fall 2004 backup 0815 205pm - Austin Peay State University

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fall 2005 9/19/05 11:03 AM Page 22 was us against the world. I doubled my forces.” The two married after graduation in December 1964 and moved to Millersburg in northern Ohio, where Ken taught high school math. After a year of snow and biting cold, the couple was eager to migrate south again. says, “She’ll settle down.” She does, almost immediately. Despite his easy congeniality, it’s obvious Landrum is accustomed to people (and animals) doing what he expects. He exudes confidence—not the cockiness of the entitled-by-inheritance, but the assuredness of one who has earned respect the old-fashioned way—through hard work, difficult decisionmaking, tested leadership and multiple successes. And according to him, Amy—besides having her own fulfilling career—has been his most ardent cheerleader. Although they seem as different as night and day, the two are a team. “In my opinion, all long-term relationships work better with Yang and Yin present,” he says. “The fun part is watching that change in differing situations. Counterbalance is key.” Before e-Harmony.com, there was ‘Hope’ Sometimes, blind dates do work. Ask the Landrums. After her retired-military father moved the family to Shelbyville, Tenn., Amy Hope enrolled at APSU. Having completed a year in nursing at Washington State University, she entered APSU as a sophomore and switched her major to elementary education. While Amy, as part of a military family, had been a rolling stone, Ken was a hometown boy, the son of Horace and Chrystelle Landrum, Clarksville. Both he and his sister, LaVerne Burkhart (’78), attended APSU. His decision to enroll was influenced, to a large degree, by the local newspaper. From 5th grade through high school, he delivered newspapers for The Leaf-Chronicle. When it came time to decide on college, then-publisher James Charlet offered him a job with flexible hours. Landrum gave up his delivery route and, over the years, worked in the pressroom, classified department and graphics department. To a large degree, his amazing work ethic was forged there. “I was working 60 hours a week at the paper and still taking a full load of classes,” he says, with a chuckle. A permanent job at the paper was waiting for him when he graduated from APSU, but Landrum was ready to move on. And Amy was ready to go with him. Three years earlier, the two met on a blind date. A couple of months after their first date, Amy told her mother she had met her future husband. “I was drawn to the fact he was hard working, very smart and cute. He even had a full head of hair back then,” she says in a good-natured jibe at her husband of 40 years. Ken had dated little before he met the green-eyed beauty from Shelbyville. “I was too busy working,” he says. “But Amy was so easy to talk to. She made me feel like everything in my life was going to be OK. She stroked my ego. Before she came along, it was me against the world. After we met, it “In my opinion, all longterm relationships work better with Yang and Yin present,” he says. “The fun part is watching that change in differing situations. Counterbalance is key.” WSM: More than music Back in Nashville, Amy and Ken began what would become long and fulfilling careers. Over the next 30 years, Amy taught most of the elementary grades, developing a special fondness for 3rd graders who, she says, “still love their teacher.” She witnessed the pendulum in education swing from ungraded to graded classes, from parents who were strict disciplinarians to those whose children suffered in school due to a lack of discipline at home. “I’ve been through it all,” she says. “Teaching is a demanding but rewarding profession. You have to love it to make a difference in children’s lives.” Fortunately, throughout her career, she was able to choose her schools, ending with eight memorable years at the brand-new Tulip Grove Elementary School in Hermitage. Within a month of their return to Tennessee, Ken was hired as a systems engineer in the Nashville office of National Life and Accident Insurance Company/NLT. It was an unpretentious start to a phenomenally rewarding journey with what would become the largest insurance company in the United States. During his 32 years with National Life, the company merged with other companies eight times. If you think insurance means insurance, think again: National Life and Accident Insurance/NLT was a massive conglomerate with such diverse holdings as Third National Bank and Opryland. The Grand Ole Opry was broadcast nationwide on WSM radio, also owned by National Life. Originally, “WSM” was an acronym for “We Shield Millions,” a reference to the 20 Austin Peay/Fall 2005 PEAY Alum FACT: Brandon M. Harrison (’04) is an associate in the health care group at the accounting firm of Horne LLP, Nashville.
