Hunch Lunch

This is about "Bye" my maternal grandfather. See "The Snow Slide", a prior Blog.

Bye entered the insurance field when he was in his early twenties. Torn by family responsibilities he became discouraged in the insurance field. One noon during this time he wandered about town mulling over his future. While walking in an affluent neighborhood he noticed a carriage in the driveway of a prosperous businessman's home. Walking up to the front door, Bye knocked and the businessman opened the door. He explained to Mr. X that he had tried for many days to see him about an insurance plan to cover his business.
"Are you on your lunch hour?" asked Mr. X.
"Yes I am," was the reply.
"So am I but come join me at table and present your plan. I don't hinder anyone who wants to work on his lunch hour."
The noontime "lunch hunch" became the base for his success in the insurance business.

Within a few years he was promoted to area Superintendent. A few stories about his work came to me from his contemporaries. Every Friday afternoon he set aside time to review the basics of the policies offered by the company. An agent related how he returned to the office with a signed sale. He reviewed the sale with his 'Super'. The agent was told that he was making the insured 'insurance poor' and advised him to go back and sell an affordable policy.

One time 'Bye' was informed by the bank that it was holding several forged checks drawn on his office account. After examining the checks at the bank he said that he had signed them and they weren't forgeries. The bank official showed him the bank's signature card and it was obvious that the signatures didn't match.

"No, I wrote those with my left hand. I got to thinking that I sign a lot of papers and I have been writing recently with my left hand in case I break my right hand or wrist." He was advised not to practice on legal documents.

The same bank at another time suffered a 'run on the bank' with many depositors lining up to withdraw money. Bye stood in line to the teller's window. The bank president saw him and asked if he was withdrawing money too. "No, I came here to open up another account for the office." Those in line heard the conversation and that stopped the 'run on the bank'.
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In the 1920's sales within a superintendent's area were part of his retirement base. A friend from Headquarters office told him that a forthcoming change in the retirement policy would lower his retirement income if he waited to retire eighteen months later. The preceding year was a banner year for his area so he retired early under the higher paying plan. Today that is known as 'insider trading'.

His retirement days provided an example in the art of grandfathering.

One afternoon as we were leaving the golf course our grandson Chad said "Hey - I had a good time today." Reflecting through the mist of years I thought "Thanks Bye, and I still owe you for your lessons in grandfathering."