Click for Table of Contents Click on a Topic Below EDITORIAL

With deep pleasure we present this edition of

OASIS to commemorate with you, the people of BOASI, the 25th Anniversary of the Social Secur- Vol. 6 AUGUST 1960 No. 8 ity Act.

CONTENTS Page Words alone can do little, so we ask you to read Security for a People------5 and remember--this Bureau is what it is today Touching All Bases------6 because of the people who work here; people ever- Social Security: Past, Present, Future------8 OASI in Action------12 willing to give their entire working lives in dedi- Building Dedication------15 cated service to a program that stands always ready “Good Morning” in Pennsylvania----- 18 to lend its hand to the aged, the dependent, the District Offices------26 disabled. Square Peg------30 The Bureau 1935-1960------31 To be a part of this program, to feel that each Interviews------38 day we are engaged in helping our fellow man at a Re-Touching All Bases------44 time when he needs us most, is a source of great Memory Lane------47 Cover Story------48 satisfaction to each of us. Regardless of whether . we stand in the front lines and deal directly with contributors and claimants or whether we process Published once each month for the employees of the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, Social Security Admin- their records, or decide the policy, or frame legis- istration, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for administmtive information only. It does not alter or lative proposals, we all are parts of the chain that supersede Regulations, operating procedures, or manual instructions. binds us.

. Let these first twenty-five years stand as our Victor Christgau, Director pledge to the future of America-and to our con- Robert M. Ball, Deputy Director viction in the soundness of our program and the seriousness with which we approach the task with which we are charged.

OUR CONTRIBUTORS Thomas C. Parrott, Assistant Director We wish we could say a personal word of thanks to all Division of Public lnformation and Personnel Management employees, past and present, for their contributions to Ellen McGuire, Editor this edition. From North, South, East, and West-from payment centers, from regional and district offices from Contributions and inquiries should be addressed to the the Central Office-came your anecdotes, your memories, Editor, Room 133, Social Security Building, Baltimore 35, your pictures. We regret that space limitations have not Maryland. Phone Wlndsor 4-5000. Ext. 2385. permitted us to include them all, but many will be pub- lished in future issues of OASIS.

2 OASIS ET me take this anniversary occasion to extend sincere congratulations to all those associated with the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability In- L surance Program for a job well done and best wishes for the years ahead. This is an occasion not merely to note the passage of time but to recognize achievement-and to look ahead toward even greater achievement in the future. For the age of the program in which you are engaged is not a true measure of its worth; the true measure is how well it serves the needs, the hopes, and the aspirations of the people. The first quarter of a century since the passage of the Social Security Act has been a period rich in human progress in this country, and you have been in the main stream of this progress, many of you from its beginnings. All of you, I am sure, have a sense of being part of history still in the making. You are partners in a never-ending effort to improve the economic well-being of the American people. The success of this pioneering program and the warm feeling that Americans everywhere have toward social security is in no small measure a result of the manner in which you have translated law into service and the regard that you have shown-despite the tremendous growth of the program-for the individual and his personal problems. I know that in the years ahead you will continue to bring to your work the same sense of mission and devotion to duty that has been the hallmark of this program from the beginning.

ARTHUR S. FLEMMING, Secretary Department of Health, Education & Welfare AUGUST 1960 3 A Message From Director Christgau

HIS month marks a point in our history when we Another tradition that has grown over the years is that Tcan stop for a moment and look back on a quarter BOASI is a good place to work; that here we work to- century of accomplishment and the traditions that gether to do a very significant job; and that this is an over the years have become a part of BOASI. But in a organization where initiative is recognized and rewarded. larger sense, this is a time at which to view the past as a Each of us has played a part in forming the traditions, prologue to what is really important to all of us-the the attitudes that exemplify the OASDI program in our future. Tradition is not only a source of pride; it is also own minds and in those of the public. We have all added a source of strength for what we have yet to do, a founda- to the sum total of what the Bureau means as a living tion upon which to build. organization. One of our strongest traditions is based on our constant effort to provide an efficient, yet personalized administra- On this 25th Anniversary of Social Security, I hope tion of the law. This feeling lives with us today as the you will all join me in considering this milestone in our very soul of our operations. We must dedicate ourselves history as truly a guidepost on our way toward better as a group and as individuals to make this purpose even things, for the Bureau, for its employees, and for the more meaningful in the’years ahead. people we serve.

4 OASIS SECURITY for a People

Foreword to the First Annual Report, Social Security Board Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1936

An attempt to find security for a erties, their liberties and opportuni- terprise cannot provide. Its policies people is among the oldest of political ties. As we have met the exigencies must be directed to all groups in so- obligations and the greatest of the which changing times have brought, ciety. The nation is an intricate or- tasks of a state. The Declaration of the domain of security has been en- ganization of activities. Interests, Independence sets down as self-evi- riched and enlarged. As the way occupations, and sections have dif- dent the right of a people “to provide opens ahead, we must secure its wider ferent tasks to perform in a national new guards for a future security.” opportunities. economy. The security of each must The avowed object of the Constitution The quest of security is a task for be promoted within the circumstances of the United States is “to secure the the whole of the people. It must be peculiar to it. blessings of liberty to ourselves and worked out within a system which is The Social Security Act was passed our posterity.” distinctly American. That system as a single measure to promote the But what is security? It is no does not offer the individual a life realization of this broad aim. Its blessing to be had for the asking. It of security. It grants him an op- meaning and significance are to be is no gift of the government through portunity and imposes upon him the discovered in its relationship to the a single legislative act. It is no ab- obligation to find security for himself. society it serves. It does not usurp straction too nebulous for definition. There can be no obligation without the role of private enterprise. It Security begins with bread and but- opportunity. And for opportunity recognizes work and a wage as the ter. But a mere subsistence is no the individual must look to private best security which the worker can security for the American citizen. enterprise. Upon it he is dependent find for himself. The act provides The Nation is rich in natural re- for a job, an income, a chance to get not a complete security in itself but sources; a necessary complement to the secu- it possesses a developing ahead, a place to put his savings. If technology; it has a varied abundance rity afforded by private enterprise agriculture, industry, and business of human capacities to turn to ac- and a complement to other measures are articulated into an orderly and count. Security is more than a con- of government directed to the same dition of material well-being. An smoothly running system, the more end. The plan would make a sorry opportunity to earn a living, to be a fundamental part of the problem is go of it if the whole burden of keep- member of the community, to have solved. To the extent to which they ing a people from destitution fell upon a part in the government is basic. In are not so articulated, an obligation its provisions. In fact, it is the rea- positive terms, the security of a rests upon the government. Agricul- sonable certainty of what industry people is the sum of the arrangements ture and industry must be aided to can provide that makes it possible for set up by business, by the govern- provide the opportunities out of government to undertake its task.. It ment, and by society through which which the security of the people is to carries no threat to the way of indi- the things we cherish are safeguarded be created. Thus, the security of a vidual thrift. On the contrary, it against the hazards we, as individuals, people is a great cooperative enter- enlarges the opportunities and lessens the hazards of personal provision. cannot control. prise. The citizens, the economic Here is the key to the Social Se- Above all, security is not static. system, and the government are curity Act. It hedges the major haz- The march of the decades brings partners in this national provision. ards of life about with safeguards changed conditions. Old problems In this endeavor the government which neither the individual alone have to be freshly stated, established has its distinctive part. Its task is nor industry unaided can provide. safeguards to be supplanted by new. to quicken opportunity, to set up bar- The life of the worker is continuous. But there is still the necessity of serv- riers against industrial shock, to care ing a people in their lives and prop for the needy for whom private en- (Continued on page 39)

AUGUST 1960 5 SOCIAL SECURITY:

Past, Present,

Twentv-five vears aeo. the Social Security Act estab- 25th anniversary of the Social Security Act, I want to talk lished a new concept in the United States of social re- to you, the people who carry out that program, about the sponsibility for the well-being of individual Americans. reasons why I think it has won such wide acceptance and It brought a broader and deeper significance to the Consti- about the challenges the future may hold. tutional phrase, “To promote the general welfare.” A brief quarter century of experience under the Act has American Incentive testified to its utility in today’s industrial society. Created The chief reason, in my opinion, why this program of in response to a national economic crisis, the social secu- old-age, survivors, and disability insurance has won such rity programs have proven their worth in periods of in- wide public acceptance is that it is squarely in line with creasing economic prosperity as well as during adversity. our American traditions of hard work, thrift and self- This year, old-age, survivors, and disability insurance reliance. Under it a person’s security and that of his benefits will total an estimated $10 billion and public family grow out of the work that he does. He earns his assistance payments from Federal, State, and local funds future security as he earns his living, and he pays toward will total about $3 1/2 billion. Today these programs are meeting the cost of that security while he is earning. Be- basic to the total national effort to provide income secu- cause the right to benefits arises from the individual’s rity to the aged, to meet the needs of families who have work and the amount of benefits is related to past earnings, lost the breadwinner while the children were young, and the program backs up our American system of incentives. to help provide support for the severely disabled and their And because benefits are paid without regard to the dependents. In add’t’i ion, they provide the foundation for person’s other income and resources, they serve as a base much of the work of private welfare agencies. Similarly, upon which he is encouraged to build for himself addi- the many thousands of industrial pension plans involving tional income protection. millions of workers supplement the basic retirement in- Two other important features of the program are that come that is provided by old-age, survivors, and disability it is compulsory and comprehensive as to coverage. If insurance. it were not, many people would not have the protection Principles Accepted the program provides at the time when it was needed, and the community would find that it would have to Both major political parties support these programs, support, through assistance from general revenue, those and there is widespread acceptance of them throughout people who had not provided for their own’ support. the country. It should be especially pleasing to the found- Still another characteristic of the program, at least as it ing fathers of social security that public acceptance of has developed so far, is that it has proven responsive to these programs embraces not only the results which have changes in prices and levels of living. been achieved, but also the principles upon which the America’s economic and social life has changed rapidly programs are based. and substantially since the thirties. Future changes I want to address myself particularly here to the old- promise to be even greater, both in pace and magnitude. age, survivors, and disability insurance program. On this In looking toward the future, we must examine the ade-

8 OASIS BY WILLIAM L. MITCHELL and Future Commissioner of Social Security

quacy of our social security programs in relation to cur- the long run, those people on whose earnings records rent American standards of living. And, tied in with this, minimum or near-minimum benefits are paid will be, for we must explore the devices by which we can assure the most part, people who had not been dependent on adequacy as our economy and society expand. covered earnings over a good part of their lifetime but, as There is no single, simple, objective standard for deter- a result of occasional or part-time work, managed never- mining the adequacy of a system of money payments. theless to become insured. There would seem to be no For the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance pro- justification for providing these people with old-age, sur- gram, adequacy has at least three meanings: sufficiency in vivors, and disability insurance benefits high enough to be relation to wage loss, sufficiency in relation to need, and fully adequate for their support when the earnings the keeping pace with the economy. benefits are based on would not have been high enough to support them before their working years were over. Threefold Adequacy Social insurance can and should diminish the role of pubIic assistance, but it never can be expected to com- In the first meaning of the word, benefits under the pletely eliminate the need for it. Although the great old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program can- majority of American families will in time be fully not be considered adequate if they are not reasonably protected by the old-age, survivors, and disability insur- Benefits related to the individual’s previous earnings. ance program, there will probably always be some people under old-age, survivors, and disability insurance are a in need who, for one reason or another, wiII not be insured percentage of the insured person’s average monthly earn- under the program or who will qualify for only minimum ings in covered employment-a higher percentage for benefits and require further financial assistance. And the low-paid worker, a lower percentage for the higher- some beneficiaries who have no resources other than their paid worker. From time to time we need to take a look insurance benefits may need emergency help; public at those percentages to see if they are reasonable in rela- assistance will continue to be needed to provide for meet- tion to the extent to which a family can and should be ing those extraordinary needs that benefits under the expected to reduce its level of living when its breadwinner social insurance system cannot be expected to meet. retires, becomes disabled or dies. I come now to a third meaning of adequacy-the ability In its second meaning, adequacy must be defined in of the programs to keep current in a dynamic economy. terms of sufficiency to meet the needs of the beneficiaries. Under present law, benefit amounts over the long run Benefits paid under old-age, survivors, and disability in- will be based on a lifetime average of a person’s earnings surance are intended to make it possible for peopIe who in covered work. Over the years, as earnings go up, the were self-supporting throughout their working lifetimes average on which benefits are based will more and more to continue to be self-supporting in retirement, without reflect wages paid many years earlier, when general wage the need for recourse to public assistance. levels were lower. During the recent past, benefits The fact that there are some people, especially at the awarded havn generally been based on relatively current low benefit levels, whose benefits must be supplemented by public assistance does not negate this principle. Over (Continued on page 46)

