Ray Garrett - his contribution as chairman of the SEC

I traded some stock today at Charles Schwab and remembered that a low-cost provider that allows 'the little guy' to trade stocks as easily as we have all become accustomed to doing was only made possible by the efforts of Ray Garrett, former chairman of the SEC. His birthday was August 11.

[the article is entitled "the man under whom it will all shake down."]

Interview with Roderick Hills, 12/2/02: "The White House deregulated commission rates, and while Ray Garrett at the Commission deserves all the credit for that, the fact is that President Ford and Alan Greenspan were strong supporters of that ..."

We will be honoring Ray Garrett at The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society's 75th Anniversary Celebration Dinner for the SEC Commission and staff, government officials, and industry representatives on Thursday, June 25, 2009.

Ray Garrett, Jr. passed on in February 1980. He emceed a previous anniversary dinner and wouldn’t have missed this one for all the tea in China -- nor the personal archives and roundtables that the Historical Society has promoted since its inception. He loved the SEC, the law, his family, and his colleagues, whose names were legion.

Of Ray Garrett, Jr.’s Chairmanship, Commissioner Al Sommer later remarked:

“Certainly it is not an exaggeration to say that Ray was one of the most dearly beloved people ever to serve on the commission. You could walk the halls day after day and never hear a word of criticism of him, professionally or personally; never hear his integrity, or even his judgment, questioned; never
hear his leadership criticized.” — A. A. Sommer, Jr.

At this time we are beginning to approach all of Ray’s friends and colleagues to give them an opportunity to participate in hosting or sponsoring a place at the banquet table to honor RAY GARRETT'S MEMORY.

Ray Garrett, Jr. had four children; Me (Susan Garrett Dunn), Nancy Garrett Worcester, Anne Garrett Norloff and Richard Hale Garrett. He has eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Please contact Susan Dunn sdunn@susandunn.cc for details on how you can join us in honoring Ray’s memory and in the meantime be sure to save this date on your calendar:

JUNE 25 2009

THE SEC 75TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER

. . .
A WAY TO HONOR RAY GARRETT, JR.
and his personal and professional contributions to our lives.

MR. BOOKEY: “The other thing that hasn’t quite been mentioned — the real
privilege I had, we had — all of us, we had what was called “The Dream
Commission.” “And The Dream Commission was when Ray Garrett was the chairman, and Irv was on the Commission, and Phil Loomis, and Al Sommer and John Evans, and they were the best. The absolute best. Stanley was the director. And they were smart. They were aggressive. They were energetic. It was leadership, and we loved it.

“And looking back, that was the prime time, folks. That was the prime
time.”

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Let's make it a date to remember. Contact sdunn@susandunn.cc for more information.