[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ORLAND BERGENE

 Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, it is my privilege to honor a very 
special man for his 43\1/2\ years of service with the Social Security 
Administration. Mr. Orland Bergene was raised in Circle, MT, graduating 
from Circle High School in 1955. He graduated in 1960, with a degree in 
Business Administration, from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT. 
Mr. Bergene and his wife, Judy, were married in 1965 and have two 
children, Steven and Jana.
  Mr. Bergene has helped citizens obtain disability benefits and 
information through the Social Security Administration, by beginning 
his career as a Claims Representative in Billings, MT, in June 1961. 
Realizing his potential, Orland was promoted to Field Representative in 
1965, Operations Supervisor in Grand Forks, ND, in 1971, and Staff 
Officer at the Denver Regional Office in 1973.
  Mr. Bergen was selected for the Staff Development Program in January 
of 1975 and became the Public Affairs Assistant in the Regional Office 
in Denver, CO, in August of that same year. He moved to Pueblo, CO, in 
1978 as Assistant District Manager and was reassigned as branch manager 
in LaJunta, CO, in January of 1993. Orland served on a variety of 
details in the Denver regional office and the Colorado Disability 
Determination Services, until being reassigned in January 1994 and 
coming home to Montana to his present position as district manager in 
the Social Security Administration's Billings District Office, as their 
district manager.
  When Mr. Bergene retired January 3, 2005, we lost a very dedicated 
and caring public servant. He is an inspiration to us all, and a great 
teacher to many who have worked for and with the Social Security 
Administration. I have personal knowledge of Orland's dedication, and 
commitment, not only to his profession, but more importantly to the 
people he worked with, and the citizens he worked for. Thank you, 
Orland, for your service to our country.

                          ____________________