AUGUST 1960 9 558710-60-2 ually over the next few years the tape tion because it now looks like work- that collecting social security taxes record will be built up until eventually loads will be two to three per cent is but a small part of Internal Reve- it will contain enough data to permit lower than estimated when the legisla- nue’s responsibility. Therefore, au- actions to be processed with a mini- tive budget was prepared nearly a diting SE returns, and other social mum of paperwork. year ago; the possibility that a ceiling security work is not given the priority Covered also was the Data Trans- may be imposed requiring the reduc- the Bureau would like it to have. mission Pilot Study which got under- tion of year-end employment, as was It might be that the Bureau, in co- way in July in two networks of Penn- required in the fiscal year just past; ordination with IRS, will have to do sylvania district offices. Experience and the possibility that part of the 7 1/2 part of the job to achieve needed gained in this study will be invaluable per cent pay raise will have to be improvements. in working out plans for extending absorbed. Great Responsibility the wire communications system na- A new budget item is the Bureau’s tionwide. Plans call for setting up a share of the cost of the new Federal Involved in this discussion, too, was national system of about 50 networks Employees Health Benefits Program. a re-evaluation of the policy of mak- during calendar year 1961. Experiences were exchanged on ad- ing it easy to get an account number. A slide presentation developed vance recruitment in the regions and In addition to the Bureau’s longtime for use in explaining the future proc- payment centers. Used on a larger concern about the establishment of ess to employees was previewed to scale this year, the procedures give multiple accounts which could lead to obtain the reactions of the officials the Bureau a jump on meeting the loss of benefits, other problems are emerging: the beneficiary who estab- who will have primary responsibility personnel needs for the year. College for putting the system in operation. seniors are recruited before gradu- lishes a new account in an attempt The slides will be reproduced in ation and enter on duty early in July. to evade the retirement test; people quantity for use in face-to-face com- By the time peak loads hit in the who get as many cards as they can munications with employees through- January-March quarter, they are to better their chances of having the out the Bureau. trained and ready to pull their share “lucky number” in promotion Financing and workloads also came of the load. schemes; and people who, for a va- up as important topics. As back- riety of purposes, get social security Self-Employment ground, figures for fiscal year 1960 cards to help establish a false identity. were given: $180.8 million was spent A good deal of discussion went into The issue considered was what can and 25,855 man-years worked. what responsibility the Bureau has, be done to tighten account number Workloads which turned out to be if any, toward adults incapable or procedures to cut down on these five per cent less than anticipated at only marginally capable of managing abuses without appreciably delaying the beginning of the year, were kept their benefits. Representative payees the issuance of a card to the person well in hand even during high receipt are selected for those who are in- who needs it to show his employer. periods. Consultative examinations capable of handling their funds at the The Director closed the conference were purchased in two out of five dis- time an application is filed and those with his thanks to Bob Ball for the ability claims as compared to one out who later become incompetent and able manner in which he conducted of four in 1959; and the proportion of are brought to the Bureau’s attention. the sessions, and to the group for the district offices housed in quarters meet- But what about an unknown number contributions they had made to the ing minimum standard requirements who are capable when they first start consideration of the issues and to the increased from 42 to 56 percent. drawing benefits, and over the years policy decisions which would follow. lose this capability? Does the Bureau ‘We have a great responsibility to 1961 Budget have an obligation to try to find out make the lives of millions and mil- The money outlook for this year, who they are? lions of people happier lives,” he fiscal 1961, is comparable to 1960. Turning their attention to complete concluded. Included in the budget of $193.2 mil- and accurate self-employment income The payment center chiefs re- lion are funds to finance 26,551 man- reporting, the conferees explored mained in Baltimore through Friday, years of work, purchase $665,000 July 15, for further discussions with means of getting accurate earnings worth of equipment, provide better Dick Branham, assistant director in information on DAO records as space for more offices and allow for a charge of the Division of Claims Con- quickly as possible. Many present moderate further increase in the pur- trol, and his staff. The regional chase of consultative examinations. problems would be alleviated if fewer representatives adjourned to Atlantic The $193.2 million budget, how- tax returns had to be requested and City, N.J., to confer on field matters ever, is subject to three contingencies: examined at the time a self-employ- with Hugh McKenna, assistant direc- the possibility of a Bureau of the ment claim is filed. tor in charge of the Division of Field Budget reserve against the appropria- Recognition was given to the fact Operations and his chief assistants.

AUGUST 1960 11 Out of a quarter century of OASI history, most of us will probably re- member most vividly the last ten years as “the amendment years.” They were busy, exciting, meaningful years, a time of growth and achievement. These were the years, too, when we gave careful thought to the kind of program OASDI is in action and set forth our principles and goals in the Statement of Bureau Objectives. And, as the end of the decade drew near, we made plans for yet another period in Bureau history. In speeches delivered during those years, Deputy Director Robert Ball captured the spirit of the times and the significance of the events as they occurred. Here are excerpts from three of his talks:

1954-Signifi- would like to talk with you about completely new field and I am sure that it will be watched cance of the the program significance of these with the greatest interest . . . we must do a particularly Amendments I new amendments. In my judg- careful job of administering the law. ment they are by far the most signifi- Thirdly, this is the first time benefit increases under the cant amendments since those of 1939, when survivors in- program have actually resulted in an improvement in what surance was added. They are the most significant because may be called the standard of insurance over what was at long last the program is nearly universal in coverage- contemplated first in 1935 and then in 1939. Until these which means that in five years, say, about two-thirds of amendments, the increases in benefit amount in 1950 and those over 65 will be eligible for OASI benefits . . . in 1952 may be said roughly to have compensated for the when one realizes that less than 20 years ago, less than decline in the purchasing power of the benefit . . . this 10 percent of the entire labor force had any retirement time the benefit was raised to take account of the rising protection at all, it is clear that old-age and survivors standard of living as well as the rising cost of living and, insurance has meant the swiftest and greatest advance in by and large, the new benefits will buy a higher level of social welfare in our history as a nation . . . living than originally planned. The technical stability arising from the attainment of The fourth reason is that the benefit formula changes universal coverage makes this a good time to reexamine were in the direction of an individualized benefit based the program, provision by provision, with the objective of on equity principles . . . the 1954 benefit changes were simplifying the law and its administration and with the very encouraging then from the standpoint of strengthen- objective of making sure that each provision is necessary ing the long-term elements of equity in the program even and soundly conceived . . . what we have in mind in this though they quite correctly, in my judgment, continued project is not solely simplification although this would be the precedent of full-rate benefits for the newly covered in a major objective. It is always necessary to temper the the older age groups . . . objective of simplification with a sense of what people will A fifth reason these amendments seem so important is accept as equitable and rational. that for the first time there has been a significant increase The second reason I feel that these amendments are in the proportion of future payrolls that Congress has the most significant since 1939 is that, as the 1939 law been willing to commit to the system . . . I believe this did with survivors insurance, these amendments give some feature of the 1954 amendments may turn out historically protection in an entirely new area of risk, that of dis- to be the most important one of all. ability. This is a pioneering effort in what is to us a Finally, the very greatest significance in the 1954

12 OASIS amendments, to me, lies in the fact that they were spon- sored and enacted by the opposite political party than the one in power when the system was established and, until this last year, in power throughout the entire administra- tive history of the old-age and survivors insurance. Under the new administration the system has been greatly changed . . . I believe there is now widespread apprecia- tion in both political parties and throughout the country of the significance of the unique contribution to the nation’s welfare which is being made by social insurance. OASI provides a mechanism through which individual effort and responsibility accomplish the broad moral good of the welfare of the aged, the widow, and the orphan. It does not take over the responsibility from the individual in order to do something for him but, rather, makes his own security and that of his family the automatic result of his own productive effort. 1956-The Mat- LD-AGE and Survivors Insur- ter of Bureau ance is, of course, a great deal Objectives 0 more than a legislative defini- tion of program. OASI is the trans- lation into operation of the spirit and objectives of the legislation. These objectives of OASI must be derived, not only from the statute itself and from the reports and debates of Congress, but also from the deliberate decision of those who administer the program. Detailed as the Act is with respect to who is to receive benefits, the con- ditions of eligibility and the amount of the benefit, there is nothing specific on dozens of policy matters which de- termine, almost as much as does the statute itself, the kind of program OASI is in action . . . Setting the objectives is the first and basic task. Once communicated, these objectives become the goals of management in all organizational segments and at all levels. They give unity to Bureau effort, and clear under- standing of their nature is the only way that various parts of management in the Bureau can be expected to organ- ize their work toward accomplishing what should be accomplished. Let me remind you of some of the broad objectives of the Bureau that have derived over the years from our developing concept of the very nature of the program itself. We have taken on as our responsibility, as an objective of the Bureau, the obligation to inform people of their rights . . . we also have held that, to protect people’s rights, reporting of wages and self-employment income must be complete and accurate . . . We have taken on the obligation to treat everyone who comes in contact with our organization as a contributor, entitled, if he meets the conditions, to his benefit as a matter of right, and with a right as well to courteous, help- ful, sympathetic, and friendly treatment. (Continued on page 40)

13 The dedication of the Social Security Building, “The the afternoon. He stated: “This building is a symbol of culmination of years of dreams and planning,” as Com- the confidence that the American public has in the manner missioner William Mitchell put it, was held in the audi- in which this program has been, and is being operated. torium of the new building on July 1. Projects of this magnitude are not approved if the pro- It was originally scheduled to be held out doors, but gram is not being operated in a sound manner. This rainy weather forced a last-minute switch inside. Over building can be considered a vote of confidence by the 1,000 employees and guests crowded into the auditorium elected representatives of the people.” and the adjoining multi-purpose room; the ceremony was “We can say to the American people that this is a also broadcast over the public address system throughout system that continues to adapt to changing conditions, the Operations Wing. sets its sights high and moves forward to ever increasing Resplendent in their red, blue and gold dress uniforms, standards of efficiency.” the United States Marine Band provided music for the “I have the highest regard for the ability and the dedi- ceremony. The Social Security Chorus, robed in gowns cation of the employees of the Social Security Adminis- purchased especially for the occasion, sang several selec- tration. You have earned it by your intelligent, devoted, tions, including “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The and dedicated service.” newly formed Bureau band made its debut, providing In closing, the Secretary said: “Today, I am sure, that accompaniment to the chorus. each one of us is praying for the insight, courage, and A speech by Secretary Arthur Flemming highlighted (Continued on page 16)

14 OASIS

Dedication (Continued from page 14) strength that will enable us to respond to the challenge that is inherent in the program, and to take the full opportunity to serve our fellow human beings in this program. Congratulations on your achievements of the past, and best wishes as together we face the future.” Reverend Fredrick Brown Harris, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, gave both the invocation and the dedication prayer. A Marine Corps Reserve Unit presented the (Top) Frederick Brown Harris, U.S. colors. Senate Chaplain at reception fol- lowing the ceremonies. (Right) William H. Pothast, an 87-year-old beneficiary was Leona MacKinnon, Assistant to the honored at the ceremony. In presenting him with his Director, paused for a moment with 246th monthly benefit check, the Secretary pointed out Nelson Cruikshank, Director of the that he represented the 14 million beneficiaries currently Department of Social Security of the AFL-CIO. (Below) Caught on being paid by social security, and that we are dealing a busman’s holiday from the in this program not just with dollars, but with people; Berwyn, Ill. DO, where she is a not just paying benefits to keep body and soul together, Field Rep., Grace Wallin Anderson but with paying them in such a way as to preserve in- (right) and her husband on left, dividual dignity and self-respect. renew old times with Frances O’Connor, Technical Correspond- Bureau Director Victor Christgau welcomed the Secre- ence Specialist, DPIPM, and Paul Kohorst, right, Administrative Serv- ices Assistant DCC, formerly of Chicago DO’s.

