He Wants No Good Deed to Go Unpaid

The Social Security bureaucrat has been lauded for spotting payment errors. Now he's seeking a reward.

By Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writer
July 16, 2006

PHILADELPHIA — Traditionally, Americans like their heroes on the modest side, fearless and undaunted by adversity but generous and self-effacing in victory. Abraham Lincoln is the model, or Jimmy Stewart.

Ronald Cooley is a hero — but not that kind. He's the sort who launches lonely crusades against the odds, risks his future to help thousands of people he does not even know, and receives high honors for his work. But instead of expressing modest gratitude, he goes to court demanding a big financial reward too.