Bruce McCorkle
In your journey through life, you probably recall certain people who, when you see them, you immediately smile. Their ready smile makes you want to smile back. Al McCormick is one of those people and is the IMGA Golfer of the Month.
Al was born in Detroit in 1939. His policeman father set aside his career aspirations and served our country in World War II, fighting in the Philippines with the 7th Calvary… earning the Bronze Star and Silver Star and rose through the ranks from private to captain! As with many of our World War II veterans, it wasn’t something he would talk about. He simply returned from the war and continued his police career.
Al’s first few years growing up in a Detroit suburb were fairly normal and uneventful.
Life changed when he was in the 6th grade and the family moved to a 60-acre sheep farm in Manchester, Michigan, where he began a lifelong love of hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. Hunting on his property might mean walking five to eight miles near “Irish Hills” with his faithful beagle Betsy looking for squirrel, rabbit, and pheasant. The nearby lakes yielded bass and bluegill, who were suckers for crank bait during the day and the noisy wobble of a jitterbug on a dark night.
There were only two students in his grade level in the one-room schoolhouse Al attended through junior high, increasing to a whopping 40 in his high school graduating class.
After attending Michigan State University, he joined the Navy for two years as an aviation electrician’s mate working on the North American T2V which looked like a pregnant guppy. His service took him to Memphis and Kingsville, TX, during 1959 to 1961, after Korea and before Vietnam. America was at peace.
His first post-military job was a successful stint with Household Finance where he was ultimately promoted to Columbus, Ohio.
Since he loved to socialize and meet new people, he chose to pursue a career in sales and became an insurance man in 1965. Within five years, he earned the prestigious Chartered Life Underwriter Degree and began his own insurance agency with three people.
A beautiful blonde claims adjuster for Northwestern National Insurance caught his eye and a year and a half later, he married his wife Shirley. That was two sons, two grandchildren, and 43 years ago.
His company insured some large corporations, such as Fruit of the Loom, Acme Boot, a division of a large battery company, and he was among the top 20 agents in premium volume in Columbus. That’s quite an accomplishment for a business that was started from scratch!
While he misses hunting and fishing in Michigan and Ohio, he does not miss plowing the 52 inches of snow off his 600-foot driveway! He loves life in Arizona.
Al enjoys his work with his friends on the IMGA Board as the Committee Chair for Food and Beverage and Summer League. When you next see Al, please thank him for his service to IMGA!