[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E437-E438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING THE RAJAH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JULIA CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 1997

  Mrs. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, Indianapolis lost one of its outstanding 
citizens last Tuesday. He was Roger Brown, the first player ever signed 
to the Indiana Pacers and a pillar of the Indianapolis community 
following his basketball career.
  A graduate of the University of Dayton, Mr. Brown was the third all-
time leading scorer for the Pacers, scoring 10,058 points over his 
career in the American Basketball Association. Had it not been for a 
gambling scandal during his college career, which he was cleared of, 
Roger (The Rajah) Brown would be in basketball's Hall of Fame.
  Those who saw him play consider him one of the best to play the game. 
Oscar Robertson, himself a NBA star and a native of Indianapolis, 
advised the Pacer organization to seek out Brown in the early 1970's 
and sign him to the team.
  Yet Mr. Brown was not merely one of the best to play the game. He 
also contributed much to his inherited community of Indianapolis. He 
served as a city-county councilman and worked with local law 
enforcement officials to improve Indianapolis' streets and help protect 
our young people.
  The community remembered him for this as well. When Mr. Brown was 
diagnosed with cancer of the liver, he was faced with mounting medical 
bills due to his lack of medical

[[Page E438]]

coverage. The community of Indianapolis chipped in, with teammates, 
fans, and local businesses helping the Rajah pay for his medical care.
  Perhaps the most poignant testimony of Roger Brown was his statement 
after learning about his cancer. ``If I was to die tomorrow, I've lived 
a hell of a life,'' said Mr. Brown. ``I've dealt with my mortality. I 
did that coming out of Brooklyn, because you don't know if you're going 
to make it to the next day. The quality of life is what's important, 
because everybody's got to go.''
  Mr. Speaker, perhaps this body could learn a little from Roger Brown, 
a person who lived his life unassumingly but understood that in the 
end, it was the value of a life well-lived that mattered the most. For 
Mr. Brown, we should continue to look for ways to ensure that all have 
the quality of life they deserve. In the words of Pacers coach Larry 
Brown, ``we have lost a good friend.''

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