Nearly 13 Years of Service : Culver City School Board Chief Retires

It was Dr. H. Lynn Brown’s last day on the Culver City Board of Education, and he wanted to make sure that he retired in a fitting manner.

So Brown, a 60-year-old dentist who has served three terms on the board--longer than any other member--chose to spend some time Tuesday lecturing children about the importance of dental health.

“Remember,” he told the children at the completion of an hourlong talk. “Always brush your teeth the way they grow, because Dr. Brown tells you so.”

Brown, outgoing president of the board, was invited to address the students at the Vermont Avenue School, an overcrowded year-round school in Los Angeles, by teacher Barbara Villani, who is a Culver City resident.

“It is great that my last day on the board I would have the opportunity to lecture to a group of children,” he said.

Later that evening, Brown was honored by the community and fellow board members.

Many Changes

“The district has changed a lot in the almost 13 years I have served on the board,” he said. “When I first began working in the district, we had 6,500 students. Now we have a little over 4,000.”

Looking back over his years of service, Brown recalled the board’s struggles with a variety of problems including shrinking funds and declining enrollment that forced the closure of four schools.

Supt. Curtis Rethmeyer said Brown added “stability to the board. This district has had some hard times. Brown helped hold us together. He had a cohesive quality about him.”

“He is the soul of patience,” said board member Kay Lyou. “And because he is a dentist, he has always been concerned about health. He has always stressed the importance of student values and character because of his background as a Mormon.”

Brown said he decided to retire because he wanted to spend more time helping his two youngest sons set up dental practices. He said he also plans to continue his involvement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which he organizes youth activities.

Brown has lived in Culver City more than 30 years. He has seven children who attended Culver City schools.

Time to Retire

“You know, for a time it seemed that I was single-handedly preventing the district’s enrollment from declining,” he joked. “But now that my youngest child has graduated, I feel it is time to retire.”

Brown has received commendations and gifts from the school board, the City Council, the PTA and the Culver City Education Foundation. In a humorous moment at a reception Monday, Brown was presented with a gold key to the restroom on the Culver City High School football field.

Brown had instrumental in getting the city to build the restrooms for the district.

Brown grew up in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Manual Arts High School and USC’s undergraduate and dental schools.