tary and the guests to the ceremony and mentioned that, “We are now in our new home, designed for our needs which enables us to better serve the public.” He then introduced Commissioner William Mitchell who presided at the ceremony. Mr. Mitchell, he remarked, is an outstanding example of a career employee, having been in Federal service since 1922. Commissioner Mitchell introduced top Department, (Continued on page 41)

(Top) Crews worked through the night to set up chairs for the cere- monies, which at the last minute were driven indoors by rain. (Center) Secretary Flemming presents Mr. William Pothast with his 246th monthly social security check. (Below) The cafeteria, adjoining the auditorium-multipurpose room, had standing room only, as the over- flow crowd gathered to hear the ceremonies. start? A bell signal sounded to indi- a minute, from paper tape to paper cate commencement of the transmis- tape, from a constellation of offices in sion and a request for earnings record and around Harrisburg through the began to take shape simultaneously Bureau’s first activated relay center on the IDP-1 in the printer and on to Baltimore for processing through punched paper tape for later trans- the computers. mission to DAO. Pittsburgh’s relay centers A and Although the moment was a historic B were in operation nine days later- one in the development of the Bu- the equipment there is more complex, reau’s claims service, Ed Romig, man- and required a greater lead time in ager, Harold Dickert, assistant man- preliminary shake-down and training ager, and Emil Schott, claims super- of operators. visor, who were now looking over The Baltimore Transmission Ter- Rosaline Lazarus, Terminal operator, checks Yvonne’s shoulder at the incoming minal is set up in the extreme southern high-speed transmission of earnings records to relay center. message from Sunbury, took the oc- end of the Operations Wing, within a casion calmly as the natural culmina- vast area otherwise given over to the tion of months of training in the field Punching and Verifying Section’s and planning in the central office. battalion-sized array of card-punch- The paper-tape version of the earn- ing machines. Jim Riley is the super- ings record requests from Sunbury visor both of the card-punching was removed from the machine for operations and the Transmission Ter- subsequent editing and transmission minal, which are closely related in to DAO. Yvonne then called her own function, namely the translation of district office and a prolonged trans- data to forms that are readily under- mission commenced from a machine stood by machines, and the transla- Mary Edmonds, Baltimore Transmission Ter- about 12 feet away, but in another tion of machine talk back into man minal operator, operates card-to-tape machine room. Although the Harrisburg language. while preparing a reply to DO request for relay center is the responsibility of Earnings records requested the earnings record. that district office, its data transmis- previous day by wire are transmitted sion business is handled by the relay back to the relay centers for re-trans- center exactly the same as that of any mission to the individual district outside office. offices as the first order of business of The day wore on. The skies the Transmission Terminal’s day. brightened and then clouded over (These earnings records, as they are again. The TWX equipment rarely forwarded without reference to the stopped chattering, and then for only SS-5 (Social Security Account brief periods. The tapes for trans- Number Application) file and to cer- mission to DAO began to accumulate. tain earnings developed outside the computer, are not designated for use The sole uncertain factor was a ques- Dorothy Howard, terminal operator, sends tion in everybody’s mind as to why at present in claims adjudication. A message to relay center over the duplex ad- standard earnings-record package is ministrative circuit. the Baltimore Transmission Terminal supplied in each case by mail. As had been so strangely silent all day. time progresses, this limitation will be Then suddenly Baltimore called and eliminated, whenever a decision to do all hands watched the message rapidly so is arrived at.) skittering through the printer: the This isn’t the whole story of the same electrical storms that had upset Data Transmission Pilot, but an the atmosphere in Pennsylvania had account of how it-and the Bureau’s knocked out the main cable at Balti- IDP plan for the claims process- more and an emergency crew had just went out into the world and began. finished making repairs. Was there But every relay center that will ever any traffic? There was, and the re- send a first “gm” to its first selected Teletype receiving console, geared to take paired line to the Baltimore Terminal district office, will owe something to Terminal input from six relay centers simul- became alive with earnings requests that first good morning in Harris- taneously. Extreme right, Ed Bozza, methods branch, DAO, discusses technical details with going out at the rate of 360 characters burg. a carrier representative.

AUGUST 1980 19

A bevy of Bureau beauties greeted each guest with a tour map as he entered the building. Here former Bureau Director Oscar Pogge (with glasses) can be seen starting on the tour.

FAMILY DAY

The) never had it so good; two junior me ss of the crowd get first class transportation for the trip.

ears ago, when the new Social Security Building was but a dream, the planners had one thought Y uppermost in their minds. This edifice would bring under one roof, a family of operations so long scattered in various Iocations throughout the City of Baltimore. And, as the Open House held on June 18, 1960, pro- gressed, it took on a new title, “Family Day,” because indeed, that is what it was. Families and friends of employees had been invited to tour the building, and watch the people at work. And with just pride the em-

20 OASIS ployees shepherded their groups along the arrow-indicated tour route. Never before had the marble lobbies and long corridors rung with so much of the music of life, . . . and prob- ably never before has Daddy taken so much pride in the place he works . . . and you could feel it and you could see it, as the employees would deviate from the tour route just long enough to indicate a desk, or a machine and,

Outside the library on the 5th floor observation deck, visitors got a panoramic view of our suburban location. Drinking fountains always seem to be a few inches too high for the small fry, and ours at the new building are no exception. to the not-too-secret admiration of the spouse, and the wide-eyed amazement of the younger set. Speaking of the younger set, these folks really had it made when it came to conveniences on the tour. Many families thought to bring strollers along for the tiny ones whose little legs would tire on so long a trip. But for those who didn’t, strollers were made available at the doors, courtesy of a local department store. And just like tourists everywhere, these tourists got hungry. Arrangements had been made for the cafeteria to be open and ready to serve them. The cafeteria, so accustomed to the work-a-day world customers, became alive with the orders of little tykes whose bright eyes danced at the enticing sight of food. And so the cafe- teria became the dinner table for hundreds of families, who continued to chat about the wonders of Woodlawn. From 10 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon, the stream of traffic was steady. Through the auditorium, the library, the conference room, the executive suite, oper- ations, six thousand strong they came in answer to an invitation warmly extended, and graciously accepted . . . all part of a real Family day, for our individual families, On the outside looking in . . . and for the family of OASI.

Black marble walls, in sharp contrast to white marble pillars provided an excellent setting for numerous display cases containing memorabilia of our social security program.

AUGUST 1 960 The Roaring Twenties overnight became the Trying Thirties. , , , In the few short years between 1929 and 1932, factories closed, the gross national product declined from $104 to $58 billion. . . , Wage payments dwindled from $50 to $30 billion, and corporate profits of $10 bil- lion became losses of $3 billion. Tax receipts dropped, municipal services were ham- strung; whole towns were deserted, and the rising sta- tistic on everybody’s mind was unemployment , , . which shot up from 1.5 to a staggering 12 million. Families combined to share their meager resources . . . thousands of farmers lost their farms through fore- closure , . . bewildered, angry veterans marched on the Capitol to demand a bonus. The apple stand . . . the relief kitchen . .. . the bread- line; . . . all became a way of life . . . hard-earned life savings went down the drain when banks across the na- tion failed. . . . Even solvent banks were closed during the 1933 Bank Holiday; they reopened under new regu- lations intended to guarantee that these failures would never occur again.

22 OASIS The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was set up to provide basic necessities to the needy. The Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps established work projects to give the unemployed what they needed most-Work-a chance to earn their

living and recover their self-respect. With this provided for, the vital issue then became-security. On August 14, 1935, the Social Security Act was signed...... , . , . , . , ......

AUGUST 1960 23 Under Federal Old-Age Benefits, people who worked in commerce and industry would build rights to retire- ment benefits at 65. . . Workers and their employers would pay social security taxes starting at 1 per cent each and gradually increasing to 3 per cent by 1949. . . Each . . . . On August 14, 1935, the Social Security Act was worker’s benefits were to be related to his earnings-as signed. . . . This Act set up three broad kinds of pro- recorded under an account number he would keep through- grams-Federal provision for: public assistance to help out his lifetime. people already in need, unemployment insurance to build The first monthly benefit went to Miss Ida Fuller of protection against layoffs, and old-age benefits. Ludlow, Vermont, in January 1940. . . By now the law

24 OASIS In 1950, the program expanded to cover many self- employed, the workers on farms, in private households, and in nonprofit organizations. . . The 1954 amendments included the self-employed farmers, ministers and em- ployees of State and local governments, and in 1956 President Eisenhower signed the laws that brought in most remaining professional groups, and members of the Armed Forces. Disability insurance became a reality, and Social Se- curity became a stancher protector against the third Benefits now could go not only to the hazard that threatens family life. In 1957 Department of Health, Education, and Wel- fare Secretary Folsom presented Mrs. Jane Gavin, widow, of Ozone Park, New York, her first check-she, the ten millionth beneficiary. . . We now see real hope of achieving an objective as old amounting to over $4 million a month. as mankind, the abolition of poverty; Social Security Ten years pass-more and more people become eligible makes its contribution in this field by-helping to keep for benefits. By the end of 1945, more than one and families together, helping the aged to retire with dignity, one-quarter million people were receiving checks amount- and by helping the disabled to meet their day-to-day ex- ing to almost $24 million a month. penses-providing greater security for all.

AUGUST 1960 25 THE FIRST CUSTOMER

DISTRICT

OFFICES

“And after you’ve worked a certain number of quarters-Hold it steady now while I slip this bolt in!”

The Social Security Act was signed opening of the first Social Security job up to the time I got there.” In on August 14, 1935, and the first field office in the country. As for pho- December, Maurice Dewberry, now office opened its doors, in Austin, tographs, according to instructions, I Regional Representative, III, arrived Texas, on October 14, 1936. delayed any and all publicity.” to take charge of the office, and Fred When Fred Rogers turned the key In November 1936, the Austin post moved on to the managership at that opened the “space” on the office began to receive considerable Houston, a position he has held ever ground floor of the Old Post Office publicity in connection with registra- since. Clark and Dewberry were re- building at Sixth and Colorado Streets tion for social security cards, and it cruited from the civil service register in Austin on October 14 (a Wednes- was noted in the press that “security “assistant personnel clerks” at day), he found a musty interior and work” would make jobs for about 50 CAF-3 which paid $1,620 annually. equipment which consisted solely of people in that office, although the ac- Charles von Rosenberg, now assist- some dilapidated desks and chairs left tual social security office was not ant regional representative, VII, re- behind by the Post Office when it even mentioned. According to Fred, ported to Maury at the same grade moved to its new building. everything that was published about and salary. Mrs. Merle Gleckler was Fred, the office’s first manager and that time was in this vein: “Austin the first typist employed by the Aus- only staff member at the time, didn’t will be the location of one of the tin Post Office to type Social Security have too auspicious a first day, but, Texas field offices of the Social Secu- cards. She transferred to the Social as indicated by subsequent events, rity Board, whose primary work will Security office on June 28, 1937, three wasn’t a man to discourage easily. be to cooperate with the Post Office days before the Board took over the “Three people visited the office on officials in the work of registration.” issuance of account numbers. Merle opening day,” Fred recently told us: Fred Rogers does not recall the has been with the Bureau ever since, “Two reporters and Congressman names of the first several employees, passing up through the grades to James Buchanan, of Washington but George Clark, now assistant man- claims rep. County, Chairman of the House Com- ager at San Antonio, writes, “I re- James Marley, the present district mittee on Appropriations, who died ported to Fred Rogers in Austin on manager at Austin, was appointed to suddenly a few months later. He, not November 17, 1936. I believe Fred that position in March 1937. After I, held the press interview on the was the only authorized person on the three weeks of “training” at Central

26 OASIS Austin 20 SHO RT YEARS AGO! Juneau Kankakee

“Well, we’ve got our full staff of three, a nice two room office and we’ve got the 1939 amend- ments all straight! Looks like we’ll have smooth sailing from now on!"

