Brother Curtis Braxton McGowan was born on October 12, 1926, in Camilla, Texas to George and Margery McGowan. He was educated in the public school system in Camilla and Cold Springs, Texas. He received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in History at Prairie View A & M University, and advance degrees from Texas Southern University and the University of Houston.
Curtis married Jeraldine Bradley from Orange, Texas in 1952 and had one daughter, Daphne Kaye McGowan.
Curtis began a career in education in the La Marque Independent School District that lasted 42 years, retiring as principal of La Marque Middle School.
Curtis served as President of the Mainland Communities United Way and the Kiwanis Club of La Marque. He also served as the Executive Secretary of the Mainland Chamber of Commerce; was a member of the Environmental Protection Emergency Advisory Board of Texas City and President of the Bayou West Condominium Homeowner’s Association.
Brother Curtis McGowan served as a faithful member of McKinney Memorial United Methodist Church in La Marque, and was a devoted member of the Gamma Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in Galveston.
Brother Curtis McGowan passed away on February 22, 2010. Home going services were held Saturday, February, 27, 2010 at McKinney Memorial united Methodist Church, 1607 Nashby Street in La Marque. Interment followed at Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery in Hitchcock, Texas.