Commerce Secretary Gary Locke U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's Remarks at Ron Brown Recognition Ceremony and Reception I’d like to welcome you all to the U.S. Commerce Department. That was a beautiful ceremony we just had outside, and I’m happy so many of you could join us in here.
Once again, we are joined by Ron’s wife Alma, his children Michael and Tracy, and their families.
I’m deeply honored to speak about Ron’s impact at Commerce and I’ll try to capture the sentiment of all the people here at the department who had the privilege to work with him.
But before I begin I would like to share a letter from Bill Daley, President Obama’s chief of staff and a former Secretary of Commerce: “I am sorry that I can’t join the celebration today, but I wanted to send congratulations and best wishes to Alma, Michael, Tracy and all of you gathered in memory of Ron.
Ron was a trailblazer, a tireless advocate and a committed public servant. I was also proud to call him my friend. Ron’s mark on the Department of Commerce and this country will endure for generations and the dedication of Ron Brown Way today is a well-deserved memorial to his life of service to our nation.” If we opened the microphone to all the Commerce people who had nice things to say about Ron Brown, this event could run through the whole weekend.
When Ron Brown first arrived at the Commerce Department in 1993, he already had a well-earned reputation as a trailblazer and a difference-maker.
Ron grew up in the United States at time when there were many barriers to the advancement of African Americans. Ron spent the rest of his life breaking through those barriers.
He was the first African-American:
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