Office, Jim started out for his assign- The staff at Austin now has seven first big OASI job, under Title II, ment by automobile. He arrived claims reps and the same number of he tells us, was the issuance of account there more than 11 years later, in stenos; a supervisor; two reception- number cards. Although, as else- December 1948. (His marching or- ists; five field reps; and the manager where, the post offices did the greater ders, as he left Washington, D.C., and assistant manager. part of the work at the beginning, the called for a visit to the Regional Of- On October 26, 1936, the Terri- responsibility for issuance of the fice, which was then in San Antonio. torial Social Security Office at Juneau, cards returned to the Territorial Office While he was there, he was offered, Alaska, went into operation. This before the first canning season in and accepted, the executive assistant office, which combined some of the June 1937. This meant that the Eski- position at the regional office, later features of the contemporary State- mo cannery workers looked to Hugh being appointed regional director. side regional and field offices, was for their account numbers. This job Finally, he was again offered the po- opened by Hugh Wade, who had ar- was complicated by the fact that many sition at Austin, which he gladly ac- rived on the previous day from the Eskimos had no surname, but were cepted, being once more influenced by States on a mission that was the be- getting along fine up to that time with the fact that this was his old home- ginning of a series of events that was a given name only. Consequently town). finally to see him the holder of the their mothers had no maiden names, Among the betwixt-between man- second highest elective position in the and their fathers had names possess- agers were Jess Carter (September 49th State, and serving as Acting ing no elements in common with the 1937-November), now assistant dis- Governor during the temporary in- progeny. Many Eskimo families to- trict manager at Dallas. Hank Avery capacity of Governor William A. day owe their surnames to the account followed, leaving in April 1940 to be- Egan, at the first session of the State number cards issued in 1937. come assistant regional rep at San Legislature. As in 1066, when the Norman Con- Antonio. Dave Pruitt bridged the Among Hugh’s first concerns on quest of England resulted in the rapid period between Avery and Marley, arriving in Alaska was that of work- assignment of Anglo-Saxon surnames later going to the district office at ing closely with the Territorial Legis- to all and sundry for taxation pur- El Dorado, Ark., from which he re- lature in setting up machinery for tired in 1959. Titles I and III in the territory. His (Continued on page 28)

AUGUST 1960 27 language difficulties by the use of situation this way: “Our service area District Offices translators-and the missionaries and today is the same as it was in 1936- village teachers proved very helpful all of Alaska. However, the popula- (Continued from page 27) in this respect-but how do you estab- tion has tripled, from 72,000 in 1939 lish the age of an Eskimo who never to 223,000 in 1960. In 1950, a resi- poses, many Eskimos received and heard of a calendar and doesn’t know dent station was established in still use names assigned to them by one year from another? And can Anchorage, and was first manned by the cannery bookkeepers who helped you establish the death of an Eskimo Joe Finnell, now manager of the San them complete applications for ac- lost on a hunting trip if his com- Diego DO, being succeeded by me count number cards in 1937. Some- panions swear that they still see his when I came to Alaska in 1954. times the last names indicated the ghost occasionally? “Statehood has been the most im- village of residence, but more often James Browne was appointed field portant event since then. While it they were fancifully descriptive, such office manager for Alaska in 1949, to has solved many problems, it has

The First Now. The present staff of the Austin, Texas DO, sits for Vernon Streeter, claims supervisor; Alfred Seitz and John Pace, field an anniversary photo. In the usual order, they are: front row, Reba reps; James Marley, manager; Fern Grossman and Rena Dye, claims Myrick, claims rep; Mary Huth, claims steno; Lorraine Causer, claims stenos; Elida Torres, receptionist; Theda Blount and Merle Gleckler, rep; Crescencia Stanley, claims steno; Betty Grubbs, field rep; Patricia claims reps; Evelyn Donnel, claims steno; Ruth Hester, claims rep; John Insko, claims rep; Florence Joyner, administrative clerk; Mildred Bennett, assistant manager; and Elliott Adams and Harry Lewis, Young, claims steno; and Frances Word, claims rep. Second row, field reps.

as “Smallsled,” “Oldfriend,” and supervise the OASI program. Up to created others. Formerly all law en- “Bighead,” or were “borrowed” from then, the program had been adminis- forcement and informational services an admired personality or even the tered by Hugh Wade as territorial di- were Federal. Now most of these clerk who was assisting them. rector of the Federal Security Agency. functions have been taken over by Hugh Wade can remember no com- In 1950, the duties of the territorial State agencies, and frequently it is pliance difficulties in those early days. director were shifted to the San difficult to determine immediately Most instances of failure to meet the Francisco Regional Office, with Jim which of the new State departments requirements of the Act stemmed Browne staying on as field office handles any given problem. How- from the lack of knowledge rather manager. When he arrived in ever, with experience and the co- than from refusal to accept the pro- Juneau, the personnel assigned to operation of the State agencies, such gram, and it was often mighty tough OASI was three persons. When he situations are being ironed out. to get the information out to employ- retired, in late 1957, the ceiling had “But the pioneering is by no means ers and employees scattered like buck- been increased to 10. He was suc- finished. After 24 years, we still shot over an area a fifth the size of ceeded by Everell Cummins, who still have nearly a third of the more iso- the “South 48.” Dogsleds, river boats, serves. Hugh Wade continued in lated villages to visit.” and all types of aircraft, in combina- Federal service as Director of the From the vast State of Texas (246 tions and singly, were utilized to bring Alaska Native Service under the De- counties) to the vaster State of the message to a territory of 586,000 partment of the Interior. In 1954, he Alaska to our newest district office in square miles of frozen tundra, fertile was elected Treasurer of the Territory Kankakee, Ill., which services two farmlands, and settlements that were of Alaska, serving in that capacity counties (Kankakee and Iroquois) only a dot surrounded by sections of until 1958 when he was elected Secre- with one less staff member than is virgin timberlands larger than many tary of Alaska. authorized for the district office that States. You could always conquer Ev Cummins sums up the present has responsibility for the entire 49th

28 OASIS Joliet, Ill., DO, and Don Pals, man- ager at Danville, Ill., from whose service areas the service area for the new office was carved. Kankakee can’t be called wet be- hind the ears; still, the office is so new that no one would expect it to have run up any records in its brief history. However, in its second quarter of op- eration it ran up the highest work load index in the region, which pro- vided justification for the addition of another claims unit; it was reclassi- fied from a Class IV to a Class III office before it had one candle on its birthday cake; Boyd Holmes, claims rep, received a cash award for superi- or work performance on March 2, 1960. Austin and Juneau and Kankakee- these have their stories; but so have 581 other district offices, nor would their stories lack in significance. All the same, we are sure that no one of them would begrudge our spotlighting Austin and Juneau and Kankakee here and now-the earliest and latest.

The Latesf Now. The Kankakee, Ill., staff sits for photo taken by District Manager Lemke. Front row, I. to r., Helen Bayston and Grace Payne, claims stenos; and Dolores Harris, receptionist. Second row, The Juneau DO now occupies Horace Fox, Boyd Holmes, and Robert Herubin, claims reps; and space in this local skyscraper. Burten Wikgren, field rep. At left below, the Kankakee real estate. Right, DO Manager Dean Lemke pinpoints the newest office’s service State, is a progression that symbolizes area. the pattern of our growth as a Bureau. Within the service area of the new office, which was formally opened on July 25, 1958, resided not only ap- proximately 114,000 persons, 29,000 of whom were employees and 1,100 employers, with both urban and farm employment and self-employment well represented, but most significantly, the service area contained two large State hospitals, with from 12,000 to 13,000 mental patients, requiring high priority, intensive service under the disability provisions of the law. Dean Lemke, formerly assistant manager at the N. Milwaukee Avenue DO in Chicago, opened the office, as- sisted in the preliminary details by Harold Whiteside, manager of the

AUGUST 1960 President Franklin D. Roosevelt work, and that was not easy to find started our history with a stroke of his in the depression days when Wash- pen on August 14, 1935, when he ington was filled with employees of a signed the Social Security Act. But number of new agencies. At first we before we go back to look at how we worked in offices borrowed from the began and how we grew, let’s see what Department of Labor, the Farm Credit stature the program has achieved in Administration, and the Department 25 years. of Commerce, before we got space of The importance of OASDI to the our own at 1712 G. St., NW. American people was recognized by But even more space was going to the Advisory Council on Social Secu- be needed to store and handle the rity Financing in their January 1959 records that would be pouring in. report which stated in part: “For mil- Millions of workers were applying for lions of Americans the social security cards, and soon wage reports would benefit will spell the difference be- be coming in from employers all over tween deprivation on the one hand the country. We had to be ready for and an assured income provided on a the effective date of the law, January basis consistent with self-respect and 1, 1937. dignity on the other . . . We be- After much searching to find a lieve that the almost universal ac- building to fit the job, the Candler ceptance of this program is well- building in Baltimore was selected. deserved and that it is a permanent It was near the waterfront, next to a institution in American life.” fish market, dirty and dilapidated, But back in 1935, Social Security but it was big enough to hold a lot of was new and untried. It started out records, and at that time was avail- as a law and an idea; it needed people able on a short-term lease. and planning, and a lot of work. It was a big job, and we had to think Tradition Outmoded big to put it into operation. Bureau This was an important factor in our Plans and Problems early planning. Employees who went to work there were warned that this That is where people and plans was to be a temporary location, since came in. We faced new problems, the plan was to let each region keep and needed new answers, and needed its own wage records once the system them fast. Henry P. Seidemann, an was established. However, experi- expert in the field of records man- ence quickly showed that the job of agement, was named Coordinator for keeping records for a mobiIe popu- the Social Security Board in Novem- lation was one that had to be cen- ber 1935, and set up committees to tralized. work on the problems. Those early Now that we had a building, we planners, men like Joe Fay, now as- also needed machines. It was obvi- sistant director in charge of the Di- ous that traditional methods of book- vision of Accounting Operations; the keeping couldn’t solve our problems, late Tom McDonald, who was deputy and the then infant punch card system director in DAO; E. J. Way, who was chosen to add mechanical muscle headed the early records division; to the task. Hundreds of companies and Charles Beach, who helped to set were contacted to find machines to up work methods for field operations, do the work, and even after it was among others, had to sift through a lot decided that the IBM equipment of ideas, accepting or rejecting, test- offered the best possibilities, our ing and retesting, to find those that people had to work with the company would work. Then too, we needed a place to -1960 (Continued on page 32)

AUGUST 1960 31 Claims started coming in about the line the law and the procedures in 1935-1960 middle of 1937. Under the early pro- handling claims. Oscar Pogge, later (Continued from page 31) gram there were no monthly benefits; Bureau Director, headed the claims at 65 a worker received a lump-sum division in those days, and he and his to design special equipment to meet of 3 1/2 per cent of what he had paid in. group produced the manual, a slim our needs. All awards were processed in the volume no bigger than some of the These early machines marked the Washington Claims Division, after pamphlets we put out today. first step in the Bureau’s continuing being taken in the field and checked Next came the claims schools, one effort to develop new methods and in the regional offices. Here was an- in Washington and five or six in each machines to do the work. other training ground for people in region. Everybody became an in- And more people flocked in from the Bureau today, such men as pay- structor as soon as they learned the all over the country to direct the op- ment center chiefs, Mandel Benjamin, ropes. One of the first trainers was eration, and to run those machines. Chicago, Joe Columbus, San Fran- Francis McDonald, who of course is On one day alone, December 7, cisco, and Jim Tully, Philadelphia, still at it. 1936, Esther Sholl, present Employ- got their start there along with Dick In order to handle the payments ment Branch Chief, remembers, 940 Branham, assistant director in charge themselves, the Claims Correspond- people were put on duty. It was an of the Division of Claims Control; ence and Control section was set up all day and all night job, ending up Joe Carmody, chief of the Coordina- under Jim Tully. Starting out with at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. tion and Procedures branch, Division 40 people, it soon had over 500 em- Many of the top people in the Bu- of Field Operations; and Lou Za- ployees as new procedures, forms, reau today started with us in those watzky, deputy assistant director of and schedules had to be worked out early years; like Regional Repre- the Division of Claims Policy. to handle the claims that poured in. sentatives Ernie Tallman, Region IX, Everybody helped out on any job The War Years Joe Tighe, Region II-A, Maurice that was at hand at the moment. One Dewberry, Region III, Al Kuhle, and all were filled with the knowledge The war years had a big impact on Region V-A, and many others who that they were working on something the Bureau and its organization, prob- now occupy key positions in the field new, interesting and vital. lems modnted as many of our em- and in Baltimore. In January 1940, Congress gave ployees left for the service and war the Bureau another big job. We work. Space Problem started paying monthly benefits not The problem of how to replace This also was the time when we only to retired workers but also to those people loomed large in those were setting up the field offices that dependents and survivors. days. Recruiting teams scoured the keep the program in direct contact Many of the amendments were country looking for qualified people, with the people. Many a manager based on proposals of the Social Se- and found them. The Bureau repu- and his staff started an office in bor- curity Board and the Advisory Coun- tation for being a good place to work rowed space with borrowed furniture. cil on Social Security, backed by the helped a great deal in securing By December 1936 we had 71 field Bureau’s early work in program workers. offices. studies and analysis. The need for both personnel and Long hours were common in the space accelerated plans that were al- Claims Manual Born field just as in Central Office. Appli- ready under study to decentralize cations for cards flooded in, and “With the ‘39 amendments the field part of the claims handling. In June everybody was put to typing them. really began to feel that they had a 1942 the first of the area offices, Phil- We started our program of public program,” remembers Hugh Mc- adelphia, was opened, followed quick- information early. Both workers and Kenna, assistant director in charge of ly by New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and New Orleans. The employers needed to know why the Division of Field Operations. unit in New Orleans lasted only until. proper wage reporting was so impor- Public reaction also became over- 1946, when it was replaced by the tant. “John Doe” was a familiar whelmingly favorable. The actual area offices set up in Birmingham and name in those days, as it showed up payment of monthly benefits gave the Kansas City. time and time again on wage reports. public the feeling that the program This same pressure for space A lot of our managers of today can now had real meaning, brought central office to Baltimore. remember that one of their first jobs Training became even more impor- A building had been planned and in the field was contacting employers tant with the impact of the increased built in Washington for OASI (the to find out just who “John” really and more complicated claims load. present HEW Building), but it was was. First came the Claims Manual to out- completed just when space for the

