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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 130
BY SENATORS ALARIO, ADLEY, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME, BROWN,
BUFFINGTON, CHABERT, CLAI TOR, CORTEZ, CROWE,
DONAHUE, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUILLORY,
HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH , MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK,
PERRY, PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH,
TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHI TE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the passing of
former state budget director and dedicated public servant, Ralph Perlman, and to
commemorate a life well spent in service to his country and his state, and to note the
proud legacy he leaves to its citizens.
WHEREAS, it is with deep sadness that the Legislature of Louisiana has learned of
the death of Ralph Perlman on May 24, 2013, eight days after his ninety-sixth birthday; and
WHEREAS, he was born in New York, New York, on May 16, 1917, a first
generation American born to European immigrants, Harry and Bessie Perlman; and
WHEREAS, after graduation from high school, he earned an undergraduate degree
from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and then obtained a master's degree in
Business from Columbia University in New York City; and
WHEREAS, in the midst of World War II with enlistment in the military as an
officer, Ralph Perlman came south to Camp Van Dorn, a United States Army Post located
near Centreville, Mississippi; there he met his future spouse, a southern lady named
Carole Herzberg, with whom he shared a dance and the next four decades of his life until her
untimely death in 1981; he served with distinction in the European Theater as an artillery
officer with the Sixty-third Infantry Division; and
WHEREAS, at the conclusion of World War II and honorably discharged from
military service, Ralph established a home in Baton Rouge and went into business; and
WHEREAS, with a keen mind for facts and figures and an acute sense for fiscal
discipline, Ralph first entered the realm of state government in 1964 when he went to work
for Governor John J. McKeithen as the governor's executive assistant to the commissioner SCR NO. 130 ENROLLED
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of administration within the Division of Administration and thus began a distinguished
career in state government that would last over forty years; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, he became state budget director within the office of Planning
and Budget and held that position for more than twenty-one years; and
WHEREAS, as the state's budget director he was responsible for financial analysis
and budget development for all state agencies and departments within the executive branch;
other exemplary accomplishments included the development of the Office of State Group
Insurance, which provided life and health policies for state employees, and his oversight of
the five million dollar investment of state funds in the development of the 1984 World's Fair
held in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Perlman was responsible for training more than seventy-five
budget analysts over his career; many of whom are presently in the highest ranks of public
finance in state government; and
WHEREAS, as new employees came under his tutelage, Mr. Perlman advised them
to obtain firsthand knowledge of the fiscal needs of each assigned budget unit with a field
visit, to become familiar with its accounting personnel, funding sources, and budget
expenditures, to become a steward of the financial needs of that state agency, and to make
every effort possible to secure essential funding; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Perlman, at times, had a gruff exterior and could be "a very tough
cookie" when guarding the state fisc as if it were his own personal budget, but he also had
a tender heart when it came to the securing of funds for the disadvantaged, the infirm, the
elderly, and the downtrodden; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Perlman had an amusing side to his character; he was always ready
to diffuse a tense budget negotiation with a joke that could be delivered with the rapier wit
of Buddy Hackett and the timing of Henny Youngman; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Perlman had a penchant for colorful neckties and fine cigars; that
image of him puffing away on that ever-present corona while he "smoked out" the facts has
been indelibly imprinted in the memories of whomever appeared before him with a budget
request; and
WHEREAS, in 1980, the Senate of Louisiana began a pilot project to create a SCR NO. 130 ENROLLED
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computerized appropriations and capital outlay database; when the operation needed a
designation, then Senate Secretary Mike Baer suggested RALPH, an acronym that stood for
"Research Analysis for Louisiana programs and Histories," a subtle tribute paid to the
analytical expertise of Ralph Perlman, and for many years, all of the Senate's computer
systems were simply known as R.A.L.P.H.; and
WHEREAS, in 1988, Mr. Perlman became the special assistant for finance under
three gubernatorial administrations, governors Roemer, Edwards, and Foster; he was also
appointed by Governor Mike Foster to become secretary of the Louisiana Gaming Control
Board where he served from 1997 until 2002; and
WHEREAS, in 2002, he became a special assistant to the University of Louisiana
System President Sally Clausen, who remembered Ralph Perlman with fond affection as a
"magician in common sense" tempered with honesty and great diligence; and
WHEREAS, after retirement Ralph Perlman relished his leisure time and took great
pleasure in spoiling his grandchildren, who referred to him lovingly as "Honey"; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, Mr. Perlman was proudly inducted into the Louisiana Political
Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Perlman is survived by his devoted wife of twenty-nine years,
Billie Perlman, a son, Jerry Perlman, a daughter, Ann Mitchell, numerous grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, and a host of close friends; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Perlman was an extraordinary man of copious achievements, a
man of great intellect, a caring individual who has left an indelible mark on the fiscal
controls and budgetary procedures that state government exercises today.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the passing of Ralph Perlman, former State
Budget Director, and does hereby commend his significant contributions to state
government, his commitment to budgetary excellence, his friendship, his leadership, and the
able assistance that he so generously imparted to all who worked with him.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
recollect his forty years of invaluable public service in state government and does hereby
commemorate the rich legacy that he leaves to the benefit of future generations. SCR NO. 130 ENROLLED
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to his
widow, Mrs. Billie Perlman.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES