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a graduate of the 1984 Class of Leadership Kansas . He received the Agent of Merit Award in 1996 . Tom was named to the National Council on Compensations Insurance Task Force in 1994 . At the end of his term as president , Tom said : “ The office of president of KAIA is a privilege and an honor . However , it ’ s the board working as a team that gets results . Presidents come and go , but this organization is well postured to help its members and our Kansas consumers for years to come . Thanks for the memories ”. Tom was born in Dublin , Ireland , and came to the US when he was four years old . His love of Irish songs was a part of Tom that he shared every chance he got . He was very active in his community , serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce in El Dorado . He was on the Board of the United Way , Rotary Club , and Country Club . The Kansas Public Education Task Force recognized him for his efforts to refurbish the local football field . Tom died on March 13 , 2015 . The association presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom ’ s family at the October 2015 Leadership & Management Conference .
• Edwin Nellis - Ed was a Founding Father of the Association . He was president of the association in 1943 . He was also one of the founders of the Topeka Insurors . In 1919 Edwin purchased the agency that his family had established in 1876 . It was the oldest insurance agency in Topeka . Four generations of the founder ’ s family have worked in the agency . In a letter printed in the November 1979 magazine , Ed told his story of this event . In 1942 Ed served on the Civil Defense Program as an auxiliary foreman . He also served as state national director for two terms in 1948 and 1949 . In 1962 , the Topeka Insurors honored Ed for his “ years of meritorious service both as a pillar of strength and as a respected citizen and leader in Topeka ’ s community life .
• David Paterson , Sr . – Dave was president of the association in 1984 . He was the owner of the Johnson County Insurance Agency in Overland Park . David urged that we help restore the Statue of Liberty because it needed significant repairs . David was born and educated in Scotland . He also served as a pilot in the British Royal Air Force during World War II . He came to America in 1949 with less than $ 50 in his pocket and the name of a man who would give him a job in Texas . He later moved to Oklahoma and then Kansas City . He worked for Kansas City Fire & Marine Insurance Company and Employers Reinsurance Corporation before opening his agency .
• Donald L . Patton- Don was president of the association in 1965 . He also serviced as secretary for three terms in 1961 through 1963 . He was vice president of Wade Patton & Co in Hutchinson . His father , Wade Patton , formed Wade Patton Insurance in 1933 . He had been with the company since 1950 when he graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor ’ s of science in Business . He served from 1944-46 with the U . S . Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue Division . Don was a member of Rotary International , American Legion , and Chamber of Commerce . Don passed away on June 26 , 1995 .
• Wade Patton - Wade was one of the original Four Horsemen and an Organizer of the association . He was secretary / treasurer of the association from 1929 through 1942 . He was president of the Wade Patton & Company Agency in Hutchinson , established in 1933 by Wade . He resigned his position with the association to enter war work for the duration of the war . He was an administrative officer in the Army Air Forces in Wichita . In 1942 Wade served on the Civil Defense Program as a member of the Hutchinson Council and a Red Cross first aid instructor .
• Dennis ( Denny ) E . Poer – Denny was president of the association in 1985 . He started in the insurance business in 1966 with the Otto Schmidt Insurance Agency in Salina . The firm merged in 1966 , and it became the RGB / Schmidt Agency . In 1971 he became a part-owner and officer of the firm . In 1984 he requested that he would like to write the history of the association . The History Committee was formed in 1985 , Chaired by Denny . While Denny was president in 1985 , the first “ Presidents Golf Tournament ” was held . He gave an American Bald Eagle photo framed with all the signatures of this tournament ’ s participants to the association . Denny graduated from Kansas State University and received his Master of
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