[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 47 (Monday, April 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3269-S3270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RON BROWN: A TRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SERVICE

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, now that the initial shock of the 
horrific jet crash in Croatia has passed, we are forced to accept the 
fact that my friend Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 other talented 
professionals have perished. Today, almost 2 weeks later, it's still 
hard to describe the echoing sense of loss and deep sinking sorrow that 
still remains in all of us--man, woman, black, white, Republican, 
Democrat.
  There has been much written and said about Ron Brown over the last 
few days, and that is fitting, because there is so much to say. He was 
many things: key strategist, mesmerizing speaker, wily politician, 
savvy businessman, superb lawyer. Most of all, he was an exemplary 
public servant for this country. On his last day, he was on the road in 
a faraway place aggressively promoting U.S. business interests abroad. 
And, in this case, he was trying to bring peace and economic recovery 
to the war-weary Bosnian people. He took very seriously his 
responsibility to preserve the American dream for the next generation 
of Americans, so that they will have economic opportunity rather than a 
declining standard of living. To him, championing the economic 
interests of the United States was tantamount to championing the people 
of the United States, and so, in a very literal way, he died serving 
his country.
  Ron Brown was the most effective Secretary of Commerce I have known 
in my years in the Senate. It is fair to say that he was the most 
energetic and outstanding individual to ever serve in that post. 
Throughout his distinguished career in private industry, politics and 
the executive branch, Ron Brown served as a role model for all 
Americans. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, international business has 
become the new realm for competition. Ron Brown understood that and 
worked tirelessly to promote U.S. exports and business overseas. It was 
quite typical for Secretary Brown and me to meet after he had returned 
from a long trip abroad. Lack of sleep and shifting time zones never 
set him back. Jet lag wasn't in his vocabulary. It just was not in 
Ron's nature to take time to rest up.
  Ron Brown was an especially strong role model for African-Americans. 
He never forgot his roots, and he took special pride in his efforts to 
make Commerce Department programs more inclusive and to provide equal 
opportunity in the work force. He took pride in his efforts to 
revitalize the Minority Business Development Agency and the Economic 
Development Administration. Most of all, he set an example for those 
who would follow in his footsteps with his determination, his 
intelligence and his optimism.
  Secretary Brown came into the Commerce Department with a tremendous

[[Page S3270]]

task: to shake one of the Government's largest and most diverse 
departments out of its dormancy, and turn it into forceful, focused, 
and effective agency. At his confirmation, he expressed the following 
among his priorities for the Department of Commerce: ``Expanding 
exports, promoting new technologies, supporting business development--
these all require integrated action, crossing old lines between 
business, labor and government.'' Ron Brown was an expert in crossing 
old lines, whether racial or bureaucratic, whether he was rejuvenating 
the Democratic Party or reinvigorating the Department of Commerce. He 
could see potential where others couldn't, and he had that unbeatable 
combination of vision and determination that was contagious. He 
inspired those around him.
  In addition to his political acumen and leadership abilities, Ron 
Brown was extremely likable. I remember walking down the corridors in 
the Hoover Building seeing signs on employees' office doors that read 
``Ron Brown Fan Club.'' Even those misguided few in Congress who spent 
the last year trying to abolish the Commerce Department found their 
efforts thwarted by the simple fact that so many businessmen and 
Members of Congress not only believed in the importance of Commerce--
but also that everyone simply liked Ron Brown.
  This is a tragedy that hits home for me, Peatsy, and my staff. Ron 
Brown was a good friend. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Alma, his 
children, and all the families of the passengers and crew of the 
aircraft.
  Mr. President, let's all remember Ron Brown for his firebrand style 
of engaged public service. We'll all miss him. I wish we had more like 
him.

                          ____________________