32 OASIS expanding war agencies was at a pre- keeping and benefit computation. In Once again plans were formed to mium. As a result, Central Office 1950 the “604” electronic brain which consolidate segments of the Bureau. moved into the Equitable Building in could do 50 benefit computations per The original plan was to move Cen- the summer of 1942. minute, 100 times faster than it tral Office to Washington in the HEW The card punch unit in Wilkes- could be done manually with tables, Building. Congress, partly at the Barre, Pa., was born of wartime ne- was installed. This was another in request of Baltimore interests who cessity, but proved so valuable that our series of answers to the question: had found that we were nice people it is still a part of our operation “Can we do it faster, better, and to have around, passed a bill to keep today. cheaper?” us where we were. Another job that decentralized Even at that time plans had been during this time was that of initial A National Survey made for a building designed espe- determination on claims. Beginning Soon new claims started coming in cially for our needs. At first it was after the 1939 amendments the field and the field offices, area offices, and only for the DAO operation, but with offices began to take over more and DCP were all engrossed in such new the decision to keep Central Office more work in handling claims. Then problems as how to interpret self- here, administrative offices were also in 1942, they were given the respon- employed tax returns. added. sibility of making the decisions on The early 1950’s was also a period Presently the Social Security build. entitlement subject to review by the when we first took a detailed look ing which was just dedicated last area offices. at the effect of our program. The month houses 7700 employees, with National Beneficiary Survey of a ran- an annex planned for the operating Steady Growth dom sample of one percent of those divisions of DDO and the Baltimore We came out of the war period with drawing benefits showed that a large Payment Center. proportion of the beneficiaries were a well-trained staff and an organiza- Coverage Expanded tion that had steadily grown in ex- in less than “comfortable” circum- perience. In 1946 the old Social stances. This data helped to plan There were top level personnel Security Board was dissolved and re- later increases and adjustments in the changes then also. In December of placed by the Social Security Admin- law. 1952 Bob Ball became Deputy Direc- istration with Arthur Altmeyer as Another example of planning dur- tor of the Bureau along with his Commissioner. Two years before, ing that period was the establishment duties as head of the Division of Pro- John Corson had resigned as Bureau of a Central Office Disability Plan- gram Analysis. He became Acting Director and had been replaced by ning Staff in 1952. This was headed Director shortly afterwards when Os- Oscar Pogge. by Art Hess, present assistant direc- car Pogge resigned. Victor Christgau We took our next giant step with tor in charge of the Division of Dis- was named Bureau Director in 1954. the 1950 amendments. Congress ex- ability Operations, Actually study The final five years of our history panded the law to cover large new of the problem had started as far back have seen changes that would have groups of people. Social Security be- as 1948, when a work team was as- amazed even the most far-sighted came an even more intimate part of signed to study the administration of back in 1935. Coverage was ex- other disability programs. American life, as the self-employed panded to new areas-professional businessman came into the program. people, farmers, and more State and It extended into the home and to the Organizational Changes local people; and we took on the whole farms as domestic and farm workers Administrative changes that shaped new problem of disability. could earn benefits. our organization as it is today came These were the years when amend- Increases were voted in benefit about during this time. In 1953, the ment followed amounts to bring them closer in line amendment, and Department of Health, Education and workload figures were established one with living costs. The retirement Welfare was formed as a cabinet level test was also changed to allow for day only to be broken the next. organization, and we became its larg higher earnings without loss of bene- Once again, the experience, the est unit. It was during this time that fits. The old figure of $14.99 as an planning, the organization of the past the field offices got the new title of earning limit was raised to $50. years enabled us to work out each “district offices” to indicate the These amendments meant more problem as it came along, and to plan growth of their responsibilities in the work throughout the Bureau, but once for the next. program. A little later, the area of- again planning and training paid off Let’s take a look at a few of these fices were renamed “payment centers” in results. problems and how we handled them. These changes in the law provided to bring their major function to the DAO with another big job in record fore. (Continued on next page)

AUGUST 1960 33 genuity had to be used to process the BROTHER, CAN YOU 1935-1960 workloads most efficiently. This was SPARE A CLAIM? the period of many studies designed (Continued from page 33) to bring out better ways of doing As manager of a giant Class I dis- Our experience with the self-em- things. trict office receiving an average of a ployed, going back to 1950, aided us To start off, DAO had to cope little better than 300 claims a week in dealing with farm tax returns; but with evermounting record keeping and processing approximately 125,000 many a city-bred Bureauite spent problems. This of course was not work units a year, it is rather amusing many man-hours convincing farmers new, this division had long experience to look back to the years of 1937 and that while a cow may be a cow to with coping with record workloads. 1938 when the only valid excuse for them, it can also be a capital asset to The big decision had been made to the existence of district offices was us. move into electronic data processing the enrollment of workers for account and in August 1955 the first units of Disability provisions in 1954, numbers and public informational the system were put to work translat- 1956, and 1958 plunged the Bureau efforts. The only claims processed in ing punch card records into tape and its people into a new program de- those days were the “live” and signed to offer further protection records. “death” lump sum payments. Those under the social security system. A Invaluable Experience were the days when each of the dis- new division, DDO, had to be formed, trict offices-at that time known as and in order to process these new The experience we have gained in claims speedily, the Baltimore Pay- the use of electronic data processing field office-vied one with another to ment Center was opened in 1958. in the handling of earnings records is build up its claims load. proving invaluable as we move At that time the Borough of Brook- Workloads Mounted toward integrated data processing in lyn, with about two and one-half mil- New district offices were opened, the claims function. lion population, had one field office. most of them in medium sized towns All down the line, in every division, Consequently, it was probably the in rural areas to handle the extra concentrated efforts were made to im- largest account number and claims claims and inquiries. Heavy claims prove operation. New and better office. As the months of 1938 rolled loads in the district offices also claims forms, improved procedures on, the office was straining toward the meant heavy loads in the payment for making payments, improved tech- goal of 100 claims receipts per week. niques of doing the multitude of jobs centers. The people in the Division One week the goal was almost reached. that make up the Bureau; all of these of Claims Control both in Baltimore It was a Thursday and the records were studied, tested, and put into and the payment centers faced up to showed the receipt of 99 lump sum operation. the job, applied new procedures and claims. This was too close to the 100 hard work to get the end product of Dedication mark to restrain the manager’s temp all’ of our efforts, the benefit check, tation. Immediately an effort was into the hands of the claimants. Our new Social Security building, dedicated just last month, can be made to borrow a claim. Several of- This period was one of growth, so considered the fitting climax to the fices were solicited but no manager much of it in such a short time that first 25 years of our history. Just as would sacrifice the one precious claim a few figures might help just to show we have established a strong, endur- which would bring his own record what was accomplished. Take per- ing program over the years, so also, sonnel for instance: from 18,000 in down one claim for the week. we now have a tangible symbol of our 1956 we grew to 22,500 in 1958 and Finally, Col. Chubb, who was then growth and permanence in bricks and now we number 25,700. the manager of the Downtown New steel. Our workloads mounted even faster York District Office, was approached. This sketch has detailed the history than our number of employees. To After some meditation he finally of people and planning, organization, point that out, let’s just take the final, agreed, and the Brooklyn office came and machines. These were some of through with flying colors, reporting most important figure, how many the highlights, but so much has hap- 100 claims received for the week. people were receiving benefits. From pened that much has been left out. From that point on the Downtown a figure of 9.1 million beneficiaries in The same is true of names, we men- 1956, it zoomed to almost 12.5 mil- tioned a few, but there were a lot more New York District Office became the lion in 1958, and now the figure has people who played important roles in kissing relative of the Brooklyn Dis- edged past the 14 million mark. our past, thousands of them in fact. trict Office. Even with an increasing staff of This is their history as well as the -Charles Ferber, Mgr. trained people much study and in- Bureau’s. 1657 Broadway, NYC, DO

34 OASIS One of the first family portraits on Bureau record is this one of the Leland Reid, asst. mgr., Fort Smith, Ark. Third row (I. to r.), Hugh regional meeting of field managers held in Kansas City, MO ., on McTernan, mgr., Kansas City, MO., Carnot Brennan, mgr., Wichita, Kan., November 19, 1937. Front row (l. to r.), Joe Columbus, Claims E. C. Lupton, mgr., Kansas City, Kan., Richard Nitschke, mgr., Dodge division, Washington, D.C., Newell George, asst. reg. atty., Kansas City, Kan., Thomas Gaukel, mgr., St. Louis (N), MO., Jefferson Davis, City, Henderson Jacoway, reg. atty., Kansas City, Jack Wrenn, exec. mgr., St. Louis, Mo., Carl Kunsemuller, mgr., Muskogee, Okla., Frank asst., Kansas City, Ed. McDonald, reg. dir., Kansas City, Howard C. Bristow, mgr., Oklahoma City, Okla., Lee Morse, mgr., Clayton, MO . Dunn, reg. rep, Kansas City, Philip Holt, asst. reg. rep., KC, Cal Broad- Fourth row (l. to r.), Peter Fredericksen, mgr., Jefferson City, MO ., away, field division, Washington, D.C. Second row (I. to r.), Jack Charles Wilson, mgr., Tulsa, Okla., Jack Taylor, asst. mgr., Kansas Graham, asst. mgr., Tulsa, Okla., Ova Stuart, mgr., Fort Smith, Ark., City, Kan., Ober Nossaman, mgr., Salina, Kan., Harry Gilhaus, mgr., Kendall Haas, mgr., Topeka, Kan., Leslie Meek, mgr., Clinton, Okla., Cape Girhrdeau, MO ., Hugh McGehee, mgr., Hannibal, MO ., Carl Joel Mason, mgr., St. Louis, MO., Robert Sisson, mgr., Little Rock, Ark., Thomas, mgr., Springfield, M O . Always Remember A wage earner or self-employed tax- payer is the most important person to enter the DO. He is not dependent on us-to the contrary, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work-he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him-he is doing us a favor by giv- ing us the opportunity to serve him. He is not an outsider to the program, but the one who has provided the monies for the benefits he receives and the salaries we are paid. A pause during a claims conference back in Regional Office Third Row (I. to r.): First He is not someone to talk down to nor 1939 when Kansas City, MO ., was in Region two unidentified; Ruth Rowe, mgr., Atchison, argue nor match wits with. He is a IX. Front row (I. to r.): Wesley Mattson, Kans.; unidentified; Ober Nossaman, mgr., human being with emotions like our mgr., Hutchinson, Kans.; Art Robb, asst. Topeka, Kans.; Carnot Brennan, mgr., Wich- mgr., Topeka, Kans.; Richard Nitschke, mgr., ita, Kans.; E. Albert Kreek, asst. reg. rep., own. He has his prejudices and Dodge City, Kans.; Sherman Gunn, Claims Kansas City. Fourth row (I. to r.): First two biases like ourselves. So treat him Division, Baltimore; Frances Bogart, claims unidentified; Letha Cardwell, Kansas City as you would like to be treated. clerk, Kansas City, Kans.; unidentified; and Regional Office; next two unidentified; Har- He is a person who has entrusted a Josephine Vogrin, steno, Kansas City, Kans. riett Williams, adm. clerk, Kansas City, MO . Second Row (il. to r.): First three unidentified; Fifth row (I. to r.): Berniece Mabary, steno, large part of his financial future to St. Joseph, MO .; unidentified; Carl Thomas, Kenneth Doane, mgr., Hot Springs, Ark.; Wil- our keeping. mgr., Springfield, MO . Sixth row (I. to r.): liam Bell, act. mgr., Texarkana, Ark.; uni- Earl Amos, asst. reg. rep., Kansas City; -Richard Fincel, Field Rep. dentified; Pauline Phillips, clerk-typist, Joplin, Howard Dunn, reg. rep., Kansas City; and, M O .; Mary Clegg, secretary, Kansas City Jack Wrenn, exec. asst., Kansas City. Phoenix, Ark., DO

