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Isidore Sydney Falk

photo of I.S. Falk

Isidore S. Falk
(1889 -1984)

I.S. Falk was an early Social Security employee, having worked for the Committee on Economic Security in 1934. Dr. Falk was a Professor at the University of Chicago and an Instructor in Public Health at Yale University before coming to work for the Social Security Board in December 1936. Initially, he was hired as Principal Medical Economist for the Board and he would go on to a career as head of SSA's Office of Research and Statistics.

Dr. Falk was one of the nation's leading scholars on public health issues for many decades. After leaving government service in 1954, he went on to a long and distinguished career at Yale University.

At a memorial service in New Haven, Connecticut in November 1984, Wilbur Cohen contributed these words of description of I.S. Falk :

"Falk was one of the most articulate and erudite speakers. He had a scholarly approach to any subject or problem. He was reserved, detached and disciplined. I felt that even an extemporaneous talk by him could be printed word-for-word without any editing. It was a joy to work with him on a Presidential message or a legislativee proposal because you felt like you were participating with an Auguste Rodin in an heroic piece of sculpture for posterity. There was nothing small about Ig Falk. He stood tall among his colleagues and critics. He stands tall in the future."

 

 
 
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