David J. Brown (hence the DJB) has been sharing stories and observations at More to Come since 2008. Originally created to capture photos and memories from a family vacation to the west, he continued writing as a way to send thoughts to friends, family, and others who may share the same passions. David’s mother was a prolific letter writer, sending long hand-written letters on a weekly basis to family members who lived away from home. He not only has acquired that gene but has cultivated and refined it for 21st century technology.

Fun fact #1: David said goodbye to Facebook in 2013 and has never been on Twitter, so except for LinkedIn which is used primarily for business-related posts, More to Come is his social media presence.

With a professional background and personal passion in historic preservation, David writes to place today’s events in a historical context, highlight places that matter, and explore opportunities for learning through heritage travel. David’s mother and father were both prolific readers and his mother was also a librarian and talented amateur musician. Channeling his parents, David provides recommendations regarding books that have captured his attention and his regular Saturday Soundtrack feature explores roots music and musicians he enjoys.

Fun fact #2: David has lived throughout the South and, when pressed, will identify Murfreesboro as home. However, he is still working through that most Southern of all questions, “Where are you from?”

David currently lives in the Washington region, and More to Come has a section for family items — where he writes about how he would be clueless without his wife of four decades, brags on their (now adult) twins, and shares stories of his parents and siblings. One of his life-long passions has been baseball (Go Nats!) so readers will find some sports-themed posts.

Several years ago David began writing a Monday email to work colleagues about things that were on his mind. This discipline continues in a regular Monday Musings feature. When he retired from full-time work after a forty-year career, David took a gap year and added a section on “what’s next” to think about the future.

There are also a significant number of topics covered under the “Random DJB Thoughts” menu item, including posts where he reflects on the lives of people who have touched his life. The quirky “Observations From…” category began as short notes from the road, but in reality can cover just about anything. 

Professionally, David has a four-decade record of growing and strengthening organizations at local, state, and national levels. Throughout his career, David’s passion has revolved around connecting people in thriving, sustainable, and vibrant communities. His professional writings have been included in collections as diverse as: 

• Bending the Future: Fifty Ideas for the Next Fifty Years of Historic Preservation in the United States (University of Massachusetts Press)

• A Tennessee Folklore Sampler: Selected Readings from the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin (University of Tennessee Press)

• The Virginia Record

• CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship

• Explore Rural India

• Tennessee Historical Quarterly 

• Forum Journal 

• The Georgia Historical Quarterly 

While at Historic Staunton Foundation, he also served as the editor of Staunton, Virginia: A Pictorial History (1985).

You can learn more about David’s professional consulting work through the Bearden Brown LLC website. He also serves as an educational expert for National Trust Tours. Check them out and come travel with us!

Fun Fact #3: David’s disclaimer for the politics-related posts: While I have voted for Republicans in the past (e.g., Howard Baker was one of the first votes I cast for a U.S. Senator), I’m a lifelong registered Democrat who, following in the footsteps of my late father, has become increasingly progressive as I get older. I agree with President Biden that “the government isn’t some foreign force in a distant capital. No, it’s us, all of us, we the people.”  As such, government should work to better the lives of all the people, not just those with access to wealth and power. I believe we need to stop the war ON government and begin to fight FOR government.  I won’t apologize for the fact that I have called out the authoritarianism of one of our political parties, the Republicans, in these pieces. Their leaders have made their goals abundantly clear. If any of that makes you uncomfortable, then I encourage you to skip these posts.

This personal blog covers a broad range of random topics, so other things have and will crop up. I love to hear from readers, so please feel free to respond to these posts and they’ll be posted, unless you are a troll. However, as a former colleague of mine says, if you want to disagree strongly, get your own blog!

Thanks for reading.

More to come…

DJB

Image of DJB at Leon’s World Famous Custard in Milwaukee by Genell Scheurell.