The delegates at the 1979 convention in Detroit had approved the formation of the Women Life Underwriters conference of the National Association of Life Underwriters to succeed the Women Leaders Round Table. The emphasis was to be agent education, training and motivation, and there were to be no production requirements. Grace L. Thornbrug of Alexandria, Virginia, was the first president of the Conference, and Rosalie L. Kuntz of Pasadena, Texas served as treasurer. Though a much smaller organization, its relationship in the NALU was similar to that of the General Agents and Managers Conference and the new group was soon able to have an office at 1922 F Street. The Conference, Thornburg said, "will emphasize programs designed to change attitudes among career life underwriters, both men and women, and to help women underwriters cope with a wide range of problems they encounter in their attempts to bring career and family responsibilities into balance. The accent will be on regional educational seminars and a monthly newsletter suited to meeting the concerns of women life underwriters."

Early in 1980 the associated agent received a shock when NALU trustee Robert L. Rose of Bethesda, Maryland, died unexpectedly at a Capitol Hill function. He was only forty-four. Having served as Chairman of the NALU's Education Committee, Rose was prominent in the affairs of the American Risk and Insurance Association and an acknowledged positive influence in the broadening of consumer and life underwriter education programs. Former NALU president Norman G. Levine agreed to serve in Rose's place on the Board of trustees. The board voted to name the Education Achievement Award (which had been established in September 1979) the "Robert L. Rose Education Achievement Award." The award, given to associations annually for both life underwriter and consumer education projects, consists of a bronze plaque.

By mid-summer the addition at NALU headquarters seemed at last to be nearing completion. Bobo announced a number of staff changes at this time. Added to the law department's staff was association government affairs counsel David A. Winston. "Winston , who will be associated with NALU counsel Michael L. Kerley in an expanded government affairs unit of NALU's law department, is a 1978 graduate of the Vermont Law School," the announcement said. "He has private law experience and has served as an assistant staff counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee."

Sam Gaglio, who had been editor and business manager of Life Association News since 1959, announced that he would retire at the end of 1980. He was succeeded by associate editor Edward Keenan. The Association's magazine had grown enormously in prestige, content and quality during Gaglio's time, while income form advertising had risen steadily. Noting his years of quality service to the NALU, Bobo praised Gaglio for his "talent, dedication, hard work and loyalty."

Keenan was innovative. The magazine improved dramatically in appearance after he took over. Word processors were introduced and production computerized to some extent. He engaged John M. Phillips, who had been associated with national Public Radio, to produce tape-cassette digest versions of each issue. In time, Phillips developed an audio-visual department producing high quality materials that enabled the Association to supply many of its publicity and educational needs in house. Keenan remained editor throughout most of the decade, relinquishing responsibility for the editorial aspects in 1988 when Ian MacKenzie was named editor. MacKenzie was an experienced and talented industry journalist who had been on the staff of the National Underwriter, editor of the Florida Underwriter, and worked with the public relations department of the John Hancock in Boston. With MacKenzie directing the publication, Keenan became business manager focusing on the advertising department.[*]

The NALU held its 1980 convention in Honolulu, September 14-18. H. Kirke Lewis, general agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life at Memphis, was elected president of the national organization. Lewis had served the NALU as member, vice chairman and chairman of numerous committees, including Public Relations, membership, Nomination and Conventions. Reviewing his career, Life Association News commented, "Since entering the life insurance business in 1959, after graduation from the University of Michigan and a short stint in the chemical business, Lewis has achieved the high levels of success: Life and Qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table; recipient of the National Quality Award 19 times; the National Sales Achievement Award 13 times; and the Health Insurance Quality Award 14 times. He has written an application a week for more than 1,000 consecutive weeks; and has qualified for his company's monthly Spotlight for over 250 consecutive months, with a current requirement of $75,00 monthly production." Besides having the well-earned respect of his colleagues for these attainments, Lewis often impressed them with his well-honed speeches. His warm and genial manner made him one of the NALU's best-liked presidents in recent years.

Everyone seemed delighted with Honolulu as a convention site. Dress was very informal. Luaus, muumuus and brightly-printed, open neck shirts even appeared at the John Newton Russell Award dinner where members of the head table wore white linen aloha shirts. LIMRA president George G. Joseph was the recipient and Clare Boothe Luce was the principal speaker of the evening. A widely known figure Joseph had been in the business since 1946. Complementing him for speaking out on numerous occasions in defense of maintaining high standards in the business, the citation said, "In keeping with your conviction that our business will grow and prosper, by work and deed you have emphasized how well trained, service-oriented agents are integral to a renaissance of life and health insurance."

The NALU scored a last minute legislative victory that September. "Just a few hours before the Senate recessed to allow its members to concentrate on the election campaign," NALU general counsel Douds informed the agents, "Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) asked unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 5295, NALU's long-stand-in proposal to correct problems created for life underwriters by the 1977 amendments made to the Social Security law. …Senator Byrd's call for consideration of the bill on September 30 represented the last chance for passage prior to the recess, and possibly the last clear chance in this Congress," Douds said. The bill, he explained eliminated renewal commissions from counting against Social Security retirement benefits for formerly self-employed (now retired) life underwriters. It could make a lot of difference in one's retirement income, Douds observed:

Under the Current law, assume there are two life underwriters, both now retired, both having contributed all their working lives to the Social Security program, and both having achieved the same degree of success in their careers; yet one of these agents could receive his full Social Security benefits, while the other would stand the chance of receiving none at all!

