My son Sam is a huge superhero fan. Spiderman is on his wall, comic books are all over my car, and all of his hard earned summer job income is going to purchase new video games – Avengers, Ironman, and the like. I have to confess, I don’t mind having a reason to go to the movies with my son when any new superhero movie comes out.
Not too long ago, a couple of other heroes came ‘out’. Two very close friends with connections to our industry were recently recognized for a true act of heroism and received the Carnegie Medal by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Kirk Haldeman is an independent agency owner and partner in the Pinnacle Group. His golf buddy, Mike Ledgard, is my brother-in-law. Kirk and Mike had stopped by a local family bar & restaurant after golf one evening last summer only to find themselves in the middle of a confrontation.
This is the description that the Carnegie commission wrote: "After a man entered the barroom of a pub and grill and had a confrontation with one of the patrons, he left the establishment but returned shortly with a semi-automatic assault rifle. About eight to 10 people were in the barroom, with several more in the nearby dining room and kitchen; among them were Haldeman, 51, insurance agent, and his friend, Ledgard, 52, contractor, who were seated at the bar. The assailant pointed the rifle at the patron he had confronted and shot him, killing him. Haldeman stood and, although he was closer to two doors leading from the barroom than he was to the gunman, ran across the room and charged the assailant. He grasped him by the arm and pushed the rifle upward. It fired again. Ledgard approached them as Haldeman forced the assailant against a wall. Reaching them, Ledgard grasped the two men and took them to the floor, the assailant losing control of the rifle. Haldeman and Ledgard secured the assailant until police arrived shortly and arrested him.”
The Carnegie Medal is given throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. I am so honored to call these two (regular) guys my very good friends. Chances are I’ll never find myself in a position like Kirk and Mike did – no one thinks this will happen to them. I do however, have a hero complex, and as pathetic as it sounds, I really want to be the guy in the white hat.
Tuscano Agency is built on the belief that we can provide answers, solve insurance problems, give great customer service, and make our customers happy and good-looking! Unlike most heroes we are looking for trouble – risks with losses, complicated coverage, last-minute hiccups, and things your carriers want to walk away from. Yes, our underwriters can quote tall buildings, stop run-away renewals, and rescue account execs that are drowning in paperwork.
My thanks and respect goes out to heroes everywhere – known and unknown. Doing right by our fellow man is a quality we should all pursue with blind recklessness.
Regards,
