Sam Gejdenson: “Ron Brown, who was a good friend of many years, and I appeared on a program about 3 weeks into his position as Secretary…”

“Ron Brown, who was a good friend of many years, and I appeared on a program about 3 weeks into his position as Secretary of Commerce, and I was somewhat nervous for my friend, because the breadth and depth of areas covered by the Commerce Department are so vast. Within 3 weeks he had mastered the area of high-technology licensing and exports to a degree which most secretaries had not at the completion of their term, his interest length was such and his intensity and commitment to the areas he was in charge of. He knew his job, he executed it with dignity and grace and with an energy that ought to inspire everyone in both the public and private sector. He fought for the economic strength of this country from every working man and woman's point of view. He wanted to make sure there were jobs so that each American would have the kind of opportunity he had made for himself. He was a friend, he was incredibly capable. I cannot imagine that there is anyone who will serve in that capacity who will have the energy and intellect that Ron Brown had.”