#FunFactFriday: #DidYouKnow The first year after its founding in 1764, BrownU had only one student - a 14 year old boy named William Rogers. He was an orator at the first commencement in 1769 where he and 6 other students were awarded the Bachelor of Arts Degree. Rogers went on to serve as a brigade chaplain during the Revolutionary War. In 1790, he became president of oratory and belles-lettres at the University of Pennsylvania, a position he held until 1811. He served as vice president of the Society for Gradual Abolition of Slavery, and in 1797 he was vice president of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. He died on April 7, 1824. Today, the Brown Alumni Association awards the William Rogers Award to recognize an outstanding alumna or alumnus whose service to society in general is representative of the words of the Brown Charter: living a life “of usefulness and reputation.” It recognizes important contributions to humankind made by Brown alumn...