[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 35 (Friday, February 24, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO GWENDOLYN A. BROWN

                                 ______


                          HON. JULIAN C. DIXON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday February 23, 1995
  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, on March 1, 1995, Ms. Gwendolyn A. Brown will 
be sworn in as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health, 
Budgets, and Programs at the Pentagon. Although her departure from my 
office creates a void that will be difficult to fill, I am delighted to 
have this opportunity to announce her well-deserved selection to this 
exciting and challenging new position.
  Gwen arrived on Capitol Hill in August 1984 as a LEGIS fellow from 
the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of 
Commerce. At Commerce, she served as a country specialist for North 
Africa, and was responsible for the promotion of United States 
commercial interests in that region of the world. Her considerable 
expertise in international trade affairs proved of invaluable service 
to me in my work as a then-member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Foreign Operations. I was so impressed with her knowledge and 
performance that I offered her the senior legislative position in my 
office upon completion of her fellowship.
  Thus it was that on April 22, 1985, Gwen officially became my 
legislative director. Over the course of the next several years, Gwen 
provided exceptional service as the principal member of my staff 
responsible for appropriations issues and the direction of my 
legislative program. She did an outstanding job and proved an 
invaluable asset to my office.
  For her last 4 years on the Hill, Gwen handled all of my defense 
appropriations work. She immersed herself in the arcane and intricate 
details on a panoply of military matters. In time, she developed 
considerable proficiency in defense material, working tirelessly and 
gaining support for programs important to the California economy, 
including preservation of the Los Angeles Air Force Base and the Long 
Beach Naval Shipyard. Her keen intellect, knowledge about the 
appropriations process, and her rapid ability to grasp complex issues, 
were of immeasurable benefit as we sought to preserve programs 
important to the southern California area.
  Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor and a pleasure to have this 
opportunity to salute the exemplary work of Ms. Gwendolyn A. Brown. 
Employees of her caliber do not come along often, and I am especially 
grateful to her for her years of selfless dedication and commitment to 
me and the citizens of Los Angeles. I ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating her as she embarks on a new chapter in a distinguished 
career of public service. Please join me in wishing her and her 
husband, the Reverend Dr. Cameron Byrd, best wishes for continued 
success and happiness in the future.


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