On the recordSeptember 15, 2010
I want to put into the Record my thoughts about Bob Ball, one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. And there is no one I have met whose public sector contribution I admire more. Naming this building on the campus of Social Security, a building that has so much of the daily delivery of the Social Security benefit to the American people, having this building carry his name is just so utterly appropriate. Bob Ball, through his entire service, had a clear vision of Social Security. It comes down to simply this: If all of us protected each of us, the lives of tens of millions would be improved and our country would be stronger as a result. He was the most influential proponent of social insurance our country has ever had. He was a leading thinker, a gifted administrator, a skilled political operative, an irresistible advocate, an exceptional teacher, and I can tell you personally he was a very wise mentor. Of all of his remarkable abilities and traits, perhaps the one we will remember most was his dogged persistence. He stayed on task and made valuable contributions to Social Security through six decades of service. Bob knew what his mission was and he never wavered in pursuit of it.
