J. Keenan Brown

Jeffrey Keenan Brown died at his home in Austin, TX, on the morning of December 11, 2021, at the young age of 61, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Keenan was born on February 9, 1960, in Austin, TX. After spending most of his public-school years in Rockville, Maryland, Keenan returned to Austin for high school and college. Keenan graduated with a degree in chemistry from The University of Texas at Austin, where he met his future wife, Vickie Hallmark, whom he always said he married “for her books.”

Keenan attended graduate school at The University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Two postdoctoral fellowships followed, first at the IBM Almaden Research Center and then at The University of California at San Francisco where his focus moved to medical imaging. He served in adjunct faculty positions at both UCSF and UC Berkeley in the departments of radiology and bioengineering. During that time, he met his partners in the medical device company, Mindways Software, to which he would dedicate the rest of his life. While still in California, the couple welcomed their only child, Joren.

Since Keenan’s work was heavily computer based, the family took the opportunity to again return to Austin in 1998. Keenan worked from his home for many years, until the San Francisco office eventually moved to Austin under his direction. His many long-standing collaborations with researchers and clinicians helped further the scientific understanding of bone and gave him the opportunity to travel around the world. He was known for his deep understanding of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, his amazing speed of computer coding, and his accumulated knowledge of bone imaging. Joren was fortunate enough to join the firm and work daily with his father for several years, learning about his legacy first-hand.

In his free time, Keenan devoted himself to his obsessions with flying his small plane, gourmet cooking, fine dining, and wine tasting.

Keenan was preceded in death by his parents, Buck and Freddie Brown. He is survived by his wife, Vickie Hallmark, his son, Joren Brown, and his sisters, Suzanne Dunlop and Paula Bryant and a large extended family, alongside a host of friends and colleagues who will miss his sharp wit and brilliant insights.

A memorial is scheduled for April 2 at 11 am at Weed, Corley, Fish (South Congress, Austin), with a livestream for those who cannot attend in person and a reception to follow. Katrina Baecht will officiate the ceremony.