[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 16 (Thursday, January 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ROBERT M. BALL

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor the life 
of Robert Ball. Bob Ball has been a champion of America's elderly since 
1939, helping to guide and strengthen our Social Security system for 
nearly 70 years. He was America's longest serving Social Security 
Commissioner, overseeing improvements to benefits such as the 
introduction of automatic cost-of-living adjustments. Today, about a 
third of our Nation's elderly rely on Social Security for 90 percent or 
more of their income, and two-thirds count on it to supply at least 
half of their income. It has been America's most successful anti-
poverty program ever, due in no small part to Bob's influence.
  While he is little known outside Washington, Bob played a critical 
role in the origins of our most recognizable Government programs. His 
work led to the introduction of Social Security disability insurance, 
and now because of him more than 7 million Americans who can't work due 
to a disability can still live in dignity. He helped create our 
Medicare system, which now provides health care to more than 40 million 
elderly Americans. Even as he became a Social Security recipient 
himself, he continued to defend the program against benefit cuts and 
privatization proposals. There is no question that Robert Ball's work 
has improved the lives of millions of Americans. His character, wisdom, 
and leadership will be greatly missed.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, very sadly, Robert M. Ball, Bob Ball, 
passed away on January 29, 2008, at the age of 93. Bob Ball had a truly 
exceptional record of public service and his passing is a loss to this 
nation. Bob Ball served as the longest serving Commissioner of the 
Social Security Administration from 1962 to 1973 and played a critical 
role in all changes to the Social Security programs for the last half 
century. He was a champion of social insurance programs, and through 
his leadership, the Social Security Administration tackled many 
challenges and served millions of Americans in need. Few individuals 
have had as direct and profound an effect on the lives of our fellow 
citizens. And I would like to express my personal gratitude for Bob 
Ball's dedicated service.
  Bob Ball began his career with Social Security in a New Jersey field 
office in 1939. At SSA's headquarters, he served in various positions 
with the Bureau of Old Age and Survivors Insurance. He left the agency 
briefly in 1945 to serve as staff director for the Advisory Council on 
Social Security to the Senate Committee on Finance, and returned 4 
years later serving as assistant director of the Bureau of Old Age and 
Survivors Insurance, and eventually, deputy director and acting 
director.
  In 1962, President John F. Kennedy appointed Bob Ball Commissioner of 
Social Security, a position he held under both Democratic and 
Republican Presidents--retiring in 1973. During his time at SSA, he 
helped establish the Disability Insurance Program, the Medicare 
Program, and the Supplemental Security Income Program. These programs 
now protect millions of Americans from what President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt called the hazards and vicissitudes of life--disability that 
prevents work, and extended old age, both of which can cause severe 
poverty.
  Following his retirement, Bob Ball went on to be one of the most 
active and prolific advocates for Social Security and social insurance 
programs. He was an influential member of the Greenspan Commission, 
which in 1983 reestablished Social Security on a sound financial 
footing, and has written and spoken on every proposal to improve Social 
Security's current financing difficulties, including the grossly flawed 
proposals to privatize Social Security. Bob Ball founded the National 
Academy of Social Insurance in 1986 to promote understanding and 
informed policymaking on Social Security and other social insurance 
programs through research, training, and public events for the exchange 
of unbiased information.
  Bob Ball was a great American who dedicated his life to serving 
others. His passing is a great loss to this body and to all 
policymakers. I am sure my colleagues will join me in offering our 
deepest condolences to his family and to his friends and colleagues. I 
hope that we can keep his dedication in mind as we continue his life's 
work and secure our retirement and disability programs for the millions 
of Americans who benefit and will benefit from his service.

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