[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO RON BROWN

                                 ______


                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 17, 1996

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I 
rise today to salute a man who did more to advance U.S. economic 
interests at home and abroad than any other in our nation's 
distinguished history. Ron Brown, whose other accomplishments include 
revitalizing the Democratic party and advancing race relations in 
America, died tragically 2 weeks ago on a trade mission in Bosnia.
  As Commerce Secretary, Brown was accompanied by 34 other brave 
Americans, one of whom was my constituent. Adam Darling, a 29-year 
Commerce Department assistant who offered to bike cross-country from 
his Santa Cruz, California home to promote Bill Clinton's 1992 
presidential campaign, also lost his life on that terrible flight. I 
had the honor of saluting Adam's life last Friday, along with the First 
Lady, his family and friends at a touching memorial service. He will be 
sorely missed by all.
  Adam was on board, because as President Clinton put it, Ron Brown 
could see in him and the others ``the promise of a new tomorrow and he 
knew they needed someone to reach down and give them the opportunity to 
serve.'' Ron Brown was truly one of a kind.
  The son of a hotel manager, Ron Brown grew up in black America but 
bridged the gap between white and black from the earliest years of his 
life. Attending white private schools, Brown went on to be the only 
African-American in his class at Middlebury College, where he forged 
the desegregation of his fraternity. He later attended St. John's 
University Law School and subsequently worked as a prominent attorney 
in the largely white world of law. After that, Ron Brown became the 
first African-American chairman of the Democratic National Committee. 
As former National Urban League chief John Jacob said, ``Ron could 
accomplish anything, because he didn't believe he coundn't do it.
  As Commerce Secretary, Ron Brown worked tirelessly to promote our 
economic interests both here an around the globe. He firmly believed 
that free, but fair trade was one of the best ways of advancing our 
country's national interests as we move into the 21st century. It was 
for this reason that Ron Brown enthusiastically led his mission to 
Bosnia. He believed that the untapped possibilities of the war-torn 
region held untold possibilities for the United States.
  I personally have had the pleasure of working with Ron Brown on a 
number of occasions. Before his untimely death, he and I had been 
developing a unique initiative of sustainable development for my 
congressional district. We both eagerly looked forward to harnessing 
the creative energy of public and private enterprise to forget this new 
national model.
  I don't believe a day has gone by since the tragic accident that I 
have not mourned what this country will miss without Ron Brown, and the 
others aboard his plane. While the important work of the Commerce 
Department will surely continue, America will never recapture the 
potential that traveled aboard that flight. We can never replace the 
enormous possibilities that traveled with Ron Brown.

                          ____________________