Brooks final letter was written some time before his suicide on May 10th. Most of his friends had been aware for years of his intentions when he personally felt his quality of life was not what he would have wanted it to be. In preparation for this day Brooks had for several years "squirreled" away prescriptions for sleeping pill. It is not the intention here to print in detail Brooks words to his many friends but rather to place special emphasis on what was actually a first detailed artistic statement on his paintings.

"To all my good friends who over the years have contributed to making life interesting and exuberant and helped to whip up an enthusiasm that made one look forward eagerly to getting together again I give my thankful appreciation. I did what I wanted in a way that I wanted and envied no one. Tho (sic) the possibility was there for what some would call a fuller life, what I had was fulfilling and satisfying and in finding a lifestyle that gave existence an eagerness and serenity, I could not ask for anything more . . ."

Brooks goes on to say that like suns grow old and shrink and mountains wear down he also come to an end where "wear and tear" no longer make his life enjoyable and although he has his "three score and ten" he does not believe that longevity is important. He says that his many interests kept him from ever being "bored" and thanks all who have contributed the "seasoning" to his existence. On the other side of the page he talks about the effect his life and particularly his early years had on his art . . .

"Thinking to myself . . . When am I happiest? What do I yearn for? Wilderness, lakes, woods, meadows, climbing rocks, Hunters Island, walking thru the Watchung Mts. with pop at age 6 and observing interesting trees, odd shapes of rock formations and spruce jutting into the sky on a mountaintop. And the powerful, dynamic shapes of large leaning rocks. Observing beauty and the feeling of awe and smallness amidst the strength of nature. Watching a cricket climbing and stumbling over moss, twigs and stones as it moves on the forest floor and feeling that I am the same on a different scale as I climb over rocks and fallen trees. I love the forest and the myriad shapes I see in it, the silence and simultaneous noises of wind-rustled leaves, chirping of insects and birds. All this pre-teen and now. A great treasure left my by a father who never owned anything of material value. And yet all my life it was like a bank account that grew the more I took from it. The tall, strong shape of a rock, or the odd tree-bark texture would cause me to leave the path and move toward it irresistibly. Similarly, certain definite lines, rhythms and shapes will stir my whole being. I realize now that it is my subconscious straining at the leash, trying to get back to the serenity and excitement of the forest that causes me to use the shapes and design I do. On a painting field trip, to put down the forms as they are guarantee for me a sterile painting. I must change the shapes to stir up my subconscious so that it in turn will stir me. Exciting music equals exciting color and form; and a quiet passage mutes the color and restores the horizontals; and good dancing puts it in another form.

Now I miss it all. It was the seasoning in my life. Tho I was told by a number of teachers: "Don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t be such a perfectionist, "Still I’m not content to do without. All around I see those who are willing to compromise. I can’t."

Brooks died on May 10, 1993. The bulk of his work had been placed in the hands of Gallery-by-the-Sea five years before his death. Gallery-by-the-Sea did a retrospective on Brooks two years after his death and continues to honor Brooks each summer with a show of hiswork. While Brooks painted only in watercolor he also did ink drawing mostly of nudes. These charming and spontaneous drawings were done with white ink loaded into a hyperdermic needle on black graphite paper in the life drawing classes he attended each week with the "Thirty Artists"; he also did a limited number of charcoal drawings - also primarily nudes. His black and white photographs of The Great Depression are also shown at the gallery. A video is available through Gallery-by-the-Sea of the 1995 Retrospective.