Claude Thau – 50th Reunion Essay

Claude Thau

5311 W. 124th Court

Overland Park, KS 66209-3245

cthau@targetins.com

913-707-8863 (cell). 913-403-5824 (office)

Spouse(s): Tina Thau (1970) Dated her while at Yale

Child(ren): Andrew (1978), Suzanne (daughter-in-law), Tracy (1982), Jeremy (son-in-law)

Grandchild(ren): Daniel (2011); Mason (2011); Everett (2014)

Education: Yale, 1969

National Service: USAR

Career: Inner-city school teacher; actuary; long-term care insurance professional

Avocations: Micro-loans, environmental issues, education

College: Silliman

After Yale, I taught in South Central and East Los Angeles. Regrettably, “Death at an Early Age” and “36 Children” (read at Yale) spotlighted typical (not extraordinary) inner-city school problems

To guide students toward careers, I felt I needed business experience. So, I became an actuary. Interesting work and professional exams distracted me from contemplating my life’s purpose.

Five years later, I enjoyed meaningful work in an excellent profession, supported my family well and felt it would be unfair to disrupt my wife’s life by pursuing idealistic dreams. I studied HazMat part time, applying unsuccessfully for an environmental job.

After starting new businesses for Transamerica, I retired early, creating Thau Inc. to help build a strong long-term care insurance industry. Despite personal success, I’ve been disappointed by the industry’s small impact, hence believe I could have contributed more to the world in other capacities.

Classmates might ask me about non-profit activity, teaching (including the Black Panther shootout), creating a business in Taiwan, 9/11 in NYC, political beliefs, long-term care, getting black-balled by a school district and sued by a client (both for ethical behavior), the Army Reserves, etc.

Although I’m agnostic, my closest friends are strongly religious in diverse faiths, because we share values.

Tina (whom you might remember) has been my patient and wonderful wife for 47 years. My happiest moment was walking our daughter down the aisle to give her to our son-in-law. We’re blessed by both children and their families.

People perceive me as optimistic because I’m an enthusiastic problem-solver, however I’m pessimistic because of our weak education system, the huge financial burden we’re creating for future generations and our society’s lack of integrity.

I’ve been reasonably engaged in pro-bono work, but would like to do more, particularly in:

• International development: Mostly I’ve been involved in micro-loans (which I tout as “our country’s most effective foreign policy”) and Alternative Gifts International.
• Education: The human minute is a non-renewable resource. I view myself as a “teacher” and can contribute in curriculum, practices and management training. I’d like to write a successful blog, but my blog so far has drawn too few followers to justify consistent attention. I’m a little involved in prison work currently.
• Drawing more people into philanthropy, in more ways: we aren’t managing our society well when few people get the satisfaction of contributing time/money.
• Environmental issues: Some favorite non-profits are the Environmental Defense Fund (thanks! Dave Roe, Yale, 1969), the Nature Conservancy, and the Land Institute.
• End-of-life issues, including planning and right-to-die.
• “Big Sonia”: Surprisingly for a math guy, I recently helped fund and promote this film about a 92-year-old holocaust survivor here in Kansas City who is a motivational speaker regarding dealing with life’s challenges. With holocaust ancestry on both sides of my family (I never understood generations until our children started to build their families), this has been very meaningful to me.
• Projects with strong on-going benefits, such as Habitat for Humanity and a current local project providing tiny homes to homeless vets.