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Reposted from the Port of Virginia’s blog: Edward L. Brown Sr., the long-time leader of the Atlantic Coast District of the International Longshoremen’s Association, died Friday Feb. 5; he was 84. |
Brown spent 50 years on the Hampton Roads waterfront with the ILA, and during that career spent time solving problems and negotiating on behalf of the union from Maine to Texas. Many who knew Brown and sat on the opposite side of the table from him are quick to remember one of his favorite sayings as a negotiator: “We are in the middle of the couch.”
“I think his dedication to the ILA, and in particular the men and women he represented here, will never be matched again,” said Roger Giesinger, president of the Hampton Roads Shipping Association. “Ed led this Union to greatness with his forward-thinking and his ability to make decisions when they were not popular to all his members. Typically, these decisions were not only the right decisions, but decisions that created more jobs and more money for ILA benefits.
“I shall miss him … He was my colleague and friend. Edward L. Brown Sr. was one of a kind.”
Brown served his country during World War II in the U.S. Army and the United States Merchant Marines, which he said led him to his career on the Hampton Roads’ waterfront. Following his military career Brown joined the ILA Local 1248 in September 1956 and progressed through its leadership ranks. In 1968 he became the ILA president and served in that capacity until 1985. At the time of his death Brown was international vice president, as well as the general vice president of the Atlantic Coast District.
Brown was a native of Norfolk and was a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. He was one of the first students to attend Norfolk State University when it became part of Virginia State College in 1944. Brown received an honorary degree from NSU for his dedication to the well-being and expansion of the university. In 2002 the ILA-Hampton Roads District Council established the Edward L. Brown, Sr., Endowed Professorship in Management at Norfolk State University in his honor.
Over the years, Brown has received numerous honors, including Man of the Year by the Hunton YMCA in 1984; the Martin Luther King Jr., Appreciation Award for labor activities in 1995; and the Distinguished Service Award by the Hampton Roads Maritime Association in 2005.
In 2006, his 50 years of service on the Virginia waterfront was recognized in Virginia House of Delegates Joint Resolution No. 5176.
“He was tireless in his effort to build this port into something great,” said Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “He clearly understood the relationship that must exist among labor, the shipping companies and the terminal operator to have a successful business. Because of the time he had on the job Ed had the ability to see an issue from multiple points of view and that is what made him an experienced, tough and practical negotiator.”
From The Virginian-Pilot:
“He was a great leader for the ILA and for the entire maritime industry in Hampton Roads,” said Thomas Little, president of the Hampton Roads District Council of the ILA and president of Local 1248 in Norfolk. “Our prayers go out to his family.”
“Ed has been an inspiration to all of us in the industry,” said Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, who said he has been a friend of Brown’s for roughly 20 years. “He was almost like a father figure, in his leadership, his guidance and patience. We’re going to miss Ed – not only as an industry, but as a community. We’ve lost a very good man and leader.”
In his role as head of the ILA in Hampton Roads, Brown “was a true leader that helped this port achieve the success that it has today,” said Jeff Keever, senior deputy executive director, external affairs, for the Virginia Port Authority.
Brown, 83, died of complications from cancer at home in Virginia Beach at 5:17 this morning.
Brown, also a charter member of the Board of Directors of the Hampton Roads Partnership serving on the Executive Committee from 1996 to 2003, represented about 2,000 working longshoremen who load and unload the ships that come through the port, as well as about 1,800 retirees. At the Partnership’s formation in 1996, Brown co-chaired the Standing Committee on Privatization.
“Few people have touched the lives of so many and had the global impact as did Ed Brown,” said Dana Dickens, President and CEO of the Partnership.
Photo credit: Inside Business and The Virginian-Pilot
2 comments
HR Partnership says:
February 9, 2010 at 4:46 pm (UTC -4 )
Edward L. Brown Sr.
VIRGINIA BEACH – Edward L. Brown Sr., 83, of the 200 block of Oakengate Turn, passed away at his residence surrounded by family Feb. 5, 2010. He was born Sept. 21, 1926 in Norfolk. He was a member of the ILA Local 1248 for 53 years.
As a longshoreman, he represented his local in various positions. He served as recording secretary before being elected president of that local in 1968. In 1986, he was elected international vice president of the Port of Hampton Roads. In this capacity, he also served as general vice president of the Atlantic Coast District. Ed Brown received countless awards and honors. The ILA District Council of Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, each year sponsor “The Edward L. Brown Sr. Norfolk State University Endowed Professorship in Management Golf Outing.” This event has contributed to the Norfolk State University Foundation. His great leadership and knowledge of the maritime industry has gained him respect nationwide by both the International Longshoreman’s Association and management. Ed Brown was a member of the National Association of Guardsmen Inc. and the Eureka Club of Portsmouth.
He is survived by his wife, Yvonne H. Brown; a son, Edward L. Brown Jr.; four daughters, Judy Brown, Valerie Brown, Robin Hairston and Bunny Hairston; 11 grandchildren; 16 greatgrandchildren; two greatgreat-grandchildren; and a host of other family and friends.
A funeral will be held 11 a.m. Thursday at the Kempsville Presbyterian Church, 805 Kempsville Road, Virginia Beach. Entombment will be in Rosewood Memorial Park Beach The family will receive friends Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. to celebrate the life of Edward L. Brown Sr. at Metropolitan Funeral Service, Granby Street Chapel, followed by a wake and viewing from 7 to 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be offered at http://www.metropolitanfuneralservice.com.
HR Partnership says:
February 15, 2010 at 1:04 pm (UTC -4 )
Mourners pay respects to ILA leader credited with port success
About 400 mourners attended a memorial service Thurs day for Edward L. Brown Sr., the local head of the International Longshoremen’s Association for more than two decades.
“His leadership will be missed but never forgotten,” said Tommy Little, president of ILA Local 1248.
Brown, 83, died Feb. 5 of complications from cancer.
He represented 2,000 longshoremen who load and unload the ships that call in the port of Hampton Roads, as well as about 1,800 retirees. As international vice president and wage-scale chief negotiator, Brown was able to secure collective-bargaining agreements that improved the standard of living for many in the port and benefited the entire maritime industry, Little said.
A letter from Gov. Bob McDonnell was read at the service at Kempsville Presbyterian Church. Remembrances also were shared by Roger Giesinger, president of the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, and Edward L. Brown III, Brown’s grandson.
“For 50 years, Mr. Brown worked to build the port of Hampton Roads into the great seaport that it is today,” McDonnell wrote in a letter read by Little. “Much of the port’s success is due to Mr. Brown.”
ILA President Richard Hughes, who leads about 18,500 longshoremen from Maine to Texas, had been scheduled to attend but was unable to because of snow in Baltimore, said Jim McNamara, a spokesman in the New York headquarters of the union, on Thurs day.
Brown ” may have been one of the top two or three most popular figures in the whole ILA for the past 30 years,” McNamara said. “He was a very intelligent negotiator; he understood management and he understood the ILA.”
The ILA is planning a memorial service for Brown, probably in mid-March at a national meeting in Tampa, Fla., McNamara said.
“If there is any unorganized labor in heaven, it won’t be for long,” Brown III said. “If there is any jurisdiction disputes in heaven, it won’t be for long; if there are any violations to the rules and regulations in heaven, it won’t be for long. Heaven will now be an organized place, because Ed Brown Sr. is on his way and all parties involved will meet at the center of the couch.”
Robert McCabe, (757) 446-2327, robert.mccabe@pilotonline.com
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/02/mourners-pay-respects-ila-leader-credited-port-success