[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14647-14648]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ROSS OGDEN

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a dedicated, 
inspiring--and one of our Nation's longest serving--emergency 
responders. Ross Ogden has quite literally given to the American Red 
Cross for his entire adult life.
  Beginning his service in 1960 as one of the youngest members of the 
Greenwich chapter of the American Red Cross, Mr. Ogden served since his 
high school days with his local chapter, now known as Metro New York 
North. Throughout his academic tenure at Swarthmore College and then 
the University of Virginia, Mr. Ogden has helped and rescued fellow 
Americans confronting crisis, loss, and pain. He has administered aid 
during our most devastating national disasters, traveling around the 
country to join his family of Red Cross volunteers, ready to help at a 
moment's notice. In the wake of Los Angeles' deadly earthquake in 1994, 
on 9/11, and during Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Ogden risked danger to help 
others without hesitation. He is now, most deservedly, the national 
chair for disaster services.
  While giving on a national scale, Mr. Ogden maintains his regional 
allegiance to the Connecticut area, currently a member of the board of 
directors for the Red Cross' blood services in

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the metro north region. He is passionate about maintaining a plentiful 
blood supply for Americans in critical need, working as a blood 
volunteer for Greenwich's emergency blood coverage team.
  Over the past years, Mr. Ogden has been formally recognized through 
two significant lifetime achievement awards, including the Clara Barton 
Award and the Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service, which 
is the most highly regarded, national recognition given by the Red 
Cross. Appropriately, Mr. Ogden received this high honor on the 
anniversary of his 50 years of service to the Red Cross. A mentor to 
young volunteers and passionate about inspiring citizens and 
communities to volunteer for the first time, he is unwaveringly 
committed to the future of the American Red Cross.
  Mr. Ogden is a role model for all who give back. I welcome my 
colleagues in the Senate to join me in commending Mr. Ross Ogden for 
his tremendous personal service.

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