Kelsey retires from insurance business after 50 years
A singer, he also led Shrine Chanters for 46 years
By Michele Linck Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, June 01, 2007
After 50 years in the insurance business, Don Kelsey turned the key in the door of his fifth-floor, Frances Building office Thursday for the last time since renting the space in 1957.
Kelsey, who turns 80 years old on June 8, said he thought that was a good age at which to retire. He was an agent and broker for Prudential throughout his career, he said in an interview late Thursday afternoon.
Kelsey's son Steven, who joined him in his insurance office 21 years ago, will continue as a broker with Prudential, working out of a home office. His son Scott also tried selling insurance, but after a year he left for a position with Gateway Inc.
Thom Borchert, who served for more than 20 years as the manager of Prudential's Sioux City agents, recalled Thursday that Kelsey was among the best throughout his career, even after he took agent emeritus status in 1988.
"Even in semi-retirement he still outproduced most agents in this area," Borchert said. "This is a guy who started selling life insurance when $10,000 was a lot (of insurance.) He would write 100 or more a year and qualify for the $1 Million Round Table when $1 million was a lot of money." Borchert said Kelsey had many offers from other companies but always chose to stay with Prudential.
As life insurance segued into financial investments and more, Kelsey was the first to see the need to establish professional corporations for the pension plans and investments of doctors, lawyers and other professionals, he said.
'Friendly marriage'
Kelsey said the biggest change in the industry during his career was that "everyone wanted to sell insurance: the bankers, the accountants, sometimes attorneys, investment brokers ...
"That didn't bother me, but the companies changed, mainly into investments rather than life insurance," Kelsey said. "Of course, to me life insurance is the most basic, essential need for most everyone."
He said once securities were involved, so were the federal regulators and their rules, regulations and licensing tests.
The early days were simpler. "You talked to people without computerization. You did the math by math. You didn't have to punch keys," he said. "It changed the environment of the insurance business, not all for the bad." Still, he said, visiting with people about their wants and desires was almost like being a counselor. "You get to know them very well. I had a lot of great clients; I made a lot of good friends."
Kelsey said he doubts that, in the future, many people will be able to stay in business for 50 years. "When I was young, they said "stick-to-itiveness" was important. Young people don't stick with it." And, he acknowledged, the attitudes of corporations have changed, too, including within the insurance industry. "It used to be a friendly marriage."
Life outside insurance
Kelsey did much more than sell insurance over the past 50 years. He was well known as the director of the Abu Bekr Shrine Chanters, a male chorus he headed for 46 years.
He also served the community in other leadership roles. He was on the St. Luke's Foundation board for 10 years and chaired the first three years of St. Luke's Children's Miracle Television. Now he is content to work twice a month with his wife, Barbara, at the hospital's gift shop.
Kelsey has chaired the endowment committee of his church, First United Methodist, and served on many boards and committees there, too.
He is still on the board of the Sunrise Retirement Community after 20 years, and on the board of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Association, where he has "40 or 45" years of service.
Kelsey was one of the first "American idols." He won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout television contest in 1948, then performed professionally for Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein's traveling troupe, later leading his own group and having his own television show.
He grew up in Hornick, Iowa, and went to high school in Tacoma, Washington. After two years in the U.S. Navy, he finished his degrees in music, education, history and pre-law at Morningside College. Kelsey taught at Leeds High School before leaving for the insurance business.
Really retiring
Kelsey said he and Barbara usually go to Arizona for a couple months in the winter and have a home at Okoboji for the summer. In retirement, the couple plan to spend much more time with their children, Susan and David, along with Scott and Steven, and their nine grandchildren, three of whom are in Sioux City, three in West Des Moines and three in Minneapolis.
Kelsey, who turns 80 years old on June 8, said he thought that was a good age at which to retire. He was an agent and broker for Prudential throughout his career, he said in an interview late Thursday afternoon.
Kelsey's son Steven, who joined him in his insurance office 21 years ago, will continue as a broker with Prudential, working out of a home office. His son Scott also tried selling insurance, but after a year he left for a position with Gateway Inc.
Thom Borchert, who served for more than 20 years as the manager of Prudential's Sioux City agents, recalled Thursday that Kelsey was among the best throughout his career, even after he took agent emeritus status in 1988.
"Even in semi-retirement he still outproduced most agents in this area," Borchert said. "This is a guy who started selling life insurance when $10,000 was a lot (of insurance.) He would write 100 or more a year and qualify for the $1 Million Round Table when $1 million was a lot of money." Borchert said Kelsey had many offers from other companies but always chose to stay with Prudential.
As life insurance segued into financial investments and more, Kelsey was the first to see the need to establish professional corporations for the pension plans and investments of doctors, lawyers and other professionals, he said.
'Friendly marriage'
Kelsey said the biggest change in the industry during his career was that "everyone wanted to sell insurance: the bankers, the accountants, sometimes attorneys, investment brokers ...
"That didn't bother me, but the companies changed, mainly into investments rather than life insurance," Kelsey said. "Of course, to me life insurance is the most basic, essential need for most everyone."
He said once securities were involved, so were the federal regulators and their rules, regulations and licensing tests.
The early days were simpler. "You talked to people without computerization. You did the math by math. You didn't have to punch keys," he said. "It changed the environment of the insurance business, not all for the bad." Still, he said, visiting with people about their wants and desires was almost like being a counselor. "You get to know them very well. I had a lot of great clients; I made a lot of good friends."
Kelsey said he doubts that, in the future, many people will be able to stay in business for 50 years. "When I was young, they said "stick-to-itiveness" was important. Young people don't stick with it." And, he acknowledged, the attitudes of corporations have changed, too, including within the insurance industry. "It used to be a friendly marriage."
Life outside insurance
Kelsey did much more than sell insurance over the past 50 years. He was well known as the director of the Abu Bekr Shrine Chanters, a male chorus he headed for 46 years.
He also served the community in other leadership roles. He was on the St. Luke's Foundation board for 10 years and chaired the first three years of St. Luke's Children's Miracle Television. Now he is content to work twice a month with his wife, Barbara, at the hospital's gift shop.
Kelsey has chaired the endowment committee of his church, First United Methodist, and served on many boards and committees there, too.
He is still on the board of the Sunrise Retirement Community after 20 years, and on the board of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Association, where he has "40 or 45" years of service.
Kelsey was one of the first "American idols." He won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout television contest in 1948, then performed professionally for Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein's traveling troupe, later leading his own group and having his own television show.
He grew up in Hornick, Iowa, and went to high school in Tacoma, Washington. After two years in the U.S. Navy, he finished his degrees in music, education, history and pre-law at Morningside College. Kelsey taught at Leeds High School before leaving for the insurance business.
Really retiring
Kelsey said he and Barbara usually go to Arizona for a couple months in the winter and have a home at Okoboji for the summer. In retirement, the couple plan to spend much more time with their children, Susan and David, along with Scott and Steven, and their nine grandchildren, three of whom are in Sioux City, three in West Des Moines and three in Minneapolis.
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