Brown Word '70 and Nancy Boone Word '71 met at a  Faculty, Administration, and Student retreat at the
Methodist Camp in Palestine, Texas, in 1969. They were both invited due to their student leadership roles,
and have now been together over 50 years.

Their Centenary roots are deep and wide as many of  Brown's immediate family members went to the College. His parents met there, and his grandmother is also an alumna. Brown's career as a Captain in the United States Navy and Nancy's career as a business executive have given them both a practical appreciation of the value of a liberal arts education.

Both are currently retired and living in Austin, Texas. They have two grown children and four grandchildren.
Brown retired from the Navy after a 26-year career as a pilot and commanding a P3 Orion squadron. Nancy retired from a career in high tech as a vice president with Computer Sciences Corporation.

The Words have continued their involvement with Centenary over the years and created an endowed
scholarship fund. They have hosted the Austin Alumni Christmas party for at least 20 years, and Nancy has
served on the Board of Trustees. They give to the Centenary College Choir, which was such an important part of Brown's Centenary experience, and continue to stay in close touch with other Centenary alumni, some of whom are in Austin now and others whom they see most years at a Kappa Sigma reunion in Lafayette, Louisiana.