The Brookfield Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2025 members are, from left, Gary Lees; Meryl Johnson, representing her mother, Lucille Flemon Downs; Dr. Taylor Brooks; Dave English; Wardell Jefferson; and Morgan Bonekovic.
When Lucille Flemon Downs was growing up during the Great Depression, she was the only African-American in her class at Brookfield High School. While she dealt with prejudicial racial attitudes, she never let it affect her studies, as evidenced by her being named valedictorian for the Class of 1933.
The experience informed Downs’ attitude as a mother. When her daughter, Meryl Johnson, was ready for college, the young woman wanted to go to Howard University, a historically black university. Downs’ forbade the enrollment, telling her daughter, “’You’ve gone to all-black schools your whole life; you will go to Kent State,’” Johnson said. “It’s because of the relationships that she had growing up in Brookfield that she wanted me to get along with somebody who looked different than myself. I’ll always be thankful to her because now I am very comfortable wherever I am. I really want to thank my mom for that.”
Downs was one of six inducted into the Brookfield Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame on Sept. 20. The hall honors Brookfield graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers and made a difference in their communities.
The impact Brookfield had on Downs was shared by people who attended Brookfield much later.
“The true measure of a school, a community or even a person is the impact they leave behind,” said inductee Morgan Bonekovic, Class of 2008. “Brookfield’s impact on me went far beyond academics and athletics. It instilled in me the belief that what we do matters and even the smallest actions can change the course of someone else’s life.”
Bonekovic, the second person to be inducted into both the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame and the Brookfield Warrior Hall of Fame, which honors athletic achievements, is a family-law lawyer and advocates for underrepresented or marginalized communities.
“This school and my teachers gave me more than just an education,” she said. “It gave me a framework for the person I wanted to become. That framework was built on justice, fairness and the pursuit of equality.”
Inductee Dave English spoke along the same line. He said the U.S. Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1986, seeks to create people who are morally, mentally and physically strong. Brookfield schools had already started him down that path, said English, Class of 1982.
“In many ways, Brookfield’s supportive community was the bedrock for everything that followed: serving my country, building a fulfilling career, raising a wonderful family,” said English, who went on to serve as a Marine Corps officer before entering the healthcare field. “I remain deeply grateful for the profound impact that it had on my life.”
Inductee Dr. Taylor Brooks, Class of 2009, agreed that Brookfield schools taught him things beyond the ABCs.
“I learned things like integrity, curiosity and discipline,” said Brooks, a doctor of hematology and oncology at the Cleveland Clinic. “Lessons that I have learned here have stayed with me for decades. These things resonate in the minds and hearts of the students that you always knew would probably turn out fine, but I’m willing to bet they’ve also stayed with the students that you may have never expected to listen, and with some, perhaps, you’ve long forgotten about.”
Students such as inductee Wardell Jefferson, Class of 1988, who said he was “a little bit of a drifter at school.” Even though Jefferson said he wished he had applied himself better, the Brookfield school experience has had a lasting impact.
“To me, this is a day of gratitude,” said Jefferson, who spent 32 years in the army before embarking on a career in human relations and consulting. “You guys are honoring us, but this day is about many of you, our families, our friends, our mentors and those we have encountered throughout our lives, who have helped us become successful.”
Inductee Gary Lees said his school experience wasn’t always positive. The graduate of the Class of 1967 had a reading disability in an era when such things were not recognized. Some of his teachers even considered Lees to be “stupid,” said his wife, Serafina Lees.
Outside of family members working with Lees to improve his reading and comprehension, he found motivation to give it his best effort, no matter how difficult the assignment – sports.
“In order to do sports, I had to get good grades, so I doubled down and, while other guys on my team and my friends were out playing and having a good time, I was at home working on a book report or studying for the big test the next day,” said Lees, who ran track and played football.
Lees went on to a career as a youth probation officer and served 24 years as a Brookfield Township trustee. He now volunteers as a mentor for children in the Warren City School District who have learning disabilities.
As a trustee, Lees looked for projects that he could work with the school district on, considering both entities to “run hand in hand.”
Today’s Brookfield Local School District is a “gem,” Lees said.
Nomination forms for the hall of fame are available at the school office or on the hall of fame’s Facebook page.
