[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 16, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S3345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RON BROWN

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I would like to comment briefly on the 
tragic death of Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, which occurred last 
week in Croatia.
  I have know Ron Brown and his family for 12 years. Ron was a friend 
of mine, and a friend of the State of California. One of his first 
duties as Commerce Secretary was to find ways to resuscitate 
California's economy, and he helped to do just that. Ron Brown made the 
Department of Commerce a positive force for helping the largest State 
in the Union recover from the devastating recession of the early 
1990's.
  Ron had a vision of a prosperous America, where the cliche that ``a 
rising tide lifts all boats'' could actually come true. He focused his 
Department and this administration on looking for opportunities to help 
the American economy make the transition from the era of heavy industry 
to an era of high technology, scientific innovation, and the 
advancement of the current revolution in communications.
  Ron helped formulate this vision, made sure that his Department gave 
grants and other forms of assistance to firms pursuing it, and at the 
time of his death was advocating that vision to other parts of the 
world.
  But even more important than his career was the man himself. Always 
upbeat, with ceaseless energy, Ron could persuade the most vehement 
skeptic of the value of his vision and efforts for our country. He 
served in a variety of roles, and in each he excelled. His days as an 
effective leader with the National Urban League demonstrates this, 
where he became deputy executive director, general counsel and vice 
president of the Urban League's Washington, DC office.
  Ron Brown's boundless energy and commitment to excellence did not 
stop at the National Urban League. It continued to help him break 
racial boundaries and become the first African-American to head a major 
political party, helping to elect the country's first Democratic 
President in 12 years; the first African-American to become a partner 
in his powerful Washington, DC law firm; and the first African-American 
to take the helm at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
  I know of no chairman of the Democratic National Committee who was 
better regarded, whose fundraising calls were more frequently returned, 
or whose hardships and public statements were more well regarded--Ron 
Brown was tops.
  In my view, Ron Brown's stewardship as Secretary of Commerce was 
unparalleled. He truly cared about his work and those the Department 
serves, and the record reflects accurately billions of dollars in trade 
and new business that will, in the future, benefit this country's 
businesses and industrial base.
  I find the circumstances of his untimely death to be particularly 
poignant. Here he was, leading a group of business people and his 
staff, on a mission of peace to the war torn land of the former 
Yugoslavia.
  He did not wait for peace to be restored. He went when risks of 
hostile action were still present. He did not wait for pleasant weather 
before springing into action. And, he did not just work on economic 
issues. He also spent time with our troops over there, to let them know 
we support their efforts.
  Mr. President, we have lost a great American in Ron Brown. Whether it 
was politics, or crafting legislation for the Senate, or civil rights, 
or military service, or being a husband and a father, Ron Brown was a 
great patriot, and a great human being. I shall always treasure the 
relationship he and I had, and I shall miss him terribly.
  To Alma Brown and Tracy, who have traveled with me in the campaign, I 
send my heart and prayers. With all his family, I share an unrelenting 
emptiness and sadness. I will miss the phone calls, the smile, the 
exploits from progress, and, most of all, his abiding and consummate 
belief in all of us.

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