Insurance Men
Charles Ives foreshadowed contemporary estate planning with innovative life-insurance policies offered through his successful firm Ives and Myrick. He was also the grandfather of American experimental composers mixing bitonality, tone clusters and familiar tunes in unfamiliar contexts to create music of stunning originality and inventiveness.
Wallace Stevens worked for Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company for nearly 40 years rising to the position of vice president. Yet he continued to write poetry producing his greatest works only in maturity and winning both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award the same year as his death in 1955.
Hank “No Boll” Weevil dominated crop insurance in the Tennessee valley for two decades. He was also a beloved close-hand magician at children’s parties and charity events until a combine accident left him without a right hand. A brief comeback attempt with a quarter taped to his hook failed miserably after he nearly ripped off the birthday girl’s ear.
Alonzo Herndon became Atlanta’s wealthiest black citizen after founding the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. He also sang second tenor in a chain of three barbershop quartets.
Benjamin Franklin founded the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire in 1752. He had a woman on the side.
Self-taught folk insurance man Stoopy Mitchell started selling burial insurance near his home in Spoon River after inheriting a shovel. In his spare time he made miniature calendars suitable for desk display with quirky, child-like renderings of fall foliage.
posted by Brian Bannon @ 8:59 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Why, you trollop, you! Mister Bannon, you've farmed out your blog, sir. If I'd a known you could be bought with a simple meal from Outback, I'd a kept the Bloomin' Onions comin'. I guess it's a little late now. Damn you, Ratliff, damn you. . .
If twee indie popsters Of Montreal can go Outback tonight can't an obscure Atlanta comic help the uninsured?
I hear Neutral Milk Hotel is reuniting just to do and Arby's jingle.
(I'm still holding off on Google ads for now. My Indie cred don't go cheap. Plus, you have to fill out a form or something.)
my grandfather worked in insurance in atlanta, i have a mechanical pencil in my purse with the company's name on it. W. R. Hoyt & Co. Established 1895. 36 Auburn Avenue, N.E. -- WA. 3173 (whatever that last part means)
we've also found a piece of music that he wrote in our attic in savannah.
And abe lincoln wrote poetry, and i hope he had life insurance.
p.s.
my grandfather died before i was born.
they were all old-school atlanta. they had a house in buckhead (near lindberg and peachtree) when buckhead was the sticks. they sold the house in the 80's, after my grandmother died, for less than it was really worth, and about a year later, everything was worth millions.
*sigh*
I just bought a family membership to the History Center to take my niece and nephew to the Ben Franklin exhibit. A year family pass was almost as cheap as 4 single day tickets so now I can take my other niece and nephews--though not to Ben Franklin, that closed on Sunday.
I think I can loan it out to people once the permanent pass comes in the mail if you ever want to take some relations to old Buckhead.
(BTW the kids liked the Olympics exhibit more.)
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