Tribute to AGA Charter Member and Past National President, Raymond Einhorn, CGFM

This past April, the government financial management community lost a giant and AGA lost a charter member, a Past National President, and a friend. Raymond Einhorn, CGFM, passed away on April 9^th at the age of 91. We’d like to take a few minutes to remember Ray and the contributions he made to our profession and our Association.

Ray, along with his late friends Robert W. King, T. Jack Gary Jr., CGFM, and other prominent federal government accountants, gathered in September of 1950 to establish FGAA—the Federal Government Accountants Association, now known as AGA. He was the 58^th member to join the Association.

Fifty-six years later, Ray remained an active and prominent AGA member, attending events such as the 2004 PDC in Washington, D.C., the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) ceremony, Washington, D.C. Chapter luncheons and AGA’s 50th Anniversary gala in September of 2000. He also attended the 2000 PDC in San Francisco, where upon receiving the Association’s highest award, named for his old friend Bob King, an emotional Ray said, “I am proud to be an AGA member.”

Ray was also proud to be a Certified Government Financial Manager, a certification he strongly supported even more than 20 years after his retirement from federal service. In an article that ran after his death, the Washington Post called Ray “a pioneer in governmental auditing and fiscal responsibility,” and noted his role in establishing internal auditing functions as the first audit director at three federal agencies: the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in 1947; the Economic Cooperation Administration (a predecessor of the U.S. Agency for International Development) in 1950; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1960. He also served at the Economic Cooperation Administration, the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office) and, after he left NASA in 1973, he became a professor of accounting at American University's Kogod School of Business. The next year, he founded the Institute for Applied Public Financial Management at American as a two-year graduate program principally for financial managers in the federal government. He directed the institute until 1982 and continued to teach at the university until 1990. He also coordinated international forums on accounting and financial management. For more than 50 years, he participated in the Accountants' Roundtable, a monthly gathering at the Brookings Institution. He served as the group's chairman for two decades.

To give you an idea of how much Ray was loved and respected within this organization, we turn to the words of his fellow AGA Past National Presidents who remembered Ray upon his passing.

“Ray was a guiding influence in changing the role of internal auditing from checking inventory, vouchers and payroll to auditing operations,” said Sidney Baurmash. “Many times, before new approaches were discussed, the question was, 'What does Ray Einhorn think?”

Don Kirkendall said, “Ray remained active and productive in the auditing profession for many more years than most of his contemporaries. Ray was a giant in the auditing profession and will be remembered fondly by his many friends and colleagues. Thanks, Ray, for all of your efforts in making the auditing profession better."

“I was honored to serve as his Chapter Auditor during his Washington Chapter Presidency,” said Fletcher Lutz. “He made sure that I held the principles of auditing higher than the organizational politics. I also worked with Ray while a president of AGA and later as its Executive Director for six years. He was helpful with ideas and observations about the organization and its programs. He was always supportive but direct and forward about the principles of professionalism.  He was always a true friend and professional person. It was always great to have Ray on an AGA committee or project. He did more than attend meetings. He studied the problem, talked with other professionals, and then developed a plan that he would present or give to the Committee Chair for review and improvement. Then he supported the Chair and the Committee to see that the proposal was understood by all persons that were affected and would enforce the plan. He will be missed but not forgotten. I have missed his conversations and the meetings at the Brookings Roundtable, which he headed for so many years with distinction. He will be missed but not forgotten. His ideas and assistance to many of us will live on for many more years.”

"Before I ever met Mr. Einhorn, I had heard so much about him as a founder and charter member of the FGAA—now AGA,” said Richard Norment. “I was not disappointed when I first met Ray. He was such a gentleman and wanted to learn about you personally and professionally with an ever-inquisitive mind.”

"I'd like to recognize the sincere advice Ray Einhorn gave to me and his leadership within AGA,” said Jullin Renthrope. “He was always willing to share his thoughts and ideas. I was impressed by his keen mental state at his age—he was sharp and up on the issues.”

“He was one of my all time favorite mentors, colleagues and friends,” said Virginia Robinson.

“Ray lived and breathed AGA and always had AGA’s best interests at heart,” said Tom Sadowski. “He was always thinking. He had a different slant on things, but he loved to engage other people in what he was thinking about. He was very approachable, which is typical of most of my AGA friends. I always thought, here I am this little guy from Missouri talking to Ray Einhorn—one of the fathers of AGA. He was the prototype AGA member in how he conducted his professional and personal lives."

Jeff Steinhoff said, "I will never forget Ray Einhorn's professionalism, his never-ending quest for life-long learning, his thirst for answers to questions, his attention to every detail, his kindness, his understated wit, his selflessness, his integrity, his thoughtfulness, and his dedication to his wife and family. And yes, he did all of these things for longer than anyone in AGA's history. Ray epitomizes the best AGA has to offer. For everyone who had the privilege of knowing Raymond Einhorn, thank you Ray for all that you have meant to the government accountability community. We are all better people and better professionals because of you."

"Ray Einhorn was the ultimate class act,” said Meredith Williams. “Anyone who ever interacted with him was enriched. I count myself so very fortunate to have briefly crossed his path."

His wife of 57 years, Pearl B. Einhorn, died in 1997. A son, Alvin D. Einhorn, died in 1994. Survivors include two daughters, Marjorie Holland of Portland, Ore., and Sally Randall of Stamford, Conn.; a brother; and three grandchildren.

Growing up in Key West, Florida, as a young boy Raymond got to know both Ernest Hemingway and Robert Frost. Several years ago he gave me a copy of the following poem by Robert Frost from 1936: 

The Hardship of Accounting

Never ask of money spent

Where the spender thinks it went.

Nobody was ever meant

To remember or invent

What he did with every cent.

Raymond, thank you so very much for being a part of my professional life, but most of all for being my friend. I know I speak for all of your AGA friends when I say we miss you and we will always remember your many contributions, your wisdom, and your smile that could light up a room.