[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATIONS TO MARVIN BROWN OF SAVANNAH, GA ON RECEIVING THE GRAND 
         DECORATION OF HONOUR OF THE STATE OF SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACK KINGSTON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 26, 1996

  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Marvin Brown, a resident of Savannah, 
GA and the First Congressional District of Georgia, joined the ranks of 
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Winston Churchill when he was recently awarded 
one of Austria's highest commendations. Mr. Brown's achievements were 
highlighted in the August 23, 1996 edition of the Georgia Guardian:
  Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

            [From the Georgia Guardian, August 23-29, 1996]

               Marvin Brown awarded Austrian Commendation

                           (By Thom Nezbeda)

       To read of Marvin Brown's accomplishments with the Georgia 
     Salzburger Society is to be impressed. He may have joined the 
     organization ``late in life,'' as he put it, but what he's 
     lost in time has certainly been more than made up for in 
     performance.
       He first joined the Georgia Salzburger Society, the 
     national organization devoted to preserving Salzburger 
     history and heritage, in 1979. ``I had been hearing that I 
     was a Salzburger,'' Brown said. ``Jackie [his wife] and I 
     went to a meeting out of curiosity, and that got us 
     involved.'' He held the position of president for the society 
     from 1990 to 1992. His first trip to ``the Old Country'' came 
     in 1981, and he's led several tours of the state of Salzburg 
     and other areas of Austria for fellow society members since 
     then.
       ``We got started [traveling to Austria] back in 1981,'' 
     said Brown, ``just `babes in the woods'. We were just 
     tourists then.''
       Subsequent trips as tour guides and opportunities to meet 
     Austrian officials visiting the United States for society 
     activities have raised them above tourist status. ``It all 
     fell in place,'' Brown said in a tone that seems to suggest 
     he and his wife are taking it all in stride. ``This is how we 
     became guests of the Austrian government on one occasion; 
     guests of the Roman Catholic archbishop on another occasion. 
     We've really had some wonderful things happen.''
       Brown's accomplishments don't stop there. Besides being a 
     guest on Austrian television talk shows, and presenting keys 
     to the City of Savannah to two Salzburg governors, Brown and 
     his wife were appointed area coordinators for the Austrian 
     Olympic Sailing Team. As such, they helped coordinate a 
     wreath-laying ceremony at the Salzburger Monument on Bay 
     Street. Members of the Georgia Salzburger Society, Mayor 
     Floyd Adams Jr., and a delegation of Austrian government 
     and industry leaders took part in the ceremony. After the 
     ceremony, the group retired to a downtown restaurant for a 
     late lunch.
       That's when Brown, to his total surprise, received what is 
     probably the largest feather in his cap to date: he was 
     awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour of the State of 
     Salzburg, in appreciation of his efforts to promote good will 
     between Salzburger descendants and the country from which 
     they came.
       The honor, one of Austria's highest commendations, was 
     given by Engelbert Wenckheim, the vice president of the 
     Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
       ``I really was definitely shocked; there's no other word 
     for it,'' Brown said.
       According to Ulf Pacher of the Austrian Embassy in 
     Washington, D.C., the commendation is the highest decoration 
     awarded by the province of Salzburg. ``The medal is pretty 
     exclusive,'' he said. ``It's not given out that often--it's 
     rarely awarded.''
       By receiving the award, Brown becomes part of an exclusive 
     group of individuals including Winston Churchill and Dwight 
     D. Eisenhower, among others.

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