With a heavy heart, the Communications High School (CHS) community said “goodbye” to beloved substitute teacher Dan Browning.
On May 4, 2024, Browning passed away suddenly, leaving behind his wife and fellow substitute teacher, Dawn Browning, his children and the many communities he latched on to both within and outside of the school. CHS Principal Emily Bonilla alerted students, parents and staff of the news in an email on Monday, May 6.
“In this time of mourning, I encourage each of you to remember Dan’s warmth, kindness, and the positive impact he made on our school,” Bonilla wrote. “Dan loved being within the CHS community, the spirit of our students, the enthusiasm of our staff, it’s why they only ever wanted to sub at CHS.”
Dan and Dawn Browning are described by many as the “lifelines of CHS.” As one of the schools’ few substitute teachers, Dan Browning lent a helping hand to any absent teacher, often with less than a one- day notice. When Mass Media teacher Wayne Woolley needed to take necessary medical leave in Dec. 2023, Browning stepped in to keep CHS’s journalism classes on track.
“It was really clear he was an educator,” Woolley said. “He wanted to know what the class was doing and how he could help [with] their assignments when I was out. It was really great and he just was a really solid guy.”
Browning made it clear that he prioritized, not just the teachers’, but the students’ wellbeing at CHS.
Junior Christie DeNicola of Tinton Falls notes that he and his wife were the only teachers to make her feel truly accommodated.
“My name in the attendance is Christiania, but I go by Christie,” DeNicola said. “Mr. and Mrs. Browning are the only substitutes I’ve ever had that repeatedly remembered what name I preferred to go by and would call out Christie every time they did attendance. He wasn’t just a regular substitute; he knew each of us and cared about our education.”
With a background in teaching public speaking at Middlesex County College, Browning had the confidence to strike up a conversation with anyone that crossed his path. This amiable trait served CHS Nurse Dorothy Condon well when preparing to deliver a speech to the school community.
“He would just kind of talk me down and I would feel better before I would get up on stage,” Condon said. “I would kind of put what he taught me in my head and I would get through the speech.”
Browning was also well-regarded for his love of the arts – according to staff such as Condon, World History teacher Courtney Conroy and Precalculus and AP Calculus teacher Justine Lane, the substitute was always seen carrying a book.
This creative energy was present both in and outside of the classroom. An avid reader, Browning and his wife were active members in the Asbury Co-op Book Club. In his free time, Browning also published folk music on Spotify and iHeartRadio.
“He was in a band and he always had a book two inches thick that he was reading,” Lane said. “And if you looked at the cover, it was something you would go, Oh, I should read that. That looks really interesting…It’s a way that I would like to be”
The Brownings also led a life of service as volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, private tutors and active participants in neighborhood events. While there are many other active members of their Ocean Grove community, the two have become fixtures in their town.
Conroy, another Ocean Grove resident, felt Browning’s presence in her area, citing spirited debates over local politics and discussions over books they read.
“A lot of people just identify Ocean Grove as this Christian retreat, which is how it was founded,” Conroy said. “But over the years, you know, it’s really become a community of artists and just kind of like independent, bohemian-type people. I really feel like Dan embodied that.”
According to Principal Bonilla, Dawn Browning plans to hold a reception to celebrate her late husband’s life. In the meantime, CHS will continue to remember Browning [nice detail]
“He sat in that same seat every day,” Condon said of Browning. “Every morning when I go to make my tea, I feel like I’m still going to see him sitting.”
