A bright yellow bead slides over a red pipe cleaner, then a blue bead followed by green. Soon, the rainbow of beads and wire is twisted this way and that until it resembles the Big Dipper. This same activity is happening throughout PHYS 401, a seminar room in the UMBC Physics building, as 20 Baltimore City middle and high school students and their parents recreate the constellations.
These students are part of their local Sigma Beta Club, a youth auxiliary of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., founded nationally in 1950 to help mentor young men and develop their leadership skills. “When we go out to UMBC, it’s always something special,” says Gary Brooks ’79, history, who played a large part in bringing these young people to Hilltop Circle. “UMBC does things second to none.”
The students came to campus in February with members of the Nu Sigma Sigma Alumni Chapter, which includes Phi Beta Sigma alumni—including Brooks—to tour the UMBC Observatory and attend a men’s basketball game.
Gary Brooks ’79 and members of the Sigma Beta Club touring the UMBC Observatory with middle and high school students.
Nu Sigma Sigma partners with local universities like UMBC to offer Baltimore City youth interested in STEM the chance to experience college life. Most of these visits involve some sort of athletics event, and that’s about it—but not at UMBC.
Another Sigma Beta Club visit to UMBC involved a FIRST LEGO League competition, and another saw the students observe a robotics event. Brooks also makes sure that each visit includes a member of UMBC senior leadership. Recently, the students had the chance to speak with UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby and Athletics Director Tiffany Tucker.
Brooks wants each visit to UMBC to be as meaningful as possible for these young men because he knows how UMBC can change lives.
Staying connected
Even though Brooks graduated 45 years ago, he never really left UMBC. He remains closely involved with Phi Beta Sigma at UMBC, helping mentor students, and he is an active member of Nu Sigma Sigma, working closely with the university to bring Sigma Beta Club members to campus.
“The fraternity got me involved in community service,” says Brooks—a personal mission he carries on to this day.
“Since I met Gary almost 20 years ago, he has been a dedicated champion of UMBC,” says Stanyell Bruce, director of alumni engagement at UMBC.
Brooks also serves on the UMBC Second Generation Scholarship Fund committee. The Second Generation Scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding undergraduate students who intend to pursue study at UMBC, are enrolled in or have completed a course in Africana studies, and demonstrate a commitment to improving the lives of racial/ethnic minorities through community service, extracurricular activities, or other community involvement. Brooks has served on the committee since 1986, when the scholarship was established.
Brooks is also the chairperson for the Historic St. James Episcopal Church Scholarship Fund—a position he has held since 2010—and helped establish the Dr. Lamont Smith, M.D. Scholarship through Sigma R.E.A.C.H., Inc. Brooks has served on that committee since its inception as well.
“Education is dear to my heart,” says Brooks, who went on to earn his M.P.A. from the University of Baltimore and his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law—an impressive resume for someone who initially struggled in college.
“My first semester at UMBC wasn’t the best,” admits Brooks. “I didn’t do well at all.”
Photo left: Gary Brooks ‘79 and Larry Wiggins ‘75 with the 2024 Second Generation Scholarship recipients.
Finding place and purpose
Instead of giving up, Brooks decided to lean into his weaknesses—reading and writing—by taking courses in Africana studies, a subject that interested him a great deal. These courses involved a lot of reading and writing, but Brooks found himself more immersed in the work. It was still difficult, but he enjoyed the subject matter, and the faculty was incredibly supportive. As a result, his grades began to improve.
“I saw that success, and I got more and more serious about school,” says Brooks.
After graduation, Brooks remained close to the Africana studies department. He spearheaded a committee tasked with hosting the annual “Party with a Purpose,” whose proceeds supported Africana studies and the Second Generation Scholarship. Brooks also continued to correspond with several Africana studies faculty members who mentored Brooks throughout graduate school, law school, and his career.
Gary Brooks ‘79 and the Party with a Purpose planning committee during UMBC’s 50th anniversary.
After Brooks graduated from law school, one of those professors, Willie Lamousé-Smith, former chair of Africana studies, asked Brooks to step out of his comfort zone and step into the classroom to teach a course on the impact of the criminal justice system on the Black community. Despite some hesitancy—“I do estate planning and bankruptcy,” says Brooks. “I am not a criminal justice attorney.”—the young lawyer decided to take the leap into teaching after more than a little encouragement from Lamousé-Smith.
“Dr. Lamousé-Smith said, ‘Mr. Brooks, you are smart enough,’ and that was enough,” says Brooks. “He believed in me.”
Brooks taught this class for six years, connecting UMBC students with impactful, African American leaders, including the Baltimore City police commissioner and the Baltimore City state’s attorney. Brooks eventually handed the class over to his good friend and former law partner, Larry Wiggins ’75, political science, who played a large role in helping Brooks study for and pass the bar exam.
When the giving goes both ways
Brooks was honored at the 2001 UMBC Alumni Awards with an Alumni Community Leadership Award. He also received a special Visionary Leadership Award in 2006, recognizing members of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture Event Planning Committee for their outstanding contributions to advancing the mission of the UMBC Alumni Association. He’d like to thank his wife, Karen B. Brooks, their four children, Aja, Ashlea, Morgan, and Geron, and their three grandkids, Ryder, Ari, and Amari.
Over the years, Brooks has continued to give back to the UMBC community because of how much the UMBC community has given him.
“Gary’s commitment to UMBC never wavers,” says Bruce. “He’s someone I seek out for advice and guidance, and he embodies what it means to be Retriever Proud.”