Clarence "Shad" Brown Sr., a former bail bondsman, travel agent and fixture in the long-faded nightlife of Pennsylvania Avenue, died of an infection June 30 at Genesis Eldercare in Randallstown. He was 92.
Born in Blackstone, Va., he moved to Baltimore with his parents and two brothers at a young age. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School.
He married Helen Francis in 1935, and the young family lived in the 300 block of Presstman St. for decades. Mr. Brown operated an after-hours club in the basement of his West Baltimore home that attracted many top entertainers when they were in town, said his son, Clarence Brown Jr. of Lochearn.
"He was well-known throughout the city," said his son. "He was very popular."
The elder Mr. Brown was quoted two years ago in a City Paper article about the Pennsylvania Avenue entertainment district that thrived in the decades before, during and after World War II.
"I knew everybody, you name them - Redd Foxx and Slappy White, Pearl Bailey," he said in the article about his association with famous black entertainers. "Dinah Washington used to stay at my house when she was in town."
The son characterized his father as a "hustler."
"That's why I brought him into the bail bond business," Clarence Brown Jr. said. "Hustling's not too cool, and bail bondsman is a good business."
In 1962, the elder Mr. Brown joined his son's two-year-old business, Shad Brown Bail Bondsman. By 1967, father and son were ousted from the business after being convicted of defrauding the city and fined $1,000, a charge the two said was the result of bad bookkeeping, according to Sun articles at the time.
In 1972, Mr. Brown was charged with conspiracy to operate a lottery out of the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Ave. and with paying off a police officer. He was convicted and fined $250, according to reports at the time.
After the conviction, Mr. Brown started a new business, Shad's Travel, at 4706 Liberty Heights Ave. He organized bus trips to cities all over the country, including Atlantic City, N.J.; New York and Las Vegas.
"He did that for 20 years," his son said.
In 2002, Mr. Brown and his wife moved to a house in the 3700 block of Hillsdale Road. After his wife died last year, Mr. Brown moved to the assisted-living home in Randallstown, his son said.
Mr. Brown was a longtime member of the Monumental Elks Lodge No. 3 on Madison Avenue and was set to receive a lifetime award for being one of the oldest members of the social organization, according to his son.
A funeral service was scheduled for 1 p.m. today at Union Baptist Church, 1219 Druid Hill Ave., where he was a member.
In addition to his son, Mr. Brown is survived by four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.