Edward A Brooks University of Illinois Marching Band Scrapbook and Sousa Band Concert Programs, 1925-1950 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Edward Albert Brooks (1926-2023) was born December 5, 1926 in Burlington, Iowa. He attended Stronghurst High School in Stronghurst, IL. He was admitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Civil Engineering at the start of WWII, but his freshman year was delayed after he enlisted in the Navy. He served on the USS Helena until the end of the war. He would go on to serve as a naval reserve officer, Civil Engineering Corps as a Lieutenant Commander. After returning to the University, he played baritone in the Illini Marching Band and both the First and Second Regimental Bands. He was also a student member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the editorial staff of the Technograph, a student publication of the College of Engineering. Brooks graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1950.

After graduating, he worked as a civil engineer in the Illinois Department of Transportation until retiring in 1987. He earned a M.A. in public administration from University of Illinois Springfield (then Sangamon State) in 1974.

Edward A. Brooks was a life member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association, serving as a President Council member from 1986 to 2023, and a member of the University of Illinois Foundation from 1997 to 2023. He won the Loyalty Award for Exceptional Alumni Service in 2002. During his free time, he performed in the Marching Illini Reunion Band, the Ansar Shriner Band, and Windjammers Unlimited, a circus music preservation band. He was also a Master Mason, serving the Masonic Temple for 75 years. Brooks died in Springfield Illinois on December 11, 2023.

University of Illinois Alumni Association files.

Edward A. Brooks Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/springfield-il/edward-brooks-11578209.