SPHS was Mike's final stop in his K-12 education, having attended a total of 14 schools in this journey. He joined the Navy in 1961 at age 17, missing his class of 1962's graduation.

After the service he headed north and attended College of the Redwoods and getting a degree in English from Humboldt State University. Mike worked several jobs while completing his degree:  at Arcata-Eureka Airport while pursuing a dream to follow in his father's footsteps as a pilot in Alaska, and as a night-time disc jockey on local radio. His achievements in broadcasting led to a job offer in Sacramento with the Office of Emergency Services, and a permanent move to the State Capitol. He freelanced as a feature writer with many business journals in the area, was a member of the Capitol Press Corps, and was syndicated around the nation.

In the last decade or so, Mike was the author of a blog he named 'The Tomatoman Times' which he acknowledged, This weblog has nothing to do with tomatoes. It isn't very timely either. The humor and insight of his writing delighted his national audience. Mike Browne (April 8, 1944 - April 6, 2017), your wit, insight, and kindness will be greatly missed.

Karen Goeken Simons '63