Long Island RAP 40th Anniversary Celebration

Hundreds of professional, independent insurance agents gathered at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury for the 40th Annual Long Island Regional Awareness Program on April 22. Attendees took the opportunity to honor their col- leagues, network, earn continu- ing-education credits, peruse the latest industry innovations and of course to hear the inspirational words of Dwight “Doc” Gooden.

Trade show

An enormous trade show took up two halls at the luxurious Crest Hollow Country Club, as carriers and vendors exhibited their offer- ings to the agent community of Long Island. Old friends and new contacts filled the space as they networked and collected informa- tion and tokens to remember them by.

Honoring Industry stars

During the luncheon, LIRAP Chair and Master of Ceremonies Michael Loguercio presented  Gregory S. Clark , vice president and regional manager NY/NJ Regional Office, MAPFRE Insurance, with the Executive of the Year award.

PIANY also honored former board member  Phillip Plafker, CIC, CPIA , with the Louis A. Morelli Memorial Award, which was presented to Phil’s son, PIANY immediate past-president Alan Plafker and his grandson, NY-YIP immediate past- president Michael Plafker.

In addition, the Long Island RAP com- mittee honored former Long Island RAP chairs at the luncheon.

Keynote address: Doc Gooden

Hall of Famer New York Met (and Yankee) player,  Dwight “Doc” Gooden , was welcomed with an enthusiastic stand- ing ovation as Master of Ceremonies intro- duced “Doctor K” as one of the most dom- inant pitchers in baseball history.

Gooden, the youngest recipient ever of Major League Baseball’s Cy Young Award, made his professional debut in the 1980s and rose to fame with the New York Mets. He was Rookie of the Year, and went on to produce one of the most statistically amazing seasons in baseball history, going 24-4 with 16 complete games, eight shutouts and 268 strikeouts in 276 2/3 innings with a 1.53 ERA. In 1986, he took the Mets to the World Series for the first time since 1969.

Born in Tampa, Fla., Gooden told the audience he came to New York when he was 19 and consid- ers Long Island his home. “Most people go south to retire; I always felt this was home. I appreciate the energy I get from people here,” he said, repeating the sentiment “I’m a Met at heart” several times as he shared memories and highlights of his career, including his six years as a New York Yankee, winning the World Series in 1986 and his fond- est memory, the famous 1996 no- hitter, which was the last game his father ever saw him pitch before dying.

Gooden spoke with pride about his family, making note that “mom’s 84th birthday is today” and sharing stories about his six children – “not by six baby mom- mas” – talking about his sons’ sports at school and his two daughters, both of whom work in marketing with the Mets organization.

The room broke into applause as Gooden shared that March 12 marks 12 years of sobriety and he admitted that he had to make changes in his life. “Just like in baseball,” he said, “what you put in is what you get out.”

CE worth taking

Sheldon Hansen, CIC, CRM, CPIA , gave eventgoers ample opportunity to earn valuable CE credits. Hansen presented two separate education sessions, covering flood insurance and errors-and-omissions expo- sures, respectively.

For more information, follow #LIRAP on Twitter or Facebook, and stay tuned to future PIANY publications for more infor- mation.