[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 7, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GEORGE BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 7, 2018

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memorial to an 
Alaskan who dedicated his life to his business and making his customers 
feel as though they were in their own living room having a meal with 
friends. On January 13, 2018, Alaska lost one of its hardest working, 
most dedicated and adventurous fathers, Mr. George Brown.
  George embodied the ``Greatest Generation'' that came to Alaska in 
the years following World War II. He valued hard work, personal 
relationships, and personal responsibility. He and his wife, Peggy 
founded the Lucky Wishbone diner in Anchorage, Alaska in 1955, the same 
year McDonalds was founded but in a much different environment, serving 
the best burgers, shakes and especially fried chicken you could find 
anywhere. Sorry Kentucky, the Colonel had nothing on Mr. Brown.
  George kept the very spirit of the Greatest Generation alive up until 
his passing by ensuring that generations of Alaskans had simple, 
handcrafted diner food that was unsurpassed by any other restaurant. He 
also pioneered the ``smoking ban'' in Anchorage by banning smoking in 
the restaurant in 1991. George and Peggy's place was home to so many of 
us. His smile and his infectious spirit could light up a room and his 
sense of humor warmed the restaurant where he was a fixture for over 60 
years.
  George was more than a restauranteur, he was my friend. As a frequent 
patron of the Lucky Wishbone, I can speak to his service to customers 
and how he always cared for his employees as though they were 
immediately family. He treated his staff like they were his daughters 
and sons which meant everyone made you feel at home when you visited 
the Lucky Wishbone.
  George, Peggy and the Lucky Wishbone will live in infamy in our 
hearts and souls. I hope that George's sister Elaine, daughter Pat, son 
Corky, and his grandchildren can take comfort in the bond they have 
with George and the legacy of the Lucky Wishbone. I also hope the 
precious memories of George will bring them comfort, and that they will 
come to find, in the lovely words of Hugh Robert Orr:
  ``They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind. In those 
whom they have blessed, they live a life again, and shall live through 
the years eternal life, and shall grow each day more beautiful, as time 
declares their good, forgets the rest, and proves their immortality.''
  Please join me in expressing heartfelt appreciation for George and 
sympathies for his Alaskan family.

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