Brooks’ Biography
On July 5th, 2010, I found myself on the floor of the Sears Men’s Room at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois with my dad bandaging my knees, hands, and forehead with paper towels. Moments earlier, I had begun to cross East Woodfield Road at the command of my parents. A day prior, my mom, dad, brother and I had checked off one of my brother’s “To-Do” List items: a game in Wrigley Field against the Cincinnati Reds. On the 5th, it was my turn: a trip to Legoland and to the Lexus dealers of suburban Chicago. Dad yelled “Let’s go!” as he headed across East Woodfield Road before the light turned green. My upper body moved, my lower body did not. I had face planted in front of dozens of cars, to the embarrassment of myself and my family. I did not make it to Woodfield Lexus that day. For eighteen years, my life has consisted of these things: family, traveling, clumsiness, cars, and fond memories.
My name is Brooks Rowburrey and I am a first year Management Information Systems Major at the University of Georgia. My mother is from LA (Lower Alabama, of course) and is an elementary school teacher educated at Auburn University. My father is a retired C-130 test pilot in the United States Air Force and an ex-AirTran Airways Boeing 737–700 pilot born in Aberdare, Wales and raised in western Connecticut. I have a younger brother and two younger sisters (one a chocolate lab and the other a mix of a golden doodle and a labradoodle). On a daily basis, I am reminded by how spontaneous decisions shape the world we live in. My parents met on a blind date while dad was stationed at Hurlburt Field and mom was teaching in Navarre, the current home of my grandparents.
After they were married in 1994, Dad was stationed to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan where I was born in 1997. He was later reassigned to the Florida Panhandle in 1999 before receiving his last mission to Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia in 2002. We were supposed to be there for three years. It’s been thirteen. Spending the majority of my life in Middle Georgia has tremendously impacted who I am, and is the entire reason of why I am at the University of Georgia.
Brooks is my middle name, as my first name, Richard, is shared by both grandfathers and my dad. I am a Chick-Fil-A addict, and an “A-List” member at two locations. I am passionate about traveling (especially to the Northeast), previously fueled by free standby tickets on AirTran. I am a self-proclaimed political pundit. I love the automobile industry, Vineyard Vines, HGTV, The Office & Parks and Recreation. I am already planning my retirement.