AUGUST 1960 37 Health Administratively Security (Continued from page 36) Yours (Continued from page 5) “The launching of a study of a throughout your life will stand you The income from his job obeys the magnitude herein described at a time in good stead following retirement. tides of the market; his expenses click of heavy workloads would normally Research done at one of the Com- on endlessly with the clock. This is not be considered. However, we munity centers in New York City in- the case for unemployment compensa- dicated the life spans of persons tak- feel . . .” tion. The worker’s living comes from ing part in planned recreational pro- his job ; yet his life is likely to outlast “Although we are not able to con- grams have been extended as much the skills which he can market. sider your proposal for an award, we as ten years. Neither wages nor savings can be appreciate the interest you have Meetings and companionship are depended upon to protect him against shown in this very important area, the best prescriptions for mental ill- want in old age. The way of individ- and we hope you will continue to give ness. The person who keeps up his ual provision is beset with too many us the benefit of your thinking.” associations through the years main- perils for safety. This is the case for tains an interest in his surroundings old-age benefits. A number of haz- and will remain young regardless of “Your l0,000-word account of your ards which no one can control lie in the color of his hair. vacation trip through the Great the path of every man and every Will you become a successful re- Smokies was thoroughly enjoyed by w o m a n-a dependent childhood, tiree? Then take care of your health everyone here in the OASIS office. blindness, disability, the need for ma- as best you can. Work after retire- Unfortunately, considerations of ternity care, and indigent old age. ment if you can. The more resources space . . .” This is the case for public assistance you develop for economic security the and special services for health and better off you will be. Involve your- “While we recognize the possible welfare. self in community activity. difficulties that might be encountered We cannot achieve security for a Find your own hidden inner re- in further developing this case as out- nation without promoting the secu- sources such as enjoying the sounds lined in paragraphs 1 through 16 rity of the groups which make it up. and sights around you, the laughter above, still . . .” But interests are interlocked. The of grandchildren. Especially fortify well-being of industry reaches the yourself with your own religious “While we feel that you will agree farmer in a more plentiful supply of faith. that objective findings, such as EKG cheaper goods, just as an increase in Granted, there is no earthly im- readings, X-ray reports, etc., would the stream of farm income sets mortality but there is a road to a better document this case, yet a wheels turning and wage earners to longer happier life if you plan ahead thorough search of the file . . .” work. As in war, so in public policy, and seek the proper guidance. forces must be massed at certain “As you are undoubtedly well points of stress to protect the safety *Send a card to Dr. Leon Kochman, aware, there were 168,252 instances Medical Director, BOASI, 2d Floor of all. of transmittals from work station to Link, Social Security Building, Balti- It is within this broad conception more 35, Md. for a packet of materials work station in fiscal 1960 where ex- of the security of a people that the on “Living Longer and Liking It.” cessive use of wire-stapling methods Board has endeavored to carry out of securing claims materials resulted the responsibilities allocated to it in in some loss of administrative man the Social Security Act. An account How Many? hours.” of that stewardship is given in the I had just finished taking a farm following pages. Since this is the claim. As he arose to leave, the “We have no doubt but that the first report of certain activities new farmer asked, “Does this count as one document that you submitted in sup- in our national life, it has been con- of my three visits?” Seeing my puz- port of the date of birth shown on sidered important to outline not only zled look, he added, “You get to visit your application was received from the record of events since Congress a social security office just three times the country in which you were born. enacted the measure in August 1935 during your life, and I just want to However, we must point out . . .” but also the ways in which, in actual know how many more times I can experience, the purposes and methods come in.” “In this area of program projection set out in the act have been found -Anne Band, Claims Rep. there is Bureauwide agreement as to to relate to past developments in the Fort Wayne, Ind., DO where we must set our sights.” States and the Nations.

AUGUST 1960 39 management in which information is shared, decisions OASI In Action mutually arrived at and opinions and experience sought, and after it is sought, valued. It means hard work . . . (Continued from page 13) to do everything possible to preserve the greatest asset our We have taken seriously the fact that every dollar spent organization has-the devotion and interest of our skilled on administration comes from the contributions people and experienced people. It means hard work to further have made for their security, and we have striven to cut develop and strengthen the career system; to make sure all unnecessary expense, at the same time feeling that the that the promotional system is fair and just, and perhaps contributors are entitled to a high level of service, Thus, even more important that each job is rewarding and sat- we seek the latest money-saving machinery, improved isfying in itself; that pay for the job is reasonable; that methods, and simplified procedures. the work place, the budget, policy, and instructions are We take seriously the obligation to protect the Trust the best we can make them. In other words, to keep on Fund against improper payments, and we strive to earn making OASI a better and better place to work as well the respect of the public for the integrity of our adminis- as a better and better program for the public. tration as well for its helpfulness and its humanity. We have taken as a Bureau objective the goal of uni- 1958-The E are just about to begin a form treatment of people under law; and, through man- Challenge new period in Bureau history. ualized procedures and instructions, and the even adjudi- Ahead W We have completed three quite cation of cases and their review, have striven for the distinct historical periods, each about democratic goal of fair and equal treatment under law. six or seven years long, and we are now entering a fourth We have taken as a Bureau objective the quickest possi- period, this one of uncertain length. ble payment of initial claims and the prompt and accurate The first was a time of “getting started.” It lasted from delivery of checks in succeeding months. Most people the time the first employee was hired until say 1941 or are dependent on this money for the necessities of life 1942. It was characterized by the great excitement and and we have taken on the obligation of getting it to pioneering spirit of establishing a completely new insti- them fast, and with a regularity each month that they tution in American society. . . can count on. The second period in Bureau history, which ran roughly We have also set objectives for improving the basic from 1941 or 1942 to 1949, was a period of relative sta- statute and for making it easier to administer and under- bility and calm. The big job of forming an organization stand. . . had been completed and without significant changes in And these are but a few of the Bureau objectives the law the task was to do better the job we already set over the years, and as fresh and good today as ever. knew. . . Of course, we have not always obtained our objectives The ihird period, just about completed, running from 100 per cent, but we have taken many practical steps that the time of the 1950 amendments to about now, has been on a long-range basis help to build an organization capa- a period of very rapid change and great growth char- ble of meeting these goals. The Bureau has recognized acterized by a succession of major amendments to the that reaching objectives of the type I have outlined is law, each one bringing huge peaked workloads and com- dependent primarily on hiring, training and developing plicated new provisions to administer. . . a group of competent and devoted people, that good ad- But today I am not primarily concerned with the past. ministration is a matter of attitude, a matter of the I want rather to talk with you about why I think we are spirit. moving into still a fourth stage in Bureau history, and Many times over this last year I have asked myself what I think the characteristics of this new period will what it is in this organization that makes it do a splendid be . . . in the period ahead there will be amendments to job day in and day out and then be capable of rising to the Act, and they will be important amendments . . . but the very heights of achievement whenever the going is what makes the difference from an operating point of particularly rough. . . , The answer is, of course, the view is that the amendments that seem most likely in the people, the devoted, loyal, hard-working intelligent people near future do not produce huge backlogs of claims to be who must make the vast number of decisions on which processed in a single year, like 62 for women, or dis- success depends, the people who must deal day in and ability, or the extension of coverage to farmers . . . day out with the myriad of individual tasks that make up reduction in age for disability, for example, would be the great complex of an organization like this. . . mostly a conversion from the freeze . . . You can be assured that we are not only grateful to I believe these next few years with relatively stable you but are determined to conduct the business of the workloads should be a period of re-examination of the Bureau in a way that truly recognizes that the people of program and policies and procedures and should be char- OASI are the organization. This means a democratic (Continued on page 41)

40 OASIS OASI In Action Harbor Lights (Continued from page 40) acterized by study and evaluation by experimentation and by a determination to attain our goals and make the (From Candler-by-the-Sea) Bureau Objectives a living reality. We have lots to I am sure there are many people now located all over do and we are on our way . . . the United States who will long remember November 30, During this period of study and re-examination we 1936. This was the day when literally thousands of men will need the ability to shake ourselves out of our routine and women from all over the United States descended ways of thinking. We must be willing to look at the upon the Candler Building to report for work as clerks, Bureau’s job with new eyes and be willing to change, to tabulating machine operators, key punch operators and modify, to discard, and to create. We must be willing a variety of other jobs. A week or two before this date, to re-examine accepted thoughts and notions that we have the scene was no doubt duplicated since there were had for many, many years . . . several hundred people already on duty when the “11-30” You have met the challenges of the past magnificently. team arrived. The challenge that lies ahead of us, though vastly differ- DAO in those days was a vastly different sight than ent in character, is just as great . . . it is today. In 1oo king back over the years, I have often Out of our successful past we can go forward, into this thought what a field day a practical joker could have had. new period with great confidence and with great security in the comradeship which comes from common devotion Thousands of people reported for duty. None of us to a great cause. knew to whom we should report; what section we were to be assigned to, nor did we have the slightest idea of what kind of work we were going to do. Anyone with a sense Dedication of humor and even a slight bit of acting ability and nerve (Continued from page 16) could have been “King Tut” himself, by merely sitting at a desk, looking important and giving out orders. He Social Security Administration, and Bureau staff members (or she) could have herded hundreds of people together, and invited guests who were assembled on the stage. given them all kinds of jobs to do, and I assure you, the Among them were: Assistant Secretaries of the Depart- orders would have been followed to the letter, even if the ment, Edward Foss Wilson and Robert A. Forsythe; the orders made no sense. The scene referred to reminds one General Counsel, Parke M. Banta; Director of the Office of the story of the complete stranger who came upon a of Administration, Rufus E. Miles; and Deputy Commis- road crew waiting for the boss. The stranger walked up sioner, Joseph H. Meyers. and directed the crew to rip up a block of trolley car tracks. Representing the Bureau were Deputy Director Robert Before the supervisor arrived on the scene, the tracks had Ball, Executive Assistant Jack Futterman, and Assistant been pulled up for a full block on the busiest street in Directors Joseph Fay, Division of Accounting Operations, town. The stranger had merely walked away, never to Alvin David, Division of Program Analysis, Richard be seen again. Branham, Division of Claims Control, Thomas Parrott, Division of Public Information and Personnel Manage- In November and December 1936, thousands of mail ment and Roy Touchet, Division of Administrative Man- bags from all over the United States arrived at DAO. agement. Hugh McKenna, Division of Field Operations, They contained the OA-702’s and SS-5’s which had in was attending a Management Training Conference at State those days been issued by post offices throughout the coun- College, Pennsylvania. Commissioner Mitchell remarked try. These all had to be coded, and checked for accuracy. that Roy Touchet had much to do with the design and con- There were thousands accompanied by notes of protest struction of the building. He expressed regrets that be- and others with humorous explanations attached. Pencils cause of illness, Ewe11 Bartlett, Assistant Director, Division were in short supply and were broken in half and distrib- of Claims Policy, could not attend. uted around. Undertaker chairs by the hundreds were Special guests were also introduced; they included placed at a long makeshift wooden table. The lucky ones former Bureau Director Oscar Pogge; President of the were able to beg, borrow or steal small pillows for those Baltimore City Council Phillip Goodman; head of the hard chairs. Maryland State Welfare Department, Judge Thomas J. Little by little, order grew out of what seemed like Waxter; and James Campbell of Fisher, Nes, Campbell and chaos, and eventually posting and balancing operations Associates; and Julius C. Meyers and Richard W. Ayers began, using individual ledger sheets. An appropriate of Meyers and Ayers, the architects for the building. comparison between 1936 and 1960 would be the horse After the ceremony, invited guests adjourned to the and buggy days compared to the jet age, and our top cafeteria for an informal reception. planners now tell us, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet !”

