Such a man was Mr. Brower, a selfless advocate of civil rights, the pastor said. Mr. Brower "was unselfish in his dedication to freedom and justice for all, and he was unstinting in his desire to help people in any way that he could," Mr. Shepard said.
"He was one of those soldiers back in the movement," echoed Georgie Woods, a local radio talk show host. "George was the kind of guy who was committed to the struggle that we were involved in and no sacrifice was too great for him to make.
"Sometimes, it seems like those who give the most receive the least for their efforts."
Mr. Brower was recruited by Moore and functioned as a field commander outside the walls of Girard College during the 17-month protest that resulted in desegregation of the school. During the picketing, children as young as 9 carried signs. A frequent chant was "Freedom now, over the wall, we're going over the wall tonight."
Many marchers, including Mr. Brower, were beaten by police, according to those who took part in the protest.
At the time, Mr. Brower was a member of the "Young Militants," a group of activists who met at the corner of Girard and Ridge Avenues. He also was one of four members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who were arrested in 1966 after two and a half sticks of dynamite were found in a raid on a North Philadelphia apartment house that was said to be a SNCC meeting place.
All four activists who were arrested were said to be members of a group that was monitoring police for possible brutality. The charges against all four were later dropped.
Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Brower was raised in North Carolina and Washington after his mother died when he was 2 years old. He was a graduate of the Washington public schools and returned to Philadelphia in 1963, when he and many other young people became active in civil rights.
Mr. Brower was employed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority, where he worked from 1972 until his death.
"The people who worked with him will remember him as a person who had a lot of heart," recalled Falaka Fattah, founder and director of the House of Umoja, a city residential program for teenage boys.
"He was just very stubborn, and he wouldn't give up," Fattah said. "That type of integrity coupled with persistance should not only be remembered, but it also is something that young people today could learn from."
He is survived by his daughter, Pamela; brothers, Gregory and Geffrey; sisters, Dionne Jenkins and Ginean Brower; stepmother, Thelma Brower; one granddaughter; one niece, and two nephews
A viewing will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at Mount Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church, 42d and Wallace Streets. Memorial services will be held at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the church. Burial will be at Northwood Cemetery, 15th and Haines Streets.
