Namesake of Pierce Hall, she served as Dean of Women from 1913-1933, supported the construction of dorms for women and aided the institutionalization of in loco parentis.
A 1940 graduate of the New York State College for Teachers, Brown was a respected children's book writer and illustrator, and a three-time Caldecott Medal winner.
Records of the social and community activities performed a social group of faculty wives and other women that perfomed university and community service.