[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO LESTER C. BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 4, 2009

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor my friend, 
and a friend to Philadelphia, Lester C. Brown. After 18 years of 
service on the Philadelphia City Counsel, Mr. Brown is retiring as the 
Chief of Staff for Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell. Throughout his 
career, Mr. Brown has shown exceptional leadership in community service 
and tireless dedication to his constituents in need. For instance, he 
currently serves as the democratic leader of the 24th ward.
  Mr. Brown was born in the 1920s in Savannah, Georgia, at a time when 
equality was just a distant dream for many Americans. Despite the 
hardships that the Jim Crow laws placed on African Americans, Lester 
developed the personal strength to overcome the adversities he faced. 
He began his career in journalism at the age of 16, when he became the 
first African American youth to host a radio show that aired on WTOC, a 
CBS affiliate. After moving to New York City, Mr. Brown became a 
reporter for Ban Black Audio News. His hard work and determination in a 
divided society eventually led him to become the first African American 
junior executive on Madison Avenue as an Assistant Advertising 
Production Manager for progressive Architecture Magazine.
  From there, Mr. Brown moved to Philadelphia, where he became a 
successful newsperson for WHAT radio. It is in the great city of 
Philadelphia that Mr. Brown began his influential career in community 
service as a youth organizer for the parents union in the Philadelphia 
public schools. In the 1980s he became the Executive Director of Mantua 
Community Planners where he was able to better the lives of multiple 
families, including the donation of nine homes to the members of the 
Mantua community through the Remove Urban Blight program.
  Currently serving as the Democratic Leader of the 24th ward, and 
faithfully worked under Lucien B. Blackwell and Councilwoman Jannie L. 
Blackwell, we are here to honor my friend, Lester C. Brown on the 
occasion of his retirement. Although he will be missed dearly, after 18 
years of loyal service on the Council no one deserves this honor more 
than Mr. Brown.
  Lester Brown's impressive career in the city of Philadelphia 
illustrates his commitment and drive to improve the lives of the city's 
residents. I would like to thank him for his tireless efforts, and I 
wish him well in the future.

                          ____________________