At Bat for Agents

Somewhere among the fotos and historic files of  the Independent Insurance Agents Association of New York, there is a baseball card with the photo of a president elect in a business suit with a big Louisville slugger in his hand in his batter’s stance ready to assume the role of that association’s leadership midway during its 1980’s golden age. That man was Ken Pollack and I would love right now to find a copy of that baseball card. I think t was John LaValle’s idea to help express the line up of great men who took the Association together with John to the top of its peer group. We were delighted to have known and worked with Ken Pollock during that period and after. He was a member of what was called IIAANY’s success succession: John Faley, Tommy Dietz, Jeb Becker, Peter Pameroy, Frank Riedman, Ken Pollock, Dave Fazioli,  Dick Richtberg, Jerry Visco, Ron Belleville, Ed Higgins, Paul Babbitt, Marc Slocum, and the list goes on better than my memory allows. Right smack in the middle was a young entrepreneur from Queens, New York, whose father Leonard was in the business – in fact, he insured Loews theaters for many years. Ken  rose up to form the largest agency at one time in Brooklyn and Queens. He enjoyed  excellent relationships throughout the industry. RWP faltered when some problems arose within the agency and were deemed the responsibility of the partners. RWP broke up and Ken, after some years, retired and moved to Boca Raton, Florida, where he spent time among the greatest of friends from the insurance business. One of them, Andy Attivissimo, telephoned me to report the sad news of Kenny’s death. A combination of medical factors took him down at the age of ……We salute his  ambition, his no frills style and his accomplishments for agents in New York. He brought keen intelligence and drive to the association he loved so much. The batter got up and hit homers for IIANY for many years.
To his family we extend our heartfelt sympathies.

SA