Insurance Education Foundation Presents Lifetime Achievement Awards

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 6, 2004)--The Insurance Education Institute (IEI) presented lifetime achievement awards to two insurance professionals who have been highly instrumental in insurance education, at the 109th National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) convention in Washington, D.C.

For 16 years, IEI has been dedicated to improving the understanding of insurance and its role in society in high schools throughout the United States. IEI programs have provided significant insurance education experiences for thousands of teachers and millions of students.

The IEI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who:

Receiving the awards for their contributions to IEI were W. Donald Sullivan, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, executive vice president and chIEI administrative officer for State Farm Fire and Casualty Company and Sate Farm General Insurance Company (retired), and Henry "Butch" Viccellio, president of the USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group.

Sullivan joined State Farm in 1962 at the Springfield, Pa., office. While actively employed, he served on the boards of directors of The Insurance Education Institute, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. He was also on the Amlin, Inc., board of directors, a managing agency in the Lloyds Market.

Viccellio served in the U.S. Air Force for 35 years and retired with the rank of general as commander of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. A command pilot with more than 3,300 hours in fighter aircraft, including 235 combat missions in Southeast Asia, Viccellio received many major awards and decorations during this military career, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, and the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster.

Mike Pickens, Insurance Commissioner for the state of Arkansas, presented the awards. Under Pickens' leadership, Best's Review, a publication of the A.M. Best Co., one of the country's oldest and most highly respected insurer rating organizations, identified the Arkansas Insurance Department as one of the nation's most progressive insurance regulatory agencies.

The Insurance Education Institute is a nonprofit charitable organization devoted to improving public understanding of the role of insurance in society. The foundation pursues this mission primarily through the education of secondary school teachers and students.

For more information, contact IEI at 1-800-IEI-4811 or email info@IEI.org.