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Dr. Robert Junius Brown, Jr.

Calvary Cemetery
Section 1, Block 1, Lot 3, Space E CTR
(November 7th, 1883 - June 12, 1957)

 Dr. Robert Junius Brown Jr. picture

Dr. Brown was born in Norfolk in 1883, to Robert J. Brown and Addie L. Brown. He attended Alabama A&M College, a historically black institution located in Normal, Alabama. After graduation, he enrolled at the Dental College of Meharry Medical College, in Nashville, Tennessee. Upon graduating in 1911, he spent two years practicing dentistry in Newnan, Georgia and Georgetown, South Carolina. In 1916, Dr. Brown opened an office in Norfolk, where he practiced dentistry for 41 years. For the first 18 years of his practice, his office was situated in the Southern Aid Building, on Brambleton Avenue. Later, he relocated it to the Metropolitan Bank Building on Church Street.

 In 1930, he founded the Prudosene Toothpowder and Toothpaste Company. This company produced a brand of toothpaste called “Prudosene”. Dr. Brown had developed this paste for his own practice 16 years earlier, and sought to provide employment in Norfolk’s African-American community by selling it commercially. He was married to Pearl A. Brown, a well known concert singer. They had one son, Dr. Robert J. Brown, III. Family members interred with him at Calvary include his parents R. J. Sr and Addie Brown, his brothers Corporal Luther J. Brown (1886-1919) and Sergeant Clarence J Brown (1888-1953) as well as Clarence’s wife Pauline (1894-1925).

Local Dentist, Native Norfolkian, Discoverer of Unusual Dentifrice
New Journal and Guide (1921-2003); Jul 16, 1932;
ProQuest Historical Newspapers Norfolk Journal and Guide (1921-2003)
pg. 7

Dr. Brown Was Norfolk Dentist Over 40 Years
New Journal and Guide (1916-2003); Jun 15, 1957;
ProQuest Historical Newspapers Norfolk Journal and Guide (1921-2003)
pg. C1

Display Ad 31 -- No Title
New Journal and Guide (1921-2003); Jun 13, 1931;
ProQuest Historical Newspapers Norfolk Journal and Guide (1921-2003)
pg. A5

Biographical information provided by Norfolk Bureau of Cemeteries.

Visitor Information

Visitor Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Office hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Free parking inside cemetery.

Admission Cost: Free

Address: 1600 St. Julian Ave., Norfolk, VA 23504

Official web site for more information: www.norfolk.gov/cemeteries

Norfolk Society for Cemetery Conservation Web Site:

www.norfolksocietyforcemeteryconservation.org