The American College Awards Its Highest Honor, the Huebner Gold Medal to Lee M. Gammill, Jr., CLU, and O. Alfred Granum, CLU

The American College awarded the Huebner Gold Medal, to Lee M. Gammill, Jr., CLU, former New York Life executive and O. Alfred Granum, CLU, former Northwestern Mutual agent, on January 30, 2004 in the presence of a standing room crowd in the LaGrassa Auditorium at the Gregg Conference Center in Bryn Mawr. The Huebner Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by The American College. The medal has been awarded annually since 1975 to honor those special few whose support of the College and its programs, and whose dedication to education and professionalism, have been of particular meaning to the mission and progress of the institution.

BRYN MAWR, PA (PRWEB) February 25, 2004--Award recipients provided distinguished service to The College and the financial service industry. The American College awarded the Huebner Gold Medal, to Lee M. Gammill, Jr., CLU and O. Alfred Granum, CLU, on January 30, 2004 in the presence of a standing room crowd in the LaGrassa Auditorium at the Gregg Conference Center in Bryn Mawr.

“Both of the individuals recognized this year are exemplary. They personify what it means to be a graduate of this institution and a professional in the financial services industry,” said Larry Barton, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The American College. “Both Lee and Al have been instrumental in insuring the continued success of the College and their companies. They are well-deserving of this honor.”

The Huebner Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by The American College. The medal has been awarded annually since 1975 to honor those special few whose support of the College and its programs, and whose dedication to education and professionalism, have been of particular meaning to the mission and progress of the institution.

Lee M. Gammill, Jr., of Ross, California and New York City is best known as having been the Vice Chairman of the Board of the New York Life Insurance Company. He joined New York Life in 1957 in San Francisco and entered field sales management at the company three years later. From 1965 through 1986, Gammill served as a general manager in northern California. His San Francisco general office was consistently a national leader for New York Life, and qualified for the industry’s Master Agency Award.

He was elected Senior Vice President in 1986 and was placed in charge of the Individual Insurance and Individual Annuity Departments, as well as NYLIFE Securities Inc. Gammill was elected Executive Vice President in May 1989 and assumed overall responsibility of New York Life’s Individual Insurance operations in 1991. He was elected to the Board of Directors on 1992. In 1995, Gammill became Vice Chairman of the Board.

Gammill has been active with a variety of financial services industry organizations. He was a past Chairman of the Board for the Life Underwriters Training Council (LUTC), and a past Chairman of the Board of the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) International.

He earned his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College in 1972. Gammill was the National Chairman of The College’s 21st Century Endowment and Special Gifts Campaign, which exceeded its original goal of $25 million in deferred and special gifts from more than 600 contributors. He was elected a trustee of The American College in 1997.

O. Alfred Granum, CLU of Oak Brook, Illinois was one of the most successful agents ever to work for Northwestern Mutual. His agency ranked number one at Northwestern Mutual in volume for 18 out of his last 25 years. The 45 people in his agency, for more than one year, produced the highest known average premium for any large agency in the life insurance industry.

Granum is perhaps best known as the man who developed the “One Card System.” This system helped thousands of producers to be successful in the financial services industry. The “One Card System” helps insurance and financial advisors regulate and monitor their sales activity while simultaneously helping them to develop a client base.

He has been a frequent speaker at MDRT, NALU Institutes and Sales Congresses in the U.S., Canada and Europe and is the author of the booklet, Practical Profitable Programming and the now famous manual, The Science and The Art of Building a Life Insurance Clientele. In recent years, Granum has specialized in seminars and consultations for industry groups, companies and agencies, as well as serving as a faculty member for the Million Dollar Round Table’s (MDRT) “Fast Track” program.

In 2001, fundraising efforts began for the creation of the O. Alfred Granum Chair in Practice Management at The American College where Granum earned his CLU in 1956. Contributions from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation are making this chair possible and stand as a testament to the value his colleagues place on Granum’s career accomplishments. Most recently, the Foundation contributed an additional $100,000 toward this fundraising effort. Granum was also recently recognized by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). In 2002, the organization presented him with The John Newton Russell Award, its highest honor in recognition of his lifetime of achievement.

The American College is the nation’s #1 educator for professionals in the insurance and financial services industry. Located on a 35-acre campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the College serves over 35,000 students predominantly on a distance education basis. The American College offers an array of specialized designation programs, a Master of Science degree in financial services and customized continuing education programs for those pursuing a career in financial services. For more information, visit www.amercoll.edu.

Contact: Eric B. Gordon

Director of Public Relations

The American College

(610) 526-1450

###