AUGUST 1960 41 RECOLLECTIONS by Ewell Bartlett, Assistant Director Division of Claims Policy

Several months ago when we began gathering materials for this Anni- versary Edition, we asked Bart for some recollections of the early days in Social Security. As always, he graciously responded-as follows:

When Social Security available for the essential items car- 1935 was to consider the title. The Stopped the Clock ried in the deficiency, including Social Bill had gone by the title of “Eco- Security. The Senator still holding nomic Security Act” up to that time. Because of Social Security the Sen- forth and the necessary assurances of Question was raised whether in view ate clock was run back 45 minutes funds having been secured, the clock of the modest benefits carried by the just before the hour of midnight, Au- was started up once again and the Bill, “Economic Security Act” would gust 26, 1935. As the minute hand Senate adjourned sine die at 12 mid- be a fitting title. again neared the hour of 12, the clock night by the Senate clock, actually Several suggestions were made by was run back 45 minutes once more 5:00 a.m. by nonofficial clock time. Committee members and staff, and and there stopped and not started And that’s how Social Security some that got passing attention were : again for 3 or 4 hours. stopped the Senate clock. Personal Security Act; Personal Wel- The President had signed Social fare Act; Social Welfare Act; Social Security into law August 14. The ap- When Social Security Went on Relief Insurance Act (‘Social Insurance propriation to start the program was included in a deficiency hill which Social Security was operated as a Board” being the name given to the both Houses had passed, but the Sen- relief project for over five months. agency set up by the Bill to carry out ate had included amendments for Funds were not provided by the First a number of its provisions). There loans to cotton and wheat farmers Session of the 74th Congress, which was reservation about the word “so- with which the House disagreed. The enacted the law as signed by the cial” because some thought it sug- Senate and House had previously President August 14, 1935. gestive of socialistic and especially so twice agreed upon a date to adjourn The appropriation for Social Secu- when tied to “insurance.” only to have to delay the agreed upon rity died with Senator Huey Long’s The final title “Social Security date. In House Concurrent Resolu- “swan song” filibuster of August 26, Act” takes the word “social” from tion 40, adjournment date was fixed 1935. (The Senator was felled by an “social insurance” and the word “se- as August 26 (which of course meant assassin’s bullet the next calendar day curity” from the original title “Eco- an hour no later than midnight). after the end of his filibuster.) nomic Security Act.“, and the full The question before the Senate at The leaders of Congress had title was supposed to be suggestive about 7:00 p.m. was reconsideration worked out with executive officials a both of protection to the individual of its vote by which the cotton and plan by which Social Security could as a member of society and of wheat amendment had been added. be initiated with funds of the Works society’s concern for the individual. Senator Long objected and heId the Projects Administration, assigned to floor till the Senate adjourned early the Department of Labor. No More Poor House the next morning without final action And that’s how Social Security be- on the bill. From Justice Cardozo’s opinion up- came a relief project pending its own As the hour approached midnight holding the constitutionality of the appropriation made available by the and the Senator showed no signs of Old Age Benefits provisions of the next session of Congress, February giving up, the clock was first run Social Security Act: “The hope be- 11, 1936. back 45 minutes, and then run back hind this statute is to save men and a second time and stopped at 11:15. How Social Security Got Its Name women from the rigors of the poor Meantime, simultaneous efforts were The Committee on Ways and house as well as from the haunting being made to get the Senator to re- Means had already decided to report fear that such a lot awaits them when lease the floor and to find a means the Bill favorably. A final act of the Journey’s end is near.” (Helvering by which other funds could be made Committee that early April day of V. Davis, Sup. Ct., May 24, 1937.)

42 OASIS By Fern Hassell, Assistant Chief, DO YOU REMEMBER? Reconsideration Unit, KCPC

“Do you remember the Social Security Duckpin League “The anniversary, Hallowe’en and Christmas parties at which bowled at the Ice Palace? If so, you should re- the Admiral Club, Lee Sheraton Hotel, Washington Hotel member some of the following who appear in this picture. or the Pirates’ Den? Wendell Bain; Ellsworth Listerman; Reggie Sherriff; “The solemn gathering while listening to President ‘Gene Saunders; R. W. “Jake” Jacobson; Joe Carmody; Roosevelt’s address to the House and Senate the day Elmer Biedenholz; Joe Stetler; U. S. Martin; Gus Meyers; after the attack upon Pearl Harbor? And the departure Winston Bradley; Gordon Peterson; George Harrington; of the Reservists who had diligently attended sessions to Jimmie Flanagan; Frank Abbott; Oscar Pogge; Les retain their commissions in the Army, Navy or Marine Griffith; Ed Jones; Dudley Snyder; Charlie Potter; May- Reserve? nard Whitney; Alvin David; Norman Hall; Bob Peck; “Working with John Winant, Vincent Miles, Frank Wilson Jones; Jackson Smith; Earl Newlon; Bill Joyce; Bane, Arthur Altmeyer, Leonard Calhoun, ‘Colonel’ MC- Ted Ladouceur; Jack Bluett; Rudy Nelson; Roy Grove; Cormack, James D. Hayes and Bill Harding? Odin Klovstad; Joe Balkoski; Alex MacKinnon; George “The pride we felt when we had checks out to disaster Keating; Ned Garver; John Sanders; Lou Lange; Ray victims’ survivors the month following death of the bread- Hensrud; Bill Spates; Millard West; John Henry Schull; winner? Chet Aylor; Don Sutcliff; Wayne Bobst; Bill Frakes; “The reorientation when ‘the boys came home’ and you Walt Sompayrac; Eddie Kingsolver; Sam Lite; Johnny turned their jobs back to them? Adler; Harold Lampron; Grover Shepherd; Frank Ad- “The drilling and inspection of squads or platoons of cock and John Shellington. men of Headquarters Company, 16th Brigade of the 12th “Our apologies to the others whose names we are un- Infantry when they were quartered in the old Mayfair able to recall and associate with their likenesses-after Apartments Buildings beside the Potomac Park Apart- all, this picture was made about 1941! We believe that ments Building at 1800 C Street, N.W.? Scott Penfield; Werner Puppa; Joe Harrington and Frank “The joy when we heard that we would all be housed May bowled, in this group, but we don’t recognize them. in one beautiful building in Southwest Washington? “And do you remember working in the Farm Credit “The first involvement with res adjudicata and admin- Administration Building while the foundations for the istrative finality? The doctrine of equitable estoppel? Benjamin Franklin Station of the Post Office were being “Getting someone else to respond to roll call in law dug and the filtering of sand and dust into your type- school because you had to work late and had all the legal writer and hair? absences permitted? “Working ‘like mad’ until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. getting “The water splashing in those ‘Government Closing submissions to the General Counsel, Tom Eliot, or the Time Showers?’ Board typed so they could be considered at the following morning sessions? (Continued on page 46)

AUGUST 1960 43 -Touching All Bases

section. Acting assistant adjudicators, regional conference until new organiza- many of them with law degrees, were tional arrangements rendered the ditty entering on duty at CAF-3, $1,620 per obsolete.) The cast of “Follies” ran into year, and it was out of the ranks of these practically thousands, preventing any de- intrepid souls that much of the top tailed rundown here. We do note, how- staff of the Bureau was subsequently ever, that Abe personified an account selected. number in one skit, a DO receptionist in In 1942, the adjudication of claims was another, a typist in a third, and hit the decentralized to field offices and area of- heights of chief clerk in the main extrava- fices were set up to handle review and ganza, which may have been prophetic certification. Naturally this group re- of his subsequent ascension of the re- membered most vividly the setting up of gional ladder. the Chicago area office at 188 West Ran- dolph St., with an original staff of 300 OUR OLD POTOMAC HOME employees. (Presently the office has a complement of 3,000 and is located at 165 North Canal Street. The Chicago PC now services more than 3 million beneficiaries.) Pointing up the phenomenal growth of the Bureau, one of the conferees re- membered a day in 1935 when he exam- PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS ined a listing of the entire payroll of the Shown above is a candid shot taken be- Social Security system-it consisted of 12 names; and how an individual who was hind the scenes of a Regional Manager’s leaving the Board went around and shook Conference held at Kansas City, MO., in the Fall of 1940. We don’t know what hands with all the employees before mak- ing his departure. weighty program plans were being dis- A group of employees from the Claims cussed by Howard Dunn, l., longtime re- and Correspondence Control division gional representative in Region VI, and LAND OF NYNJDELPA (circa 1938) are shown enjoying a bit of John Corson, r., an early Bureau direc- Abe Asofsky, manager of the New York sunshine in front of the old Bureau offices tor, but it wasn’t the last problem to 33 (St. Nicholas Ave.) DO, nostalgically in the Potomac Park Apartments, 21st furrow brows in the Bureau. recalls for us the presentation of “Re- and C Streets in Washington. gional Follies No. 1” on May 26, 1945, In the back row are: (l. to r.) Maxine CHICAGO REMEMBERS at the Hotel Martinique, N.Y., by a cast Gray, Gladys Jorgenson, Emma Clay, Mandel Benjamin, chief, Chicago PC, in drawn from all ranks in Region I-II. Margaret Burke, Mary Crowley, and response to our request, gathered a group Although the event was strictly extra- Mary Naughton. Seated are: (l. to r.) of his fellow Bureau early birds together curricular, and was followed by dancing, Anne Romansky, Evelyn Davis, Mr. the. other afternoon for a buzz session the musical review departed from OASI Carter, and Angie Ave. that would recreate the past from a PC themes only during the opening chorus, Bringing things up to date, Maxine angle. which featured a rendition of “The Star Gray married Charles Dafcik, who is now They collectively remembered that Spangled Banner.” (On second thought, a supervisory management analyst in DCC’s past and present staff was well that segment had a “Bureau purpose,” DCC, Gladys Jorgenson is the wife of represented on the Washington, D.C., ad- also.) Richard Branham, assistant director in judication scene in 1938 and 1939, with Other numbers listed on the program charge of DCC, and Anne Romansky is Dick Branham, now in charge as assistant were “House of Cards,” “I’m Forever married to Norman Hall, deputy chief, director, Jim Tully, now Philadelphia Chasing Numbers,” “In the Land of Operating Facilities branch, Division of PC chief, Lou Zawatsky, today’s deputy Nynjdelpa” (the regional States), “The Administrative Management. Emma assistant director, DCP, and Mandel Ben- Wage Discrepancy Blues,” and “Ballet Clay, now Mrs. DiMaggio, is a claims rep jamin busily engaged in getting out those of the Claims.” in the New Brunswick, N. J., DO. lump-sum life-and-death claims. Joe Co- Albert Gamse, now retired, contributed lumbus, now chief of the San Francisco the original score. (Al, who was a bona- DAWN AT CANDLER PC, headed up the Policy section, aided fide member of the American Society of by Bill Neise, Jack O’Connell, and Vince Composers, Authors and Publishers Lee Gulberg, now manager of the Griffith, all now departed. Lou Lange, (ASCAP), was also the composer of “Let’s Omaha, Nebr., DO, recalls nostalgically the present deputy assistant director, Welcome Region II-III,” a rousing his life and hard times at AOD (later DCC, was in charge of an adjudication marching song that enlivened many a DAO) in 1936 and 1937, when the pay

