[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSMAN GLEN BROWDER

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute today to another of 
the many outstanding Members of Congress who will be leaving as the 
104th Congress draws to a close. That Member is my good friend from 
Alabama's Third Congressional District, Representative Glen Browder.
  Glen Browder has served in the House of Representatives since winning 
an April 4, 1989 special election to succeed long-time Congressman Bill 
Nichols, who had passed away unexpectedly on December 13, 1988. 
Throughout his seven and a half years in Congress, he has been a loyal 
friend to the people of his district and an outspoken leader on 
national defense issues. He approaches his job with a deliberative, 
studied, and professorial approach that has helped him make the right 
decisions for his constituents and for the nation as a whole.
  This type of leadership is not surprising coming from Glen Browder, 
who holds a doctoral degree in political science from Emory University 
in Atlanta. He also has a bachelor of arts in history from Presbyterian 
College in Clinton, South Carolina and a master of arts in political 
science, also from Emory.
  Congressman Browder was born in Sumter, South Carolina on January 15, 
1943. He attended the elementary schools in Sumter, where he graduated 
from Edmunds High School in 1961. He spent the next ten years or so 
earning all these academic credentials--his BA in 1965 and his MA and 
Ph.D. by 1971. He is married to Sara Rebecca (Becky) Browder and they 
have a daughter, Jenny Rebecca.
  While he was in college, the future Congressman from Alabama worked 
as a public relations assistant at Presbyterian College, sportswriter 
for the Alabama Journal, and investigator for the Civil Service 
Commission in Atlanta. Since 1971, he has been a professor of political 
science at Jacksonville State University in his hometown, Jacksonville. 
He has been on a leave of absence from the university since coming to 
Congress.

  Before his election to the House, he had served in the Alabama House 
of Representatives from 1982 through 1986 and as Alabama Secretary of 
State from 1987 through 1989.
  Congressman Browder fought tenaciously to keep Fort McClellan open. 
He led two successful Base Closure Commission battles to defeat the 
ill-advised effort of the Army and the Department of Defense to close 
it. As the home of the chemical corps of the Army and of the only live-
agent training facility in the world, Fort McClellan garnered his 
unyielding support. Senator Shelby and I were totally supportive of 
Congressman Browder's leadership, but his studied expertise in the 
field of defensive chemical warfare allowed him to make arguments on 
what was in the best interests of the nation, in addition to the one 
based on the anticipated detrimental effects to the local economy.
  I will never forget his superb presentation to the Base Closure 
Commission in a classified hearing on the need for live-agent training 
as well as the threat of chemical warfare from terrorist nations around 
the world. The third BRAC round led to a decision to finally close Fort 
McClellan, since the vote was a tie vote and a majority was necessary 
to take action to keep a base open. He was an excellent field marshall 
throughout each of these battles.
  Glen Browder also won many battles for the Anniston Army Depot and 
Fort Benning, a portion of which is located in the southern part of his 
district.
  Congressman Browder has done an excellent job of balancing the 
various needs of his diverse district and has looked after the 
interests of the entire State of Alabama. As a member of the House 
Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees, he has 
fought for our national security and for continued funding for the 
space program, which has a large presence in north Alabama.
  He has also compiled a conservative legislative record, while at the 
same time supporting the Democratic party leadership on most crucial 
votes. His district contains the largest number of textile and apparel 
businesses in the nation, and he has always fought for the interests of 
this industry as well as its workers.
  His district contains Tuskegee University, Jacksonville State 
University, and Auburn University. He has consistently and strongly 
supported both higher education in general and the particular interests 
of these outstanding institutions of higher learning.
  I am proud to have been able to serve with Congressman Browder in the 
Alabama delegation over the last seven years. It has been a pleasure to 
work with him on base closure and other vital issues. He is a proven 
leader who will be sorely missed when the 105th Congress convenes early 
next year, but I am confident that we will see him in other leadership 
roles in the future. I congratulate him and wish him well.

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