Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

HBJ 25th Anniversary — October 2, 2017

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68 | HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2, 2017 Charlie Kaman stepped down for ongoing health reasons. (Kaman would die in 2011 at the age of 91.) While at Kaman's helm, Kuhn recapitalized the company from a dual-class stock structure, sold the music segment, developed a strong leadership team and acquired the Joint Programmable Fuze program — the largest single program Kaman has — among other accomplishments. During his career, Kuhn was also president of Chandler Evans, and group president of Delevan Gas Turbine Products Division and Chandler Evans. Kuhn also served on the board of the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation from Jan. 1995 to Feb. 2008; and CBIA from 2000 to 2004. Gerald A. Lamb Lamb was the first African American elected a state treasurer in the United States. He took office for two terms beginning in 1963. Lamb passed away at the age of 89 in March 2014. Lamb's influence was felt beyond Connecticut. As Gov. Dannel Malloy noted when Lamb died, "He broke barriers not only in our state, but also in our nation at a time when civil rights were being heavily debated in communities across the country." Lamb, who trained as a dental technician after serving in the U.S. Navy, was also the first African American to serve as a banking commissioner. He assumed that role in 1970. After leaving that position, he entered the banking industry in 1971. He joined banking behemoth Connecticut Bank and Trust as a senior vice president. Prior to being elected to statewide office, Lamb was active in Waterbury politics. He served as president pro tempore of the city's board of aldermen from 1959 to 1962, and as acting mayor from 1959 to 1961. Lamb was honored in May 2004 by the Connecticut Supreme Court, along with 20 other African Americans, for setting the pace in integration in Connecticut elected politics. Liam McGee McGee was a banker brought in to save an insurance company. His career and life were cut short by brain cancer. McGee, the former CEO and chairman of The Hartford, was credited with helping turnaround the company following its struggles after the Great Recession. He died in Feb. 2015 at the age of 60, one month after stepping down as executive chairman. He previously held the additional roles of chairman, president and CEO of The Hartford from Oct. 1, 2009, through July 1, 2014. Before McGee took the helm of The Hartford, the financial services company took a $3.4 billion bailout from the federal government. He oversaw the repayment shortly after taking over. Then, in 2012, he took The Hartford out of annuity sales and sold off segments including individual life policies, retirement plans and its financial services brokerage. McGee focused The Hartford on property casualty insurance, group benefit plans and mutual funds because they were less volatile. Before joining The Hartford, McGee, a Southern California native, spent more than three decades as a financial services business leader, serving as president of the consumer and small business bank for Bank of America before joining The Hartford. Denis Mullane Mullane rose through the ranks at Connecticut Mutual, starting as a Long Island agent in 1956, to eventually become president and CEO for the Hartford insurer and later chairman of its board. He died in late 2016 at 86. Mullane told The Hartford Courant in a 1988 interview he viewed himself as a risk taker in a conservative industry. He said, though, those risks couldn't come at the expense of the people who worked for him. Mullane added, "You don't want to make a mistake that would cause other people pain." According to the Courant, Mullane moved to Hartford in 1968 and by the mid-70s rose to become the company's second-in-command. He was named CEO in 1983. During his 10 years at the helm, Connecticut Mutual saw five-fold growth in size through expansion into new products and overseas markets. Connecticut Mutual made it through the recession of the early '90s without mass layoffs. Personally, Mullane was active in many causes, including the Catholic church. He was named a Knight of St. Gregory, the highest honor bestowed on a Catholic lay person by the Pope. Mullane also received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Connecticut, St. Joseph's College, the University of Hartford and Trinity College. Phil Schonberger Schonberger worked tirelessly to develop downtown Hartford, as well as serve countless nonprofits throughout Connecticut. He died in 2015 at the age of 61. Schonberger championed the city through downtown developments like the Temple Street housing project. He was also part of the partnership that developed the Brown-Thomson building on Main Street into a Residence Inn hotel, upper office space and street-level retail. As the Hartford Business Journal reported when Schonberger died, he was the "idea spark" for converting the former Sage- Allen Department Store building into apartments. In 1998, he was named HBJ's Person of the Year. But Schonberger was more than a developer. His obituary noted his extensive volunteer services that reflected his varied interests and included stints on the boards of the Artists Collective (board president), the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League, the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau (executive committee member), Florence Griswold Museum, the World Affairs Council, The Hartford Botanical Garden, Teach for America Hartford, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, Connecticut Landmarks and the Bushnell Memorial (board of overseers). He was also a regent of the University of Hartford, the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Hospital and Riverfront Recapture. He was chairman of the building committee for the new Hartt School Performing Arts Center (part of University of Hartford). Michael Suisman By profession, Suisman was known for his acumen for taking his family business national. Personally, his impact was greater as a leading philanthropist in Greater Hartford. He died in 2016 at age 88. Suisman, a West Hartford native, graduated from Yale in 1951 and returned to help build the family business, Suisman and Blumenthal (later renamed Aerospace Metal). The business had its roots in the 19th century as a small scrap-metal processing company started by his grandfather. It evolved to become a processor of nickel, cobalt, titanium and other metals used in the aerospace industry. The profits from that business helped support the Suisman family philanthropy. Suisman was known for being both an active People In Memoriam

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