The Story from a Rocky Mountain Life Insurance Company Salesman
In the process of collection information to keep it as accurate as possible, Robert has taken people at their word, while making sure the facts he has helped confirm his findings. This RML Salesman was a gentleman who in a roundabout way Roberts was able to connect with. With almost half a century passage of time, some things may conflict with other information. Robert believes this is an accurate recollection of his experience. Like most things in life there is always two sides to a story, and it is Roberts goal to allow you to decide. With the passing years, much information is lost or forgotten. Each part of information adds another piece to this interesting puzzle.
Hi Robert;
Wow, that's a lot o stuff to wade through. You have accumulated a goldmine of info. My career with Rocky Mountain Life Insurance Company was short, and uneventful.
I worked at CN Rail in Jasper as a Brakeman and got laid off in September that year. I headed to Edmonton to find a winter job. I answered an ad in the paper that promised to make me rich really quick and went for an interview. I met with a fellow named Don Hanlon who was wearing a purple blazer (The purple blazer was given to salespeople who sold 1 million dollars of insurance). He got me all excited about selling this investment called the Pioneer Plan which was a life insurance policy that paid great dividends and had been selling like hotcakes.
The next step was to go to the Banff School of Fine Arts for a week-long indoctrination course. I won the purple ten-dollar bill for the best presentation at the end of the week.
The runner up was a fellow named Harris Dvorkin from Calgary. I met him later in 2008 at a Bar Owners conference in Calgary and we had a little chuckle about RML. He owned The Ranchman’s in Calgary. He passed away last year. Very well known in Calgary. Google him for the whole story.
When I reported for duty back in Edmonton Don said that I wouldn't be selling the Pioneer plan with him but would be working with younger salespeople and clients selling a new product called the Success Plan. It was harder to sell but I did well enough to get my Cougar in December (and it was a 69 and not a 68 now that I see your pictures). We got married Dec 28th like planned and moved into Edmonton. January 1970 set a weather record for the most consecutive days of minus 30 or colder of 27 days. Hard on cars, mental health and sales. My sales plummeted once I ran out of friends and relatives and cold calling didn't get any results, so I had to give back the Cougar at the end of January.
I quit in Feb and moved back to Jasper and got recalled to my CNR job in March and worked in Jasper as a Locomotive Engineer until retiring in 2003. We moved to Calgary and I bought a Neighbourhood Pub which we ran until 2013 and then sold out and retired again.
My regional manager in Edmonton was a fellow named Ed Martyn. I remember meeting James Woods once and Ray Hannigan several times. Years later one of James Woods daughter married a friend and fellow railroader of mine, Bob Sutherland, I think her name was Janet.
I went to sales conventions in Edmonton and Calgary and like all other Multi Level Marketing outfits it was a lot of noise and hype designed to keep the salespeople excited. It didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't going to get rich quick like they promised. Anyway, nobody I sold to got hurt because the Govt stepped in and guaranteed all the policies, so I didn't have to live with any guilt.
The Cougar was exceptional. I had never driven a cool car like that before and was disappointed when I had to give it up. It had a white vinyl roof and that incredible tilt steering wheel. I'm not one to honk my horn so I don't remember ever having any trouble with the ring blow horn, but it was kinda weird. But it had horsepower and style all over the place.
Anyway, I'll leave it here for now. I want to go back and go through some more of your info and if I remember anything or anybody else, I will drop you a line.
Gord