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John E. Brush, 87, died peacefully on February 20, 2007, in Medford, surrounded by family. He lived in Piscataway for many decades before moving to the Quaker-related retirement community of Medford Leas. Born on September 2, 1919, in Jefferson, PA, he grew up in India, where his parents served as Baptist missionaries in Kharagpur, Bengal. He returned to the US after graduating from Woodstock School, in Mussoorie, in 1937. He left Bucknell University to volunteer for earthquake relief sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee in Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mexico. After completing a B.A. from the University of Chicago (1942), he served in Civilian Public Service as a conscientious objector (1943-46). He earned an M.A. (1947) and a Ph.D (1952) in Geography from the University of Wisconsin. A Professor Emeritus of Geography at Rutgers University, he served on the faculty for 35 years (1950/51-1985/86), including a number as department chair. With an interest born from his childhood experiences, he relished exploring the world, professionally and recreationally, through the lens of geography, and sharing with others what he knew and learned. His particular love of cartography and maps began with mapping his boyhood hikes in the Himalayas. His research was concentrated in Wisconsin, New Jersey, and the cities of India, but his professional and personal interests took him across the United States and to Africa, the British Isles, China, France, Russia, and Scandinavia. His research awards included a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship and several Senior Fellowships from the American Institute of Indian Studies for research in India (1965-66, 1973-74, and 1981-82). A Member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) from the 1940s, his Quaker faith and values were central to his life. In 1955, he and his wife, Miriam Kelly Brush, were among the founders of the New Brunswick Monthly Meeting. In recent years, he joined local Friends in Medford for discussion and fellowship as part of the Hearts and Minds group. In addition to Miriam, his beloved wife of 64 years, he is survived by his children, Jonathan, Kamala, and Timothy and their families, and his brother Stanley and sister Frances, and their families. His son Steven, with whom he shared a special bond through their care of the family’s retreat in Columbia County, NY, died in November 2006. Written by Kamala Brush (2007) |
| The John Brush Collection in the Rutgers Geography Department |
| Historical map of Piscataway, New Jersey by John Brush |
