He learned Japanese while serving with the armed forces in World War II, and received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan in 1947 and 1952, respectively.
As the chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Languages and Literatures from 1971 to 1981, he was instrumental in expanding Michigan's reputation as a major center for Japanese studies.
In 1987, Brower's former students established a small endowment, on the occasion of his retirement, to honor and memorialize his many contributions to the field of Japanese literature.
The fund is designated to support the purchase of select volumes on classical Japanese literature.
[5] At the time of his death, Brower was at work on a series of translations of poetic treatises, which promised to reveal how Japanese poets regarded their own art.