44 OASIS was minuscule by 1960 standards, but appearing on the front page of the May Walter’s unique claim to fame is that something could be done with it then. 24, 1937, issue of the Washington (D.C.) he worked on New Year’s Day in 1937, Lee chronicles off-duty “kicks” in the Daily News. The headline reads, “SE- was paid for his efforts on the same day- form of occupying a box seat at Memorial CURITY ACT VALID.” It certainly and that as far as anybody will ever Stadium for double-headers, summer eve- represented one of the most important know, given the intricacies of Treasury nings at Gwynn Oak Park, witnessing the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, operations, the FICA money transactions War Admiral-Sea Biscuit race classic at without which we wouldn’t be here. in his case technically provided the bed- Pimlico, travelling to New York City for Incidentally, the inside pages of the rock for the present multibillion OASI the World’s Fair, and purchasing a newspaper offer a new Oldsmobile De Trust Fund. brand-new, fully equipped Ford converti- Luxe two-door sedan for $545, and a Elmer tells us that Walter is robust and ble for $775, which was almost immedi- country estate in Silver Spring, Md., with in good health, and is doing his own ately stolen from in front of the Candler “eight rooms, four bedrooms, large living housekeeping in a trailer home outside building and never recovered. Contrib- room, sun porch, full basement, two-car of Laurelville. uting to the elasticity of the paycheck, Lee garage, large poultry house, fish pond, states, was the $35 monthly board-and- tennis court, 20 bearing fruit trees, nice MODEL D room expense. shrubbery, and 24 acres of land” for an His on-duty memories include Soundex “asking price” of $11,500, raising the January 1953 was only yesterday in the coding and the thrill of seeing the SS-5 question, “What price advances in grade Bureau’s long history, but it was D-year- of a hometown friend or a celebrity- and salary increases?” minus-two for DDO. All the same, dis- he recalls processing film-actor William ability legislation was on the books and Powell’s application. ANOTHER FIRST the Bureau had a staff studying the com- But the preoccupation of many of Lee’s Elmer Biedenholz manager, Chillicothe, plexities of what a full-fledged program co-workers at Candler in those days was Ohio, DO, nominates Walter G. Becker--- would entail. an ambition to get on the day shift. Lee Laurelville, Ohio, for our Beneficiary never made it. But most poignant of all the collec- tive memories was the tale of the small- town youth who arrived in Baltimore to report for duty at the Candler building. A Baltimore cabbie, noting his confusion on being confronted with the metropolis, offered to drive the lad to a rooming house that he could recommend, and then take him along to Candler. After reg- istering at the rooming house and de- positing his luggage, the recruit went on to a long session of personnel processing, which was followed bv his working the late shift. Finally emerging into a night- shrouded Market place, the boy hailed the first cab he saw. “Where to?” the driver asked. “I dunno,” was the reply, : “but you ought to-you brought me Photo above shows part of our task down here.” force assigned to observing the disability GOOD OLD DAYS operations at the Chicago headquarters of RRB as they relaxed at the Chicago Dorothy Smith, claims rep, and Joseph Museum between bouts with tentative Mayo, claims supervisor, in the Saginaw, standards and policies for the future pro- Mich., DO, display the banner headlines gram. Snapped while demonstrating that often one must travel the backroads slowly in a modest vehicle before hitting the main highway in a superpowered job are (l. to r.), Thomas B. McNeeley, M.D., then on loan from OVR, now medical consultant, BPA; Herb Borgen, presently chief, Disability Standards branch, DDO, and Lucille Covev. now chief. Policy and Hall of Fame. Walter, who celebrated Procedure branch. OHA. SSA. ’ his 87th birthday on June 17, also Herb Borgen tells us that the two rounded out 20 years as a beneficiary in months spent with RRB were most fruit- that month. However, we have 2,000 in- dividuals on the rolls who are in their ful in providing the Bureau with the nineties, and six have passed the century basic standards for the program, and that mark; and there are about 28,500 folks nearly every paragraph of the present who have been receiving payments over guidelines owes something to that pio- the full course. neer study.

AUGUST 1960 45 Past, Present, Future DO YOU REMEMBER? (Continued from page 9) (Continued from page 43) wage levels. The longer the system is in effect, the more “The riding clubs, ball teams, and other recreational seriously we will have to consider whether virtually the activities? entire adult working lifetime should be used in figuring “The first monthly benefit claims and the chagrin of average earnings for the benefit computation or whether the higher salaried beneficiaries who wrote to their con- the benefit amount should be based on an averaging, for gressmen because their social security benefit was not example, of years of highest earnings or of years im- equivalent to their usual monthly wage? mediately’ preceding retirement. “The first time you had to pay income tax in D.C. be- The upward trend of wages has particular significance cause you earned over $l,000.00? in relation to the limit that the law sets on the amount “When Francis McDonald, Joseph Columbus, Harold of annual earnings taxable and creditable towards benefits. O’Connell, Henry Merry, Bob Huey, and Bill Connell Unless this so-called “earnings base” is raised as general were collaborating with Joseph McElvain and Leonard levels of earnings rise, more and more people will have Calhoun on preparation of Regulations and Procedures? earnings above the base and fewer people will have their And the drafts and redrafts of Statement of Employer benefits related to their total earnings. and Application Forms? Another problem arises from the fact that the man or “And the activities to coordinate interpretations of woman who retires today may still be living-and pri- the Social Security Act, Internal Revenue Code and Rail- marily on his social insurance benefit-ten, twenty, or road Retirement Act when ‘independent contractors’ or even thirty years hence. What do we, as a society, want stockyard employees were involved? him to have year by year relative to what the rest of us “Mr. Corson’s admonition to write your letters as have? Probably we would all agree that, if inflation takes though you were explaining the problem to the newsboy place, his benefits should be raised at least to retain their on the corner, but ‘do not write down to these original purchasing value. During the period of his re- correspondents.’ tirement, however, not only price levels but also the “The training classes conducted by Francis McDonald average level of living in the United States undoubtedly and Dr. Nevins? will rise. Should retired and survivor beneficiaries share “Or the consternation when George Washington intro- in the rise? If so, in what amount? We cannot avoid duced himself in the training class and the instructor these questions, since inaction in itself is a reply. I have thought it was a “gag” to brighten the dreary prospect? no question but that amounts paid currently should reflect “If you remember, you’ve been here as long as I !” current levels of living. Confidence in the Future In determining the degree to which benefit levels of those long on the roles are adjusted to reflect the rising level of living, we undoubtedly will be influenced by the extent to which beneficiaries have other sources of income, the circumstances under which they can get medical care, and the availability of other special services for their needs. Beyond that, we shall have to weigh their re- sources and needs against those of other groups. These problems of benefit adequacy are perhaps typical of the many different problems we will face in the years ahead as the American economy and the conditions of American life change. We have come far in the last quarter century and I believe we can look with great satisfaction at our achievements. They may well give us confidence in our ability to meet and solve the problems of the future. That a high order of ingenuity and states- manship is required no one can question; but equally difficult problems have been solved in the past. I have no question that the staff of the Bureau of Old-Age and *wrr*:hhq-., Survivors Insurance, who bear a major share of this re- “I believe Smith handled our first scrambled sponsibility, will acquit themselves with distinction in wage case-By the way, how are you coming meeting these challenges as they arise. on it?” 46 OASIS Mary Lloyd’s (Memory) Lane . . . Manager Mary Lloyd Lane, Ham- had to carry the projector, record, Rudd and me along. Much to our ilton, Ohio, District Office, sent us sheet (which we used for a screen) surprise there was a huge crowd at one of the most interesting sets of and publications at least a quarter of 6:45 and the meeting wasn’t sched- recollections of her early days with the a mile straight up the side of the uled until 7:30. We tried to talk to Bureau that we have seen in many a mountain. I have never seen it the people standing around in the day. For newcomers, it will capture darker. The very first thing I did churchyard, but they either stared at some of the spirit of “those early after getting out of the car was to us or walked away-quite an uncom- days” and for those of us who remem- step into a mud hole over the top of fortable feeling. ‘Rudd’ and I de- ber those first years it will reawaken my boots. That was a good start! A cided we would do something about memories which may have been dor- miner finally came along and held his it. He agreed to lead the singing if mant for some time about how we in- miner’s lamp as a light for us. When I’d play the piano. We picked out formed the public about the new we got to the building where the meet- some good, lively old revival hymns program. ing was to be held, they didn’t want us and before long the rafters rang! Mary’s early days with BOASI to show the film. It was a Then we made our almost fatal mis- were spent in the Middlesboro, Ky., church and it seems it is against their take. As it was in church, we asked DO and it is of her experiences there religion to even look at a movie. The one of the brethren to lead us in that she writes . . . “One very cold arrangements had been made with a prayer. He blessed everyone from winter night (in the late 1930’s) Man- company official. We were in no Roosevelt on down and back again. ager W. Chenault Cockrell, Marco mood to be argued with! The man It lasted 15 minutes! Then Manager Rudd, then field assistant, and I were doing most of the talking was a claim- Cockrell got up and ‘spread the gos- to show a film at Gatliff. By the time ant of ours. We told him that it pel of social-security’ and from then we got ready, there were at least two seemed to us that if it was all right on we had lots of friends and fine inches of snow and ice on the road. for him to receive benefits, it should cooperation in that section. Despite advice to the contrary, we be all right for others to know about “Sometimes folks in the Regional started out. None of us had ever the program. He agreed, and we Office doubted some of the tales that been there. About eight miles of the showed the film. came from our office. Once in a way was over a narrow WPA road while we had a chance to prove them. that wound in and out over one of the highest mountains I had ever crossed. To Straight Creek Vince Powers wanted to ‘quick get It seemed the further we drove, the out of a restaurant’ when he heard harder it snowed. By the time we “Meetings were held under peculiar someone talking about the murder reached our destination we were weak circumstances. At one place up there the week before. Some of our from fright. To add insult to injury, Straight Creek, they didn’t have elec- visitors were quite impressed with the there wasn’t a car in sight. I was sure tricity. One or two of the neighbors ‘night spot’ that had locks on the we had made a mistake, but when we brought kerosene lamps. After the inside of the doors on the booths . . . opened the theater door, we found the meeting several wanted account num- place literally packed. It had a seat- bers. Louise Wilson and I filled them ing capacity of 500 and there were out by the light of miners’ lamps. Unafraid people standing! . . . “Very odd things happened at some of our meetings. We had to “My mother worried about me resort to strange methods not in the while I was in the mountains, but I From Garmeada book. Probably the most memorable was never actually afraid. I liked the one was in Manchester, Ky. (Clay people and I suppose they knew it. County) . . . Clay County had quite “We conducted a rather extensive I find the work much different now- a reputation (not too favorable), public relations program. Whenever practically like retiring on a pension. we could, we would take Ray Colyer which was not in the least exag While I loved every minute of it- (then a clerk) with us. One cold and gerated. We arranged for a meeting the people, their quaint ways, the snowy night we were to show a film at at the Horse Creek church at beautiful mountain scenery, the wild Garmeada, just up the mountain out Pigeonroost, just out of Manchester. flowers in spring and the snow-capped of Middlesboro. Ordinarily we could We distributed hand bills with a huge have driven reasonably close to the FREE at the top and social security mountain peaks in the winter-I church where the meeting was to be in rather small print. The day ar- wouldn’t want to go back to stay . . . held, but the road was so muddy we rived and Mr. Cockrell took Marco Maybe I’m getting old !”

AUGUST 1960 47 Glance again at the front cover and you will see this same family 17 years ago. That’s when Mrs. Mary Thompson, then age 32, became a widow and she and Against the background of a program that now serves son Jerry (13 months) and daughter Dale (age 3) came over 14 million beneficiaries to the sum of $950,000,000 on the rolls of social security. In fact, many will re- a month, Mrs. Thompson recalls that she has received member the family since Mrs. Thompson was our One- about $14,000 in monthly benefits. At first, payments Millionth beneficiary. for herself and the children amounted to only $66 a Mrs. Thompson, who lives in Parma, Ohio, with her month; later they rose to $130. A widow in a like situa- two children, says that, “Social security payments per- tion today would receive $240 a month. mitted me to stay at home and care for the children and The Thompson children are grown now (see above). better provide for their needs at least until they got into the Payments were made on behalf of Jerry until late last second grade of school. The best part of it all was that year when he turned 18. Currently he is a high school the authorities didn’t make me feel as if I were accepting student, taking an industrial course, and working at a charity. I didn’t have to account for the money, and it Parma gas station. Dale (19), a high school graduate, was very good insurance.” does bookkeeping for a paint company, and is engaged to be married. Mrs. Thompson, 47, is employed also. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, which serves the greater Cleveland area, ran a feature story on the Thompsons recently. Not a sensational headline maker, but one true to life; more testimony of what our program has come,

to mean in the lives of so many Americans today.

48 OASIS U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1960