C.D. Brooks is a well-known evangelist and founder of the Breath of Life television ministry. He held his first evangelistic campaign in the early 1950s. In the summer of 1964, he led a major tent campaign in Philadelphia during the “long, hot summer” of urban rioting, defying a plea from the mayor to shut down, and baptizing nearly 300 people. While serving as associate secretary for the General Conference Ministerial Association, he fearlessly preached the Adventist message around the globe. Since retiring in 1996, Elder Brooks has been serving as a part-time chaplain for the North American Division. He has been married for 60 years to his wife, Walterene. They have two children and three grandchildren.