[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               PAYING TRIBUTE TO SURF LEGEND BRUCE BROWN

  (Mr. ROHRABACHER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to surf 
legend and filmmaker Bruce Brown, who, at 80 years of age, died this 
week.
  Bruce Brown challenged a generation of Americans to follow our dream 
and to find our perfect wave. He reached out to introduce us to the 
magic experience of being propelled by the power of nature on an ocean 
wave. Adventure and a rush of excitement was only as far away as a 
local beach.
  Bruce Brown made movies about surfing. ``Endless Summer'' was his 
best known. But his films were more than entertainment. He spoke to our 
soul and our spirit of adventure. He inspired us to go for it, to take 
on towering waves, just as other Americans scaled the tallest mountain 
peaks and even journeyed to the Moon.
  Isn't that what America was all about? Isn't that what America is all 
about?
  My first surfboard was a large, single-fin Velzy. Dale Velzy owned a 
surf shop in San Clemente and financed Bruce Brown's first film, 
``Slippery When Wet.''
  The surf culture Bruce Brown helped get born is still here. Outsiders 
are intrigued by it. You know when you are part of it.
  Bruce Brown showed us the way. A few days ago, he passed on and is 
paddling into the distant sunset. He followed his dream, he found his 
perfect wave, and he rode it as far as it would take him.

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