Daniel T. Cardwell was born  in Marburg Germany as Daniel Paprocki in the early 50’s. The son of a white German woman and a nonwhite American GI, he became one of five “brown babies” adopted by a seemingly qualified  professional newly-wedded African American couple in the Washington D. C. metro area. During his early years, Daniel and his adopted siblings were forbidden to speak German. They were told that they were born in Germany, but other details of their adoption were kept secret. After attending boarding schools elsewhere and subsequently returning to city life in Washington, Daniel, his unbonded siblings, and his parents moved to a farm in then-racist Southern Maryland. Unable to attend the Catholic school of their parents’ choice, the Cardwell children attended public school through forced bussing. After a few years on the farm, the rest of the family moved back to D.C., but Daniel chose to remain and attend school on his own—later working odd jobs  to support himself after his parents were seriously injured in a car accident.

Daniel’s teen years were turbulent; he was often confused, exploring to find his place in a black and white world that saw him as neither. In 1969, after graduating from high school, he left the farm to perform  military duty. He later entered and completed technical schools in radiology and radiation therapy. Employed by German born Dr. Ulrich K. Henschke, a well-published Professor of Medical Radiotherapy at Howard University, Daniel gained additional training in the administration of modern radiation techniques and assisted in building facilities, managing the installation and operation  of specialized equipment used in cancer treatment facilities specifically for  developing countries. His travel to Haiti, Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Europe, and his ultimate return to the U.S., was filled with accomplishments and varying personal opinions on race and color.

Assisted by the President of Howard University, Dr. James A. Cheek,  Daniel continued his education and excelled quickly. While performing  research to write a  paper on minority education in the U.S., he stumbled upon information about his adoption, which fueled a search for his biological parents that continued for more than 25 years. Decades into his search, Daniel was finally reunited with his biological family in April 2006.

Having clearly documented his origin, he since founded the Brown Baby Institute for the Mischlingskinder, Inc.  and has sought out  other former German brown babies and provided help  unraveling their unique  past as a means of  securing their rightful identity. He was inspired to author a book about his life to promote change in the color culture of the world which he believes the United States must take a  lead. He invites Americans of all colors to become American—just American! His powerful memoir, A Question of Color, captures the journey of his developmental years, the passion of his search, and the trauma associated with not choosing to be black or white in a black and white country.

The subject of various articles, Daniel Cardwell is the creator of the site www.grammerchildren.com and www.TheBBim.com . A Joint Service and an   honorably discharged Veteran, Daniel was a ranking (NCO)  Non-Commissioned Officer at SHAPE, the NATO Hospital in Mons, Belgium. A leader among various groups and boards, he served two terms as President of the American Cancer Society in the Florida Division’s U.S. Virgin Islands. Currently, he is the CFO of Tender Dental Care with CEO, Dr. Charmaine FolkesCardwell, and active in the community of Ft. Washington, Maryland. He has served as  a former President of the ZXS Sigma Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Dan remains actively engaged in  parenting his children  often returning to the farm of his younger years.  He maintains a color-free relationship with his children insuring they know their roots and  never have the need to question their identity.