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2020 SESSION
WHEREAS, Dorcas Ruth Hardy, a tireless public servant and the first woman to lead the United States Social Security Administration, died on November 28, 2019; and
WHEREAS, born in Newark, New Jersey, Dorcas Hardy graduated from Connecticut College before earning a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University; and
WHEREAS, after beginning her career as a legislative assistant to a United States Senator from New Jersey, Clifford Case, Dorcas Hardy later returned to California and served as Assistant Secretary for Health under Governor Ronald Reagan; and
WHEREAS, following her service to the State of California, Dorcas Hardy was the Associate Director of the Center for Health Services Research at the University of Southern California School of Medicine from 1974 to 1981; and
WHEREAS, Dorcas Hardy moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1981 to serve the administration of President Ronald Reagan; she initially held the position of Assistant Secretary for Human Development Services at the United States Department of Health and Human Services and chaired the president’s Task Force on Legal Equity for Women; and
WHEREAS, for her many years of dedication and professionalism, President Ronald Reagan nominated Dorcas Hardy to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration in 1986, the first time the post had been held by a woman; in this role from 1986 to 1989, she managed over 76,000 staff members in 1,000 offices processing $200 billion worth of benefits for 37 million people; and
WHEREAS, after leaving office, Dorcas Hardy remained a passionate advocate for the responsible management of the nation’s entitlement program, serving on the Social Security Advisory Board for many years and co-authoring Social Insecurity: The Crisis in America’s Social Security System and How to Plan Now for Your Own Survival in 1991; and
WHEREAS, an active and engaged member of her community committed to improving the lives of young girls and women, Dorcas Hardy volunteered considerable time to the Olave Baden-Powell Society and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the latter of which bestowed upon her a lifetime membership in recognition of her efforts; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is indebted to Dorcas Hardy for her leadership and guidance as a state appointee to the Board of Rehabilitative Services and the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors; and
WHEREAS, Dorcas Hardy will be dearly remembered and missed by her husband, Samuel; her stepchildren, Samuel, Brad, and Greg, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Dorcas Ruth Hardy, an influential public servant who was committed to ensuring a sound retirement for all Americans; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Dorcas Ruth Hardy as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.