Park, 10 W Monument, Colorado Springs, CO 80903; Friends of the Colorado Talking Book Library; and/or CPCD – Giving Children a Head Start. In notes and checks, please specify “In memory of Glenn Brooks.”
10 responses to “CC Mourns Passing of the Father of the Block Plan”
Someone who could break the mold with a positive outcome. Creative destruction needs to be creative otherwise, it is just destruction.
Professor Brooks was my academic advisor during my entire four years at CC. Although I never took any of his classes, he taught me that being a gentle and quiet listener was the best foundation to creating real change.
As a pre Block Plan graduate of CC I first met Dr. Brooks in the fall of 1962 and had the pleasure of being one of his students. This led to my life long engagement in the study of local government and municipal law, both academically and in private practice. CC was fortunate to have had him on faculty and in administration. Equally, many CC students, including me, had their lives changed for the better through the mentoring of Dr. Brooks.
I was lucky enough to know Glenn as a teacher, mentor and advisor at CC. I also, along with many others, helped him with collecting data that was used in the creation of the Block Plan. I remember bumping into him at the skating rink in December of 1968 when he told me about his ideas for the Plan. I baby sat for his daughters and, through-out the years have kept in touch with him and Ann. My last visit was in the fall of 2019 at my 50th reunion. He did not feel up to coming to the festivities but we had a wonderful lunch together. He was still inquisitive, funny and knowledgeable. I had many excellent professors during my CC years but none to match him both as a teacher and a person.
I was at CC in 1970 when the block plan was just being introduced. Glenn Brooks advised and encouraged me to design my own learning block in South Africa. This led to a lifetime of commitment and involvement in bringing about positive change. I am still there! Thanks, Glenn, for being a genuine innovator!
Glenn was a wise and gentleman and he will be greatly missed.
Professor Brooks was my advisor and the first faculty member I met at CC. He also taught my first 2 blocks. I am grateful to have known him and learned from him. He shared his passion of political science with me and remained my go-to throughout my four years at CC and beyond.
Dr Brooks as we called him in 1964-1968, was the reason I majored in Poli Sci – and went on to join Peace Corps and finally earn an MA in international studies at SAIS. He was a mentor and friend. He came to our soccer matches and cheered us on; he always asked “why do yo think that?” in a nonjudgmental way. He and Ann and Beth and Amy were part of my CC landscape for the better part of my life. What a wonderful memory he left for us all.
Glenn Brooks was my professor, my advisor and my friend. I was a political science major.
Before NORAD was concealed under the mountain, Dr Brooks arranged for our poli sci class to see it in action, an experience I clearly will never forget. He was always innovative on behalf of the students at CC.
When the Block plan started he asked some of us recent grads (I am class of ‘65) to interview students and profs about their experience to see if the program was equal to the idea. It was a joy to be part of the rollout and to be trusted by him. He will always have a special place in my head and my heart.
If I recall correctly, Glenn and Ann introduced my late in laws, Joanne and Mac Simpson, probably in Baltimore. If they had had a daughter, they were going to name her Brook. Condolences.