Debbie’s Heath Status

I have had many inquiries about Debbie’s health status, so this is to bring everyone up to date. Two years ago, Debbie was diagnosed with logopenic primary progressive aphasia, an atypical form of Alzheimer's disease. We suspected for several years prior that something was wrong. So, while the diagnosis was not a surprise it was devastating news.

Debbie and I had many talks about her medical condition as there are limited treatments and no cures. We agreed that it was an opportunity to demonstrate to our children and grandchildren how to face a difficult situation with courage, compassion, and commitment. It has been our experience that children pay less attention to what we say and more attention to what we do.

Last year she lost the ability to use email and social media apps, but she can still use a phone with assistance. Her short-term memory is virtually non-existent and that causes problems with understanding complex verbal information or communicating her thoughts to others. Most recently she has developed some difficulty in recognizing friends and family.

Debbie’s cognitive decline is accelerating. The last few months have been hard on her and those around her. She is aware of the changes in her cognition and is fearful. Yesterday, her neurologist changed her medications to help her be calmer.

She is at our home. We have home health care services seven days a week/eight hours a day to help. We are blessed to have supportive friends and family as Debbie goes through the long goodbye.
She has had visitors this year from all over the country wanting to spend time with her. If you want to “bump” into Debbie, we have breakfast at Hy-Vee on Mills Civic and 50th at 8:30 every Sunday morning.

Onward and Upward! Bob

The Ted Lussem Collection

Ted Lussem died last year after a long life dedicated to the insurance industry and his community. Ted was a mentor to many successful insurance professionals. He hosted study groups for all programs offered by The Institutes and that created a significant talent pool in Des Moines. He is responsible for much of the economic success we enjoy in Des Moines today. There will never be another Ted. Here is a link to Ted’s bio on the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame website (a group that he championed for 21 years.)  https://iihof.org/recipients/theodore-d-lussem-2000/  Here is the eulogy I gave about Ted: Ted Lussem Eulogy 

I am pleased that a suitable home for the books and other memorabilia that Ted Lussem collected has been found thanks to Bruce Kelley.The Lussem collection along with several boxes of Preferred Risk/GuideOne artifacts from my collection were donated to the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library at St. John's University--Manhattan Campus

Below is a photo of the archives. The 12 crates on the left are CPCU artifacts back to the 1953 founding of the chapter. The nine on the far right are archives for the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame that date back to its founding in 1997. The middle 18 crates are Ted’s books and memorabilia.

The director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library, Ismael Rivera-Sierra, traveled to Iowa to organize and pack the items for safe transport.  St John’s chartered a moving company to drive to Iowa to pick it up and take it directly to the library.  Here are photos of the packing"party." Marylynn Paul, my wife Debbie, and the Iowa FAIR Plan staff "volunteered" to help. Actually, we had a great time working together and investigating the numerous items.

Of course, I had to show off Des Moines as an insurance center and a great place to live to Ishmael.

Deer Tag

Debbie and I went to St Joseph, MO yesterday to watch Allison play indoor softball at Missouri Western State University. The facility is used by the Kansas City Chiefs for their summer camp. She played well with great plays at first and a booming bat.

On the way home, about 20 miles from Des Moines, we played tag with a deer on I-35. The deer is now "it" but it just lies on the road and refuses to play anymore.

We are grateful that the airbags did not deploy and that the car stayed on the road.

Fire Marks

Fire marks are metal plaques that were attached to buildings to confirm that the building was insured against fire. The concept originated in London in the early 17th century, following the Great Fire of London in 1666.The idea spread to America in the 18th century, with the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1752, using fire marks that often depicted a fire hose, fire bucket, or the company’s emblem.

Fire marks served to indicate that a property was insured, and that the insurance company had a vested interest in protecting it. The use of fire marks declined in the 19th century as municipal fire services became more common making them less necessary. Today, fire marks are valued as historical artifacts, representing the early days of fire protection and insurance.

There are many fire mark reproductions on display at the Iowa FAIR Plan Association office in West Des Moines, Iowa. Theses fire marks were donated from two collections, one owned by Ted Lussem and the other by Robert Conroy.

 

Not My Style

 A friend bought a Chevy SSR. The Chevrolet SSR (S uper S port R oadster) is a retro-styled retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006. He brought it home and all hell broke loose from his family. Two days later he was practically begging me to buy it from him. So I did.

My friend bought it back about two years later after he moved to Florida. A car like this belongs in a climate like Florida, and I was happy to see it go. I am not into flashy items and this screamed flashy. Was it fun? Yes, a few times when Debbie and I drove to the Dairy Queen.