Don & Jean Thiel
I don’t know who made the decision, but I certainly appreciate being
on the mailing list of the newsletter. Once in a while, I even recognize
a name or two!
Going back to the 1960s, we in the Big Ten had some very interesting
and sometimes heated discussions about whether to expand or not. We heard
about some group on the East Coast who seemed to be interested in the same
things we were, but they were "Ivy League" types and, after all, we were
the BIG TEN! Most of us were interested in getting more schools on-board.
After all, larger numbers usually means more clout! Thank goodness the "expansionists" prevailed!
I guess the only regret I ever had was that the benefits part of the business
never seemed to occupy a very important part of URMIA. It always
seemed to me that benefits was always where the big money was as
compared to casualty or liability premiums. I always felt that
my office was running one huge insurance company. As a result of "non-interest,"
the "Human Resources" (Personnel Department in my day) seem to have taken
over that part of the business.
One of the most memorable and rewarding aspects of my job was the annual
trek to the RIMS and URMIA conferences where we would get to meet and talk
to some of the most knowledgeable and nicest people in the business, like
Jim Gallivan (Illinois), the Charlie Emersons (Kentucky), and the Walkers (Alabama),
just to name a few.
Jean and I are managing to keep very busy these days. We are quite fortunate
in having our three children and their families all located within
30 minutes of Ann Arbor. Of course, that means grandpa and grandma
get to baby-sit often! Sailboat racing is still high on our list of things
to do in the summer time. We still seem to finish in the middle and
upper part of the pack (not many firsts), but we both love the competition.
In fact, Jean got tired of me telling her what to do and she bought
a Sun Fish and
races that on Tuesdays! In addition to racing, being the Quartermaster
of the yacht club also tends to fill up my calendar.yoo
My spare time is also occupied by such things as the University of Michigan
Retirees Association, of which I am currently the president. I’m still
flying radio control model airplanes and hope to as long as my hand/eye
coordination allows it. I am also president of our flying club. Somewhere
in there, I also managed to get myself elected to the Board of the UM Credit
Union and the HR Committee of the Red Cross.
If there is any time left over, I spend it on my one-acre "estate." The
main thing is to not interfere with Jean’s household activities!
Again, thank you for the newsletter and keep up the good work!
Don and Jean Thiel
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