[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 45 (Monday, March 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S1789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING HAROLD ``HAL'' C. BROWN, JR.

 Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, today I ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring the life of Harold C. Brown, Jr. The longest serving 
supervisor in the history of Marin County, Hal was a pillar of the 
community who embodied the best characteristics of civic leadership: 
accessibility, honesty, integrity, and compassion. Mr. Brown passed 
away on March 2, 2012, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
  Hal grew up in San Francisco, graduating from Lowell High School and 
receiving a degree in business from the University of San Francisco 
before moving to Marin County in the early 1970s. While working in the 
insurance industry, he became involved in his community and began 
serving on the board of his neighborhood association. In 1982, Gov. 
Jerry Brown appointed him to replace me on the Marin County Board of 
Supervisors, following my election to Congress.
  For the next 29 years, Supervisor Brown served the people of Marin 
with extraordinary dedication and focus. He would often say that he had 
the best job in the world and that he loved the camaraderie of working 
with others to solve the county's problems: improving fire safety in a 
county known for towering redwood trees, developing the Safe Routes to 
Schools Program to promote walking and biking as a safe and healthy way 
for children to get to school, and working to prevent floods.
  His dedication to his community extended beyond his work as a county 
supervisor. Supervisor Brown established the Marin Valentine's Ball in 
1997 as an annual auction and fundraiser to support children, families, 
and older adults in need throughout the county. Even in the face of his 
illness, Hal hosted the 16th annual ball this past February and refused 
to stop serving the people and community he had represented for 
decades.
  I send my deepest condolences to his family, including Gloria Brown; 
his children, Michael and Chris; and his grandchildren. The county of 
Marin has lost a true public servant, and he will be missed by all of 
us lucky enough to have known him.

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