Westmont Magazine Building a Lifetime Together

Jim ’64 and Janet Harley ’65 Brown met at Westmont, married at an early age and grew up together. The daughter of psychology professor Willard Harley Sr., Janet roamed freely around campus with other faculty and staff children. She started college the same year Page Hall opened and enjoyed living there. Jim went to UC Berkeley intending to study dentistry but soon transferred to Westmont, a much better fit for him.

Janet’s brother, Willard (Bill) Harley Jr. ’63, roomed with Jim and introduced the Browns. Their romance began on the junior hayride 60 years ago. That spring, Jim’s father suffered a heart attack, and he returned to his home in Palo Alto to help with the family’s Mexican restaurant. Janet spent the summer working as a waitress at Mt. Hermon and visited Jim often. They decided to get married before returning to Westmont. Janet, who was 18, called and surprised her parents with the news. Her father told her worried mother, “Trust her. She knows what she’s doing.” The Browns celebrated their 59th anniversary this year.

As married students, they lived in a rose-covered cottage on the Riviera, which cost $80 a month. Jim volunteered with Youth for Christ (YFC), joining students who put on a weekly show. Janet sang with a women’s quartet that also performed at YFC rallies. Jim graduated with a degree in philosophy, and Janet completed her lower-division classes.

Old Testament professor David Hubbard encouraged Jim to attend seminary, and he enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary, where Hubbard had become president. He served as Hubbard’s administrative assistant and says the late leader and scholar greatly influenced his life. While Jim earned a Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller, Janet completed her degree in English and teaching credential at Cal State Los Angeles and started teaching.

Meanwhile, Jim developed an interest in the law through his Westmont roommate Doug Kappler ’64, whose father worked as the city attorney for Lompoc. Rather than continue his studies in theology, Jim enrolled at UC Berkeley School of Law. Janet continued teaching in Berkeley.

After Jim completed law school, the Browns returned to Santa Barbara, where Jim practiced civil law for the firm Mullen and Henzel for nearly 30 years. Janet taught for several years before giving birth to their three daughters. They’d waited 10 years to start a family. “You need to have some time to grow up,” she says.

While her children attended Community Christian School, Janet taught music there. As they grew older, she decided to pursue a credential as a reading specialist but discovered teachers were being laid off. Her adviser at UC Santa Barbara suggested she begin a doctoral program in education instead, and she thought, “Why not?” She earned her doctorate in 1992 with a specialty in language literacy. She then embarked on research.

For her first project, Janet assisted a UCSB professor with a grant funded by the National Science Foundation focused on developing workshops to help teachers assess their hands-on science programs. While the workshops failed to produce the desired results, the National Science Foundation agreed that Janet and the professor would collaborate on a book to give teachers the same information. She also participated in a project to study school leadership teams throughout the state and another to determine if teaching English to the parents of bilingual children would improve the children’s reading scores. She retired in 2006.

In 1998, Jim applied for an open position as a judge, and Governor Pete Wilson appointed him to the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County. “I was one of the first judges to use technology in the courtroom,” Jim says. “As I presided over the law and motion calendar and prepared tentative decisions, I projected the information in the courtroom.” He shared his expertise by teaching a continuing education class on technology in court.

“Being a judge isolates you from relationships with attorneys,” Jim says. “You have to decide cases on the law and not on personal opinion.” Sometimes the law tied his hands. He remembers one defendant in a gang-related case who showed up with his parents and impressed him. “I was limited in what I could do for him,” Jim says. He appreciates the work of Delancey Street Foundation, a Christian program in San Fran- cisco that seeks to help offenders.

After 13 years on the bench, Jim retired in 2011. Janet keeps busy with the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), working with wonderful friends to raise money for scholarships. The Browns relish spending time with their nine grandchildren. When Jim turned 80, they hosted a big family reunion at  their home in Goleta, where they’ve lived for 50 years.

While their lives and careers took unexpected turns at times, they see God’s hand in it all and give thanks for his blessings.