Joseph Brusse

Joseph Cleveland Brusse formerly of College Station, Texas passed away July 28, 2012 at his home in Dothan, Alabama at age 91 after a short series of illnesses. He was born in Brenham, Washington County, Texas, the son of Joseph Cleveland Brusse, Sr. and Matilda Ammons Giddings Brusse on April 7, 1921. He is survived by his wife Corre W. Brusse, daughter in-law Mary Jo Brusse and sons Joseph C. Brusse III, Leslie W. Brusse Angelene and Claude J. Brusse Tiannia, eight grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Mr. Brusse was preceded in death by his first wife Frances W. Brusse and a son, David L. Brusse. Visitation for family and friends will be held at the First Baptist Church of College Station, Texas August 3, 2012 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm followed by the funeral service. Burial will be at Prairie Lea cemetery in Brenham, Texas, Memorial Oaks Funeral Home directing. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Senior Ministry Fund of the First Baptist Church of College Station, Texas or to the church of your choice. Mr. Brusse grew up in Brenham, Texas and after finishing high school and courses at Blinn and Texas A&M Colleges; he completed an aviation mechanic training program at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas. Shortly thereafter, he entered military service and trained as a navigator in a B-17 bomber crew. His crew was assigned to the 457th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force and sent to a base in England. One week after D-day while on their 13th mission, his crew was shot down east of Paris. After a short skydiving career, he spent the rest of the war as a "guest" of the German government. The remainder of his military career was spent in the Texas National Guard. After the war, he took his family to East Saint Louis, Illinois where he finished a Bachelor degree at Parks Air College of St. Louis University in 1947. In 1951, Mr. Brusse took a job with Texas A&M College as a Tactical Officer dormitory counselor for the band dormitory. He moved his family from Brenham to College Station the following year. After a couple of years as Tactical Officer, he took a job with the Personal Aircraft Research Center PARC of the Aeronautical Engineering Department under direction of Fred E. Weick. During the next few years, they designed, built and tested the prototype of the Piper PA-25 Pawnee agricultural aircraft and performed ongoing research and development of aerial spray distribution systems. Upon Mr. Wieck''s departure from A&M, Mr. Brusse continued work in progress with the title of Assistant Research Engineer. Agricultural aviation activities were phased out and the group was redirected to complete the low-speed wind tunnel return and test section in the 1958-59 period after the space race began and the Aeronautical Engineering Department became the Aerospace Engineering Department. During this time, the wind tunnel activity became part of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station TEES, Space Technology Division. His job title was changed to Engineering Research Associate and remained so until his retirement from the Texas A&M System. He served as the Wind Tunnel Manager for several years and as the director of the Research and Instrument Shop at the campus annex now the Riverside Campus until his retirement in 1984. As an avocation, he was active as an aircraft mechanic and inspector in the general aviation community and was well known around Easterwood Airport and throughout the Brazos Valley for his work with personal, experimental and agricultural aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration presented him with the "Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award" which recognizes over 50 years of continuous, active participation in aviation maintenance. Mr. Brusse was an active participant and member of the First Baptist Church of College Station beginning in 1952. He served as a Sunday School teacher for intermediate boys and as Sunday School Superintendent for several years. He was ordained a Deacon in 1965 and served in that capacity until moving away from College Station in late 2011. He also served on the Mission Board, participating actively in the formation of the Parkway Baptist Church and on the pulpit committee. After his move to Alabama, he missed the church and his friends there more than anything else. Funeral arrangements for Joseph Brusse are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main, Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.