November 28, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Age at death: 83
Career in public service: Worked with the federal Civil Service Commission after he graduated from American University in 1950 and went on to work for the Bureau of the Budget, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. He was also a founding board member of OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that promotes government openness and accountability.
How he made his mark: Mr. Sugarman was executive secretary of the 13-member commission that planned Head Start as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. He headed the program for most of its first five years.
Key accomplishments: He cut through bureaucracy to get the program off to a fast start, observers say, helping solidify its key role in early-childhood education in America. The program was supposed to enroll 250,000 low-income children in its first summer but took in more than double that number. He streamlined the application process and solicited volunteers to help people in impoverished areas apply for grants to set up the centers.
How he will be remembered: Gary Bass, executive director of OMB Watch, says, “Jule was a luminary from the days of the Great Society. His commitment to public service was of the highest order.”
