Thomas Wayne Brown, age 71 of Monroe, Georgia died on March 16, 2009. I do not believe that Wayne Brown spent too much time (if any) reading blogs on the internet. He was from the old school. In fact, it is rumored that he helped build the old school. He was old school, yet progressive.
This diary is a celebration of Mr. Brown's lifelong commitment to the Democratic party and to helping Democratic candidates. Wayne Brown never ran for public office, but he served loyally as a member of the Democratic Committee of Walton County and in local Democratic committees in South Carolina and Tennessee. Local committees recruit candidates, make connections for candidates, and work to get those candidates elected. It is the type of work for which there is little recognition. Yet it is the lifeblood of our party.
Not telling you anything you do not already know, Georgia has been on a Republican swing for a while. That swing happened in Walton County even sooner than it did in the rest of Georgia. But even though the terrain got tougher, Wayne Brown still did the absolutely necessary work with the local committee.
Mr. Brown understood that the political power of parties is like a pendulum. It swings one way for a while, but then swings back the other way. (In Georgia, we are working to help it swing back our way.)
I always enjoyed talking politics with Mr. Brown. He was old school, yet progressive. And it was refreshing to talk with someone who knew so much about the history of Democratic politics, but maintained a commitment to progressive ideals.
In 2004, I ran for a State Senate seat in Georgia. I left a job at a large law firm in Atlanta to return to my hometown (population 800) to start a solo law practice and run against one of the four party-switchers in the Georgia State Senate that had undemocratically given Republicans control of that chamber. (The 2004 election in Georgia gave Republicans control of both legislative chambers, a fact that remains true today).
Mr. Brown was one of the first people on board with my campaign. He didn't live in my district or even near my district. Nevertheless, he thought it was a great thing, and he was one of my first contributors.
Mr. Brown was a 1959 graduate of Clemson University and a 32nd Degree Mason with Berkeley Lodge #269 in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. He managed electric cooperatives in South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia and served in the U.S. Army and the Army National Guard of South Carolina. Mr. Brown worked in parts of the South that weren't the most progressive parts of the world, but Mr. Brown did not tolerate unfairness or discrimination in the workplace or among the workers.
I will miss Wayne Brown. Our party will miss him too.
Mr. Brown, on behalf of Georgia Democrats and Democrats and Progressives everywhere, I express my deepest thanks for your many years of hard work. Rest assured, you set a good example, and we will keep up the hard work.