Norfolk – 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."
I'm sorry. My sincere condolences to his relatives and to everyone who was close to him
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