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“RON BROWN: A TRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SERVICE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S3269-S3270 on April 15, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RON BROWN: A TRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SERVICE
Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, now that the initial shock of the horrific jet crash in Croatia has passed, we are forced to accept the fact that my friend Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 other talented professionals have perished. Today, almost 2 weeks later, it's still hard to describe the echoing sense of loss and deep sinking sorrow that still remains in all of us--man, woman, black, white, Republican, Democrat.
There has been much written and said about Ron Brown over the last few days, and that is fitting, because there is so much to say. He was many things: key strategist, mesmerizing speaker, wily politician, savvy businessman, superb lawyer. Most of all, he was an exemplary public servant for this country. On his last day, he was on the road in a faraway place aggressively promoting U.S. business interests abroad. And, in this case, he was trying to bring peace and economic recovery to the war-weary Bosnian people. He took very seriously his responsibility to preserve the American dream for the next generation of Americans, so that they will have economic opportunity rather than a declining standard of living. To him, championing the economic interests of the United States was tantamount to championing the people of the United States, and so, in a very literal way, he died serving his country.
Ron Brown was the most effective Secretary of Commerce I have known in my years in the Senate. It is fair to say that he was the most energetic and outstanding individual to ever serve in that post. Throughout his distinguished career in private industry, politics and the executive branch, Ron Brown served as a role model for all Americans. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, international business has become the new realm for competition. Ron Brown understood that and worked tirelessly to promote U.S. exports and business overseas. It was quite typical for Secretary Brown and me to meet after he had returned from a long trip abroad. Lack of sleep and shifting time zones never set him back. Jet lag wasn't in his vocabulary. It just was not in Ron's nature to take time to rest up.
Ron Brown was an especially strong role model for African-Americans. He never forgot his roots, and he took special pride in his efforts to make Commerce Department programs more inclusive and to provide equal opportunity in the work force. He took pride in his efforts to revitalize the Minority Business Development Agency and the Economic Development Administration. Most of all, he set an example for those who would follow in his footsteps with his determination, his intelligence and his optimism.
Secretary Brown came into the Commerce Department with a tremendous task: to shake one of the Government's largest and most diverse departments out of its dormancy, and turn it into forceful, focused, and effective agency. At his confirmation, he expressed the following among his priorities for the Department of Commerce: ``Expanding exports, promoting new technologies, supporting business development--
these all require integrated action, crossing old lines between business, labor and government.'' Ron Brown was an expert in crossing old lines, whether racial or bureaucratic, whether he was rejuvenating the Democratic Party or reinvigorating the Department of Commerce. He could see potential where others couldn't, and he had that unbeatable combination of vision and determination that was contagious. He inspired those around him.
In addition to his political acumen and leadership abilities, Ron Brown was extremely likable. I remember walking down the corridors in the Hoover Building seeing signs on employees' office doors that read
``Ron Brown Fan Club.'' Even those misguided few in Congress who spent the last year trying to abolish the Commerce Department found their efforts thwarted by the simple fact that so many businessmen and Members of Congress not only believed in the importance of Commerce--
but also that everyone simply liked Ron Brown.
This is a tragedy that hits home for me, Peatsy, and my staff. Ron Brown was a good friend. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Alma, his children, and all the families of the passengers and crew of the aircraft.
Mr. President, let's all remember Ron Brown for his firebrand style of engaged public service. We'll all miss him. I wish we had more like him.
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