Brooks Comes Full Circle

In 1968, the Dallas Cowboys ranked Robert T. Brooks '68 the 12th best graduating college football player in the nation.

But Brooks somewhat unwillingly gave up his chance to play professional football. Days after graduation, Brooks received his military draft notice and enlisted in the Navy's Officer Candidate School.

Nineteen years later, Brooks, by then a graduate of the Harvard Business School, gave up another lucrative position. But when Brooks decided to leave his job at a Philadelphia investment firm in order to become an Episcopal priest, it was entirely his own decision.

"Our culture teaches us to chase after the golden ring, and I was doing that," Brooks says. "But I felt needed to make a meaningful contribution to what I feel is important."

Brooks, who started thinking about becoming a priest in the early 1980s, finally made the switch this fall, enrolling at an Episcopal seminary in Cambridge.

But Brooks friends in college would never have predicted that the bulky leader of the football team's offensive line would eventually become a member of the clergy.

"In terms of him having a spiritual vocation after college, absolutely not," says Christopher J. Burns '68, Brooks roommate in Eliot House.

Despite coming from a fairly religious home, Brooks says he went to Memorial Church only twice in his four years at Harvard.

"I had a cynical attitude about institutional religion and the hypocrisy I thought existed," Brooks says.

Brooks, who went to church five times a week in high school, says he didn't consider becoming religious in college even after his friend left school to become a Jesuit priest.

"I was pretty headstrong," Brooks says. "I was doing my own thing."

As graduation neared, Brooks was choosing between going into the army ahead of the professional football draft, or taking a chance that the Cowboys would protect him.

Brooks had a pretty good chance of making the team, even though the Cowboys had found him by mistake. As they were watching a film of Carter U. Lord '68, a wide receiver, they caught sight of Brooks in the background. Cowboy officials made a separate tape of Brooks, and gave hime the national ranking.

"[Cowboy officials] said he had power, speed, quickness, and intelligence," says Lord, who was selected by the Cowboys that year. "They told me he was the best they had ever seen."

The Cowboys said they would protect Brooks from the military draft. But Brooks heard that players were actually being drafted into the armed services out of football mini-camp, so he declined the offer to sign as a free agent.

Still, Brooks was unsure of what to do after graduation. Brooks' father had fought in World War II, but the mood of antiwar protests forced Brooks to reexamine his feelings about joining the military.

"I grew up in Washington D.C. and always felt the right thing to do was serve my country," he says. "But at the same time I was taking courses in East Asian history. I was confused about the whole thing."

Faced with a military conscription notice for June 15, however, Brooks decided he did not feel opposed enough to Vietnam to dodge the summons. He enlisted in Officer Candidate School.

"Policy decisions are irrelevant," Brooks says. "It is my job as a citizen to serve."

Against his father's advice, Brooks married his high school sweetheart weeks before leaving for the Navy. After one year of training school, Brooks spent two years on a ship in the Mediterranean and Caribbean as a supply officer.

"It was not an easy way to start off a marriage," Brooks says. "My father told me it would be tough, but I didn't take his advice."

Three years after graduation, Brooks was faced with another decision. He knew he wanted to return to Cambridge, but couldn't decide how to do it.

"I decided I wanted to go to law school or business school or both," Brooks says.

He chose to apply to the Harvard Business School because its two year stint was cheaper than the Law School's three year program.

But Brooks felt a little strange enrolling in the school that undergraduates booed at his college commencement.

"The Business School was always looked on very disdainfully by the undergraduates," he says. "We would laugh at them because they always walked around with brief-cases."

And once he was there, Brooks felt very out of place.

"The Business School is a snake pit. I hated it," he says. "The first year in Business School was the worst year of my life."

Brooks says the competition at the school was "terrible," and that it "brings out the worst in people."

But Brooks decided to stay with business. After graduating with a degree in finance, he joined a small investment counseling firm in Philadelphia. Brooks says it was a great time to be in business, and says he got "fairly wealthy" at the growing firm.

"I got caught up in the ride," Brooks says. "The business was doing very well, and it was impossible not to get caught up in it."

But Brooks never let his work consume him.

"It was interesting work and intellectually challenging, but is was never a passion," he says. "My work was never my avocation."

Brooks came back to the Episcopal church in 1976 when his daughter was old enough to go to Sunday School. He started teaching second graders at religious school around the same time.

Brooks thought his religious involvement would continue to be secondary to his business. Then he had lunch with his friend who was a priest.

"He asked me if I ever thought about being a priest. It was one of those very important conversations," Brooks says. "He turned on a light bulb."

Brooks says at first he told his friend he was satisfied just to give of his wealth. But the priest said "that wasn't the whole answer."

"After he said that, it took me about two seconds to say, 'you're right,'" Brooks says. "I wanted to give all of myself."

That night Brooks told his wife of his plans, and a week later he told the people at his firm. But this career change would have to wait, as Brooks had signed a contract weeks before which kept him at the business for seven more "slightly frustrating" years.

