Daniel Broun

CHAPEL HILL-Dan Broun passed away on December 5, 2017 in his home after a long battle with leukemia. Dan will always be known by his friends and family as someone whose love for them was beyond compare.

Dan grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and graduated from Chapel Hill High School. Following high school graduation, Dan attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he became the editor in chief of the college newspaper. Dan graduated with a BA in History with a concentration in African and African American Studies. Later, he received his Masters degree in City and Regional Planning, with a concentration in economic development from UNC.

Professionally, Dan served in the field of community economic development for more than 25 years, and was especially passionate about developing ways to help rural communities. During those twenty-five years, he worked at the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, Regional Technology Strategies, the North Carolina Minority Support Center, the Center for Community Self Help, and most recently, as a Senior Program Director at MDC in Durham. There were two programs that Dan was especially proud of during his time at MDC: The first aimed at developing a group of young adult leaders in the Danville, Virginia region. The second program directed a study of ways to address income inequality in North Carolina by building an infrastructure of opportunity.

Dan loved to travel, especially with his wife Becky. While he treasured his trips abroad to Europe and Africa, some of Dan’s favorite adventures occurred at home in the United States. He enjoyed traveling to the backwaters of the United States for work, where he once watched crop dusters almost hit his car in rural Mississippi. Dan and Becky also enjoyed experiencing romantic weekends together, in places like Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Without a doubt, Dan was the greatest Carolina basketball fan in history. While clearly people like James Worthy, Derek Phelps, Jawad Williams, Ty Lawson and Joel Berry deserve some of the credit for Carolina’s five national championships during Dan’s lifetime; it is evident that the person most responsible for these championships is Dan. His ability to wear the correct clothing, ensure the right lamps were on or off, and deliver the perfect vibe of optimism and support to his beloved players, was directly responsible for what happened in 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.

Dan is survived by his beloved wife Becky, his daughter Susannah, his son Eli, his parents Ken and Marjorie, and his brother Jonathan. He is also survived by his in-laws, Benjamin Filene, Adam Falk, Toby Falk, Rachel Seidman, Joal Hall Broun, Marilyn Kline-Falk, Jeanette Pfaff, Peter Filene and Erica Rothman; his nephews Harrison, David, Alex, Jacob, Leo and Hugo; and his nieces Eliza, Hazel, Briauna and Rachel.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC-CH CB #7295, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. https://unclineberger.org/waystohelp/giving/memorial-honor.

A funeral will be held at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 1 pm.