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Tom Brown Jr.
Born
Thomas Haughey Brown Jr.

January 29, 1950
Toms River, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 2024(2024-08-16) (aged 74)
Neptune, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Occupation(s)Naturalist, tracker, survivalist, author
EmployerTom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School
Notable workThe Tracker (1978)
Websitehttps://www.trackerschool.com/

Thomas Haughey Brown Jr. (January 29, 1950 – August 16, 2024) was an American naturalist, tracker, survivalist, and author from New Jersey, where he ran the Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School.

Early life

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Brown was born in Toms River, New Jersey on January 29, 1950.[2] From the age of seven, as Brown wrote in his books, he and his childhood friend Rick were trained in tracking and wilderness survival by Rick's grandfather, "Stalking Wolf" (who Brown stated was Lipan Apache).[3] Brown wrote that Stalking Wolf died when Brown was 17, and that Rick was killed in an accident in Europe shortly thereafter.[4]

Career

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Brown spent the next ten years working odd jobs to support his wilderness adventures. He then set out to find other people in New Jersey who were interested in his experiences. Initially Brown met with little success, but was eventually called on to help locate a crime suspect.[5] Though the case won him national attention, he and authorities in the Ramsey, New Jersey area were subsequently sued for 5 million dollars for charging the wrong person.[5] Despite this controversy, he was able to build on this exposure to develop a profession as a full-time tracker, advertising his services for locating lost persons, dangerous animals, and fugitives from the law.[6] According to People magazine, "He stalks men and animals, mostly in New Jersey."[5] The New York Times said that he "was considered the country's foremost authority on wilderness survival".[2]

The Tracker School

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Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School is located in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.[7] Most classes offered by Tracker School are held in Primitive Camp or Joseph Citta Boy Scout Camp, both of which are located near Waretown, New Jersey.[8] However, classes are also offered in California and Florida.[9] Workshops involve Brown's versions of Plains Indian ceremonies, including the sweat lodge and vision quest.[10][11]

Personal life and death

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In July 1977 Tom Brown Jr. married Judy Duck Ford, 33. At the time Judy had a daughter Kerry, 15, and a son Paul, 11, from a previous marriage. The two had one child, Tom Brown III, together.[5] Brown later married Debbie Brown and had two children with her, Coty Tracker Brown and River Scout Brown.[12] Later, Brown married his third wife, Celeste Brown.[7]

Brown died in Neptune, New Jersey, on August 16, 2024, at the age of 74.[2]

Publications and media

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Brown has written 18 books. His first book The Tracker, in 1978, chronicled his coming of age. Reader's Digest printed a condensed version of the story and provided information about Brown's new Tracker School. Tom Brown's books are published by Penguin Books:

  • The Tracker (1978, 1986), ISBN 978-0-42-510133-9
  • The Search (1980, 2001), ISBN 978-0-42-518181-2
  • Field Guide to Living With the Earth (1984), ISBN 0-425-09147-3
  • Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (1986), ISBN 978-0-42-510063-9
  • Guide to City and Suburban Survival (1986), ISBN 978-0-425-09172-2
  • Field Guide to Living with the Earth (1986), ISBN 978-0-42-509147-0
  • Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking (1986), ISBN 978-0-42-509966-7
  • Field Guide to the Forgotten Wilderness (1987), ISBN 978-0-42-509715-1
  • Field Guide to Wilderness Survival (1987), ISBN 978-0-42-510572-6
  • The Vision (1988), ISBN 978-0-42-510703-4
  • Field Guide to Nature and Survival for Children (1989), ISBN 978-0-42-511106-2
  • The Quest (1991), ISBN 0-425-12660-9
  • The Journey (1992), ISBN 0-425-13364-8
  • Grandfather (1993, 2001), ISBN 978-0-42-518174-4, audio book (2007)
  • Awakening Spirits (1994), ISBN 978-0-42-514140-3
  • The Way of the Scout (1995), ISBN 0-425-14779-7
  • The Science and Art of Tracking (1999), ISBN 978-0-42-515772-5
  • Case Files of the Tracker (2003), ISBN 978-0-42-518755-5
  • Guide to Healing the Earth (2019), ISBN 978-0-42-525738-8

The Mother Earth News website provides these articles by Tom Brown Jr.:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tom Brown Jr., world-renowned survivalist, dies at 74". Texarkana Gazette. August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Risen, Clay (August 24, 2024). "Tom Brown Jr., World-Renowned Survivalist, Is Dead at 74". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "About Grandfather". Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Tom Brown Jr., The Tracker (Penguin Books, 1978,'86) ISBN 9780425101339[page needed]
  5. ^ a b c d Vespa, Mary (March 27, 1978). "Tracker Tom Brown Finds Himself Up to His Ears in Trouble Stalking Crime Through the Woods". People. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Krautwurst, Terry (April 1988). "The Tom Brown School Wilderness Training". Mother Earth News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ a b Osborne, James (June 26, 2011). "Tracker gains big following even as some say tales stray". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Tracker School Frequently Asked Questions, Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School
  9. ^ Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School: Tracking, Nature and Wilderness Survival, AMSER
  10. ^ The Way of the Sweat Lodge, Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School
  11. ^ Power of the Vision Quest, Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School
  12. ^ Tom Brown Jr., "Science and the Art of Tracking Archived 2014-11-05 at the Wayback Machine" (Berkley, 1999)
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