This fall, Brooks started his three year course at the Episcopal Divinity School on Brattle Street. He describes the curriculum there as "very challenging."

Brooks still walks through the Yard as often as he can. He says little has changed since he left 25 years ago.

"The students work harder than we did," Brooks mentioned as one of the few differences. "The kids are very career-oriented. They work harder and party less."

Brooks does not know whether he will be a teacher or have a pulpit when he graduates two years from now. But either way, he hopes to remain in Cambridge.

Brooks says he has not once regretted the decision to leave the business world.

"The amount of money I may have left on the table is pretty daunting," Brooks says. "But money wasn't really the issue. I don't miss my job at all."

Brooks admits that sometimes he wonders what might have happened if he took his chances with the Cowboys.

But he says he has "no regrets or second guesses."

"If I had done something different, maybe I'd be a car salesman in Dallas," he says.CrimsonErie P. WilfodROBERT T. BROOKS '68

The Cowboys said they would protect Brooks from the military draft. But Brooks heard that players were actually being drafted into the armed services out of football mini-camp, so he declined the offer to sign as a free agent.

Still, Brooks was unsure of what to do after graduation. Brooks' father had fought in World War II, but the mood of antiwar protests forced Brooks to reexamine his feelings about joining the military.

"I grew up in Washington D.C. and always felt the right thing to do was serve my country," he says. "But at the same time I was taking courses in East Asian history. I was confused about the whole thing."

Faced with a military conscription notice for June 15, however, Brooks decided he did not feel opposed enough to Vietnam to dodge the summons. He enlisted in Officer Candidate School.

"Policy decisions are irrelevant," Brooks says. "It is my job as a citizen to serve."

Against his father's advice, Brooks married his high school sweetheart weeks before leaving for the Navy. After one year of training school, Brooks spent two years on a ship in the Mediterranean and Caribbean as a supply officer.

"It was not an easy way to start off a marriage," Brooks says. "My father told me it would be tough, but I didn't take his advice."

Three years after graduation, Brooks was faced with another decision. He knew he wanted to return to Cambridge, but couldn't decide how to do it.

"I decided I wanted to go to law school or business school or both," Brooks says.

He chose to apply to the Harvard Business School because its two year stint was cheaper than the Law School's three year program.

But Brooks felt a little strange enrolling in the school that undergraduates booed at his college commencement.

"The Business School was always looked on very disdainfully by the undergraduates," he says. "We would laugh at them because they always walked around with brief-cases."

And once he was there, Brooks felt very out of place.

"The Business School is a snake pit. I hated it," he says. "The first year in Business School was the worst year of my life."

Brooks says the competition at the school was "terrible," and that it "brings out the worst in people."

But Brooks decided to stay with business. After graduating with a degree in finance, he joined a small investment counseling firm in Philadelphia. Brooks says it was a great time to be in business, and says he got "fairly wealthy" at the growing firm.

"I got caught up in the ride," Brooks says. "The business was doing very well, and it was impossible not to get caught up in it."

But Brooks never let his work consume him.

"It was interesting work and intellectually challenging, but is was never a passion," he says. "My work was never my avocation."

Brooks came back to the Episcopal church in 1976 when his daughter was old enough to go to Sunday School. He started teaching second graders at religious school around the same time.

Brooks thought his religious involvement would continue to be secondary to his business. Then he had lunch with his friend who was a priest.

"He asked me if I ever thought about being a priest. It was one of those very important conversations," Brooks says. "He turned on a light bulb."

Brooks says at first he told his friend he was satisfied just to give of his wealth. But the priest said "that wasn't the whole answer."

"After he said that, it took me about two seconds to say, 'you're right,'" Brooks says. "I wanted to give all of myself."

That night Brooks told his wife of his plans, and a week later he told the people at his firm. But this career change would have to wait, as Brooks had signed a contract weeks before which kept him at the business for seven more "slightly frustrating" years.

This fall, Brooks started his three year course at the Episcopal Divinity School on Brattle Street. He describes the curriculum there as "very challenging."

Brooks still walks through the Yard as often as he can. He says little has changed since he left 25 years ago.

"The students work harder than we did," Brooks mentioned as one of the few differences. "The kids are very career-oriented. They work harder and party less."

Brooks does not know whether he will be a teacher or have a pulpit when he graduates two years from now. But either way, he hopes to remain in Cambridge.

Brooks says he has not once regretted the decision to leave the business world.

"The amount of money I may have left on the table is pretty daunting," Brooks says. "But money wasn't really the issue. I don't miss my job at all."

Brooks admits that sometimes he wonders what might have happened if he took his chances with the Cowboys.

But he says he has "no regrets or second guesses."

"If I had done something different, maybe I'd be a car salesman in Dallas," he says.CrimsonErie P. WilfodROBERT T. BROOKS '68