Robert Struble (1899–1967) was a political figure and social welfare reformer in Washington from the post-World War II years until his death in Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

 on July 26, 1967.

He was a U.S. veteran of both World Wars, and was awarded the Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

 for service in France during World War I.

From 1949 to 1953 Struble was chief assistant to Jack Taylor, Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands. He also pioneered welfare reform in Washington state during his years (1957–1967) with the non-disabled program (NDVR) within the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Under Struble's leadership, the NDVR program attracted national attention for its initiative in converting welfare from handouts to career retraining. Administratively, NDVR sought to apply the proverb about teaching people how to fish rather than merely giving fish to needy people.

In the mid-1950s, during the nascency of television in Spokane

Spokane, Washington

Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

, Struble was an executive with KXLY

KXLY-TV

KXLY-TV, virtual channel 4, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Spokane, Washington, USA. KXLY-TV is owned by Spokane Television Group, a subsidiary of Morgan Murphy Media, it is one of five local Spokane TV stations seen in Canada on the Shaw Direct satellite provider.-History:Although KHQ...

.

He was the grandnephew of ex-Iowa Congressman Isaac Struble and the first cousin of football hall-of-famer Max Krause

Max Krause

Max Joseph Krause was an American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins.-High school career:...

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Excerpt from Look article on welfare reform, 1965

"She (Alicia Carlington) could have dimmed her ambitions and thus found help within the rules of the welfare system. But she would then have failed. That she did not have to fail is a tribute to the humanity of Johnson, Struble, Murphy and others who cared enough to become involved with another person, to give part of themselves, to go out of their way – to use all the human resources of a system that is too often applied impersonally, thoughtlessly, grimly. They dared to break, or at least bend, some of the habits that so often make a prison of a society crammed with treasures.

"Why did they do it? Perhaps they are better men than most; perhaps they saw in Mrs. Carlington an uncommon spirit and a chance for a return on their risk. Whatever the reason, Mrs. Carlington got the help she had to have. She used it." (See below, References, J. Polly article)