[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21267]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      IN TRIBUTE TO FRANCIS BROWN

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great Mainer and one of the most outstanding individuals I have had the 
good fortune to know, Francis Brown of Calais, ME.
  There are many rewarding aspects to public service, not the least of 
which is the opportunity to meet people like Francis Brown. It has been 
my privilege to call Francis a friend for more than two decades now, 
and I know the people of Downeast Maine share my high regard and 
deepest respect for this devoted family man who has given so much of 
himself to the community and state he loves.
  Francis is a leading citizen of Calais. He exemplifies the kind of 
values and ideals we frequently associate with those small towns 
throughout the country where neighbors still help neighbors, and where 
service to others is the standard by which a man or woman is measured. 
Indeed, for Francis, the concept of service is one indelibly woven 
through the fabric of his life.
  As a student at the University of Maine, my alma mater, Francis spent 
four years in the ROTC program, and went on to serve in World War Two 
as a Radar Officer and in Korea as a member of the military police. 
Having more than fulfilled his duty to his country, Francis 
nevertheless later volunteered as an Army reservist with the Maine Army 
National Guard from 1946 until 1967, when he retired with the rank of 
Major.
  When he was not serving his country in the armed forces, Francis was 
working on behalf of his fellow Mainers not only in his law practice 
but as a longtime and well-respected city solicitor. As is typical of 
his nature, however, Francis was not content to allow his efforts in 
the practice of law alone--significant as they were--define his 
commitment to the community.
  Giving generously of his time and talents, Francis has touched many 
lives and has made an indelible and positive mark on his beloved 
Washington County and the State of Maine. He was a member of the 
Advisory Committee to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Criminal 
Rules of procedure for thirteen years. A long-time active and integral 
member of the Calais Rotary Club, he earned distinction as a Paul 
Harris Fellow in 1976.
  Emblematic of his commitment to and interest in education, Francis 
brought his tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to his 
service on the University of Maine Board of Trustees for more than a 
decade. And as a man whose faith has always been central to his life, 
he has served his beloved United Methodist Church in Calais as a 
trustee for many years.
  Not surprisingly, Francis has been recognized with many awards over 
the years, including the Arlo T. Bates Award for Outstanding Community 
Service from the Calais Chamber of Commerce, the prestigious Jefferson 
Public Service Award, and the University of Maine Presidential 
Achievement Award.
  And just as predictably, Francis has never been very impressed by all 
the recognition and adulation. For him, good deeds are always to be 
done for their own sake. Acts of kindness are made because that is 
simply the proper way to live one's life, not because they may bring 
personal glorification. Indeed, Francis is one of the most genuinely 
decent and humble people I have known.
  Most of all, he is quite simply a wonderful person to be around. I 
would dare say there was never a person who has met Francis who does 
not like Francis. His generous spirit could warm even the coldest Maine 
day, and his humor could shine good cheer into the darkest of times. 
How thankful we are for such gifts as those he has so selflessly given 
to us.
  Today, it is our turn to return the favor. With Francis having fallen 
ill in recent times, the hearts of many go out to him as do our 
prayers. It is not likely that any of us will be able to fully repay 
the debt of gratitude we feel to this beloved friend, neighbor, and 
fellow Mainer. But we certainly feel compelled to try.
  The great American author Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, ``to know 
even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--this is to 
have succeeded.'' By that measure, Francis Brown is unquestionably one 
of the most successful people I know, and I want him to know that I am 
proud to call him a friend.

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