[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2418-E2419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 IN MEMORY OF AN OUTSTANDING KENTUCKIAN: PAMELA FARIS BROWN (1942-1970)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, almost three decades ago a 28-year-old woman 
set off on an adventure of a lifetime. It was an adventure that would 
end in heartbreak--an adventure from which she would not return.
  At the time of her death Pamela Faris Brown had already made her mark 
as a nationally recognized actress and entertainer. Years earlier, she 
had also appeared on Kentucky's political stage--credited with helping 
to give a boost to the distinguished public service career of her 
father, John Y. Brown, Sr.
  Tragically, however, along with her husband and another companion, 
Pam perished in September of 1970 while attempting to cross the 
Atlantic Ocean in a balloon.
  I first encountered Pamela Brown in the early 1960's during my last 
two years of law school, when I served as a clerk for her father's 
criminal law practice in Lexington, Kentucky. Pamela was a bright, 
energetic and charismatic young woman whose love of life was only 
matched by her love of family and friends.
  She was born in Lexington on August 26th, 1942, and attended the 
University of Kentucky and Stephens College before setting out on her 
performing career. Pamela's skill as an actress took her from 
`Shakespeare in the Park' productions in Louisville to the pursuit of 
her career in New York City. Her mother, Dorothy, issued a warning to 
the young woman headed for the big city: ``New York will change you,'' 
she warned, to which Pam replied: ``I'll change New York.''
  Pamela Brown did make an impression on New York. She worked her way 
into a regular role on the television daytime drama `Love is a Many 
Splendored Thing' and appeared on highly popular national television 
programs. She made guest appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and the 
Lawrence Welk Show, and performed with Walter Abel in a summer stock 
production of `Take Her, She's Mine'.
  But Pam's enthusiasm wasn't just limited to the dramatic arts. In 
1966, when an illness nearly forced her father to withdraw from his 
political campaign, Pamela volunteered to appear in his place at 
speaking engagements. Years later, her father would recall his 
opponent's campaign manager as saying, ``You didn't beat us. Pamela 
did.'' Her brother, John Y. Brown, Jr., would also serve as Kentucky's 
governor.
  A spirit like Pamela Brown's is impossible to contain--so was her 
enthusiasm for the adventure that would eventually claim her life. On 
Sunday, September 20th, 1970, Pamela and her husband, Rod Anderson, 
along with their companion, Malcolm Brighton, set off from East 
Hampton, Long Island, aboard the balloon they called `The Free Life'. 
They set out to make history. The following day, the trio encountered a 
cold front and a driving rainstorm, which forced their craft into the 
sea.
  The famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart perished attempting to set another 
aviation landmark 62 years ago. Earhart once eloquently explained the 
spirit that also led Pam to follow her balloon adventure: ``Please know 
I am quite

[[Page E2419]]

aware of the hazards,'' Earhart said. ``I want to do it because I want 
to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail 
their failure must be but a challenge to others.''
  Today, Pamela Brown's memory lives on at the Actor's Theater of 
Louisville, whose main stage was named the Pamela Brown Auditorium to 
honor her. Her memory and her spirit also lives on in the hearts and 
minds of many of us--friends, family, and fellow Kentuckians, for whom 
Pamela Brown still is an inspiration.

                          ____________________