The difference? One of these retired agents could lose all of his benefits solely by reason of the happenstance that, during his working years, he had been categorized as self-employed rather than as an employee. As such, renewal commissions received in retirement would be counted as income at that time and would be set off against Social Security payments.[xiv]

The NALU experimented with a different kind of forum in the fall of 1980 by staging a health insurance sales congress at the Northeast Philadelphia Hilton Inn. Nearly three hundred agents attended. Among the speakers were H. Kirke Lewis who discussed the financial advantages of selling health insurance and Haswell M. Franklin of Baltimore who explained how disability group plans provide a ready supply of prospects. Joseph F. Nally, Jr., an agent for Bankers Life of Iowa in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, discussed the role a group insurance representative can play in an agent's or broker's business and offered specific suggestions as to what the life insurance agent should be looking for in his group representative.

The 97th Congress convened in January 1981 with a Republican majority in the Senate and a Republican gain of thirty-three seats in the House of Representatives. The Life Underwriters Political Action Committee spent substantially more money, but scored lower than in previous years. " The level of winning U.S. House and Senate candidates supported was approximately 75.5 percent—the lowest ever, deliberately," LUPAC chairman John Ward told the agents. "The reason is that LUPAC supported many more non-incumbents (both challengers and candidates for open seats). The risks are higher, but the potential for impact on the long-term philosophy of Congress is greater," he said.

The NALU strongly endorsed President Reagan's Economic Recovery Program. "The goals of the program are worthy and unassailable. Reducing inflation and increasing productivity must rank as twin domestic priorities of government" the news release containing the Association's policy statement said. The statement also expressed general support of the means proposed to gain those goals. "NALU adopted this policy because inflation, with its devastating impact on fixed dollar insurance is a critical threat to the industry," NALU general counsel James Douds explained in his "On the Legislative Front" article in May. "Until now, no comprehensive way of dealing with the problem appeared to have been outlined. The Reagan program, however, contains reason for hope that a solution, if not yet at hand, may at least be attainable," he said.

There were mixed feeling in the life insurance community, however, when the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 was signed into law. For the agents the new law posed some problems, though it certainly offered enough inducements for people to save money. Among the provisions of the law were sections that allowed all workers to claim tax deductions, within limits, for retirement savings, liberalized tax deductions for retirement savings, interest and dividend exclusions, and reduced or eliminated estate and gift taxes for most persons.

Dedication of the new wing at NALU headquarters took place on June 16, 1981. Completion of the two-and-a half year construction project meant an added 22,000 square feet of office space. Some four hundred associations, government and industry representative attended. The various office suites were named after the associations that had contributed heavily to the building fund and the attractive, state-of-the-art conference room was named in honor of C. Carney Smith. NALU president H. Kirke Lewis acted as a master of ceremonies. "With our expanded facilities," he said, "we foresee new opportunities for association members and the finest association staff in American to serve our country and business with dispatch loyalty and efficiency."

Foreword by Alan Press, 1988-1989 NALU President

Preface by Jack E. Bobo, 1989 NALU Executive Vice President

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Laying the Foundation—A Meeting at the Parker House

Leading Figures—Ransom, Carpenter, Blodgett and Plummer

Conditions Leading to the Foundation of the NALU

Rise of Modern Life Insurance and the General Agency System

Issues and Accomplishments of the First 15 Years

Chapter 2

In the Wake of the Armstrong Investigation

A Royal Commission Investigates Life Insurance Operations in Canada

A Period of Growth and Visibility for the NALU Under Strong Leadership

The NALU Plays a Leading Role in Insurance Education

The NALU During World War I

Chapter 3

The Post-War Decade

The NALU's Extension of Activity

The Agents Move for Recognition

Chapter 4

The Depression and Aftermath

Annual Conventions and Midyear Meetings

The NALU Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

Chapter 5

The Agents Earn Their Wings

World War II

The NALU Joins the Industry in Legislative Battles

The NALU Establishes the National Quality Award

Chapter 6

Controversies and Schisms (1946-1956)

The Foundation of LUTC

The Nola Patterson Affair

GAMC Formally Organized

Chapter 7

The NALU Goes to Washington

Dispute Over Minimum Deposit Insurance Plans

GAMC Stages First LAMP Meeting

The NALU Celebrates Its Diamond Jubilee Year

The NALU Increases Political Activity

U.S. Senate Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee Investigate Life Insurance

The NALU Responds to Consumerist Activism

Chapter 8

The NALU Reaches the Century Mark

FTC Releases a Study Critical of the Insurance Industry

Formation of the Women Life Underwriters Conference

Drop in Local Membership

The NALU Issues Statements on AIDS

The NALU Combats a New Wave of Attacks

The NALU Celebrates a Century of Service

Open Book

Book Marks

[*] Though it continued to grow to some extent, the magazine's staff remained fairly stable during this period. Joseph Razza remained managing editor until he was named senior editor at the end of the decade, when Nicholas W. wood, who had been hired as an assistant editor in the spring of 1979, became managing editor. During the early 1980's Barbara Pingitore, Peter Kilcullen, George Norris and Melissa Morrison were member of the editorial department. (Morrison later took over production.) Meanwhile, Chuck Jones joined the staff as an assistant editor, and William Cooper was hired when Kilcullen left. Steve Sullivan joined the staff in January 1985, and \Wallace Longsreth retiredin March of that year. Tat fall Karen Greenblatt replaced Cooper. Phillips increased his staff with the addition of Jeanie Kahnke and another assistant.

[xiv] LAN, November 1980, p. 33

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