William Martini: “I rise today to honor Ron Brown, the United States Secretary of Commerce who was killed in a tragic accident on April 3…”

“I rise today to honor Ron Brown, the United States Secretary of Commerce who was killed in a tragic accident on April 3, 1996. He and 35 other victims died when their plane went down on a stormy evening in Croatia. He was serving as a diplomat in the war-torn area, analyzing the economy and what actions needed to be taken in the former Yugoslavia in order to spur economic growth to secure the peace. Ron Brown was indeed an asset to the United States. He was one of the ambitious, special people who is capable of performing multiple roles in their lives while at the same time succeeding in all arenas and remaining true to their ideology. Ron Brown was a vocal and successful civil rights advocate, political strategist, corporate lawyer, and propagator of American business interests. He tirelessly campaigned to make the interests of American businesses a foreign policy goal. He certainly deserves credit and thanks for market expansion. It is because of his success in multiple arenas and in the international community that the United States and the world mourn together. Today we should all take a moment to remember the career and the man we lost.”