[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE LATE GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, George and I, of course, served here 
together for 24 years. A more perfect gentleman you would not find. His 
humor was mentioned by several, and I would have to say that he had the 
best one-liners and the shortest one-liners that I have ever heard. 
Usually two or three words and he could crack you up pretty quickly.
  But I have to tell my colleagues, George also had everybody in the 
House of Representatives believing that I have a chronic cold 
condition. He was on the fourth floor; and, of course, I got on the 
second floor. And I could smell the elevator coming and I was ready. 
Because, of course, it was not only George on the elevator. It was his 
famous cigar on the elevator with him.
  Well, I get a violent migraine from cigar smoke. So every time the 
door opened, I would, of course, pull out my handkerchief, put it on my 
nose, and hold it over my nose until I got down. Everybody would say, 
``Do you have a cold?'' ``Do you have a cold?'' ``Yes, I have a cold.'' 
And then we would get over to the trolley and I would wait to see where 
he was going to sit, and then I would go to the opposite end, depending 
on which end the wind was blowing. And sure enough, when we got to this 
side, of course, we had to get back on the elevator again; and I would 
pull out my handkerchief, ride on the elevator with the handkerchief 
over my nose. And everybody would say, ``Do you have a cold?'' ``Do you 
have a cold?'' ``Yes, I have a cold.''
  So they are wonderful memories of George. And he would want us to be 
rather light in paying a tribute. Because, of course, as I said, he was 
a good humored man and it only took a couple of words until he had you 
laughing.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the dean, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis).
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much 
for yielding by way of closing this wonderful time we have had together 
in tribute to our colleague, George Brown.
  I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks earlier that George and I, 
although we had our differences politically from time to time, had so 
much more in common.
  The fact that we often talked about being born on the wrong side of 
the tracks, he in Imperial County, and I was raised in San Bernardino. 
But shortly after in his youth, he was in Colton, considered by us, 
like my home, on the wrong side of the tracks. He and I shared our love 
and our pride as being alumni of the wonderful university in West Los 
Angeles, UCLA.
  George also had this great passion for science but particularly for 
NASA. When I had the chance to work with NASA's programming in the VA-
HUD subcommittee, George and I professionally spent a lot of time 
together and many times in the battle here on the floor to save the 
Space Station and the future work of NASA.
  Beyond that, we had a great love for water. I remember George talking 
about riding in an innertube down the Alamo River where he had his 
first experience with the Salton Sea and his commitment to that project 
as a part of his youth but also as a part of his very intense and life-
long love for the environment.
  George kind of closed his days and my memory of him when Arlene and I 
went and visited Marta and George at their new home in San Bernardino 
where they had been there for a while but they built this huge, huge 
fish pond, the largest fish pond I have ever seen in my life and the 
first time, and I told friends of this, the first time I ever heard 
George even raise a doubt about his commitment for the environment.
  Because suddenly, and he spent a lot of money for these fish, etc., 
and they were planning to have tea out there and watch the fish grow; 
and the birds from the outside began flying in in their natural way, 
and stealing his fish.
  George was a brilliant, wonderful, talented guy and a reflection of 
the best of America's House, the people's House, the House of 
Representatives.
  I appreciate all of my colleagues joining with us tonight and sharing 
this evening with Marta and her family.

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