fall 2005 9/19/05 11:03 AM Page 23 mother company’s brand promise. National Life was acquired by American General in a hostile takeover and, over time, American General officials decided to focus on its financial assets and divest itself of such tangential interests as Opryland—an offshoot of the Grand Ole Opry—which it sold to Gaylord Entertainment. “Over a period of 32 years, we acquired many companies in the same manner,” Landrum says. Although he won’t spell it out, it’s obvious Landrum was the go-to guy for the hungry conglomerate. Even now, talking about that era, he becomes increasingly animated. “It was an exciting and intriguing time,” he says. “We were moving so fast. The economy was changing rapidly, and we were selling, buying, consolidating. My last 12 years there, I was in M and A (merger and acquisitions). Some companies we acquired went from 1,000 people to 100.” Was it difficult to pass out pink slips? Yes, but necessary for survival and success. “I knew a lot of people were going to lose their jobs. Instead of the unknown, it was the ‘known’ that was frightening. The hardest time for me, personally, was when I had to let one of my best friends go.” At such times, Amy became his safe haven. In the face of his having to implement business decisions, she was the one who understood, the one in whom he confided. Many co-workers saw him as a flinty leader but, behind the scenes, Amy was the rock. “Looking back, it was scary,” he says, “but what synergy we had! Classic big business.” And big dividends for stockholders and executives who did their job well and hung tough. Fun in the sun Concluding the talk about American General/AIG, he says, simply, “I had a good run.” What an understatement for this sharp-asa-tack, hard working, never-say-die survivor and lifelong learner, who retired early as executive VP of a major international conglomerate. In 1995, American General bought The Franklin Life Insurance Company in Springfield, Ill. Landrum was asked to move there temporarily to oversee the informationtechnology merger. After conferring with his wife, he told the company president “no” and announced his retirement. A month later, the boss called again. American General was buying a company in Jacksonville, Fla., and needed Landrum to “go there and bring it back to Nashville”—an offer he was less inclined to refuse, so he and Amy moved into a corporate apartment in Jacksonville. Almost immediately, the city felt like home. They made friends. He became active in the Jacksonville Track Club, continuing his lifelong love of jogging. Amy joined the Garden Club, the Women’s Alliance and several bridge and mahjong clubs. After 18 months in Jacksonville, the call came again: American General had purchased a company in Richmond, Va., and needed Landrum to move there to oversee the information-technology merger. Landrum says, “I told him ‘No—and this time, I mean ‘hell no.’” That was settled, and so were they. They bought a lot in Deercreek and built their retirement home. But one important aspect of the National Life legacy stayed with him. The founding fathers were big on college scholarships. Several had established the National Life/NLT Endowment at Vanderbilt University. “I’ve been through it all. Teaching is a demanding but rewarding profession. You have to love it to make a difference in children’s lives.” The Landrums now had the financial means and the desire to continue the tradition, but their emotional ties were to Austin Peay. In Spring 2005, they told President Sherry Hoppe they had revised their will, leaving an estimated $2.3 million to APSU for a scholarship endowment—their way of making it possible for future students to attend their alma mater. While their new will collects dust in the attorney’s office, this couple has a lot of living to do. They’ve discovered the wonders of cruising. They want to see the world—with a cruise ship serving as home base. Besides visiting new places, they can count on unpacking once, meeting new and interesting people and enjoying gourmet meals. They’ve just returned from a two-week cruise of the Mediterranean Ocean. They loved the variety of ports, but they concur that Rome was their favorite. Overall, Amy’s most enjoyable trip was a three-week cruise of Australia and New Zealand. Besides the spectacular scenery, she appreciated being in a part of the world whose citizens love America. The trip that made the biggest impression on Ken was one to Moscow in 2003. “Standing in Red Square … there’s so much history there,” he says. “We grew up during the Cold War, so it was exciting to see a new Russia changing to democracy.” In September 2005, the couple will cruise for three weeks around China and Japan, taking inland trips to cities and sites of interest. And plans are in the works for future adventures. “We’re doing the condensed ‘Reader’s Digest’ version of the world,” Ken says. “Later, we’ll go back to countries we especially liked.” Roses and rocking chairs The Landrums are strategic long-range planners. They schedule cruises months, sometimes years, in advance. They’ve already given away furniture they no longer need. They’ve drawn up and signed their last will and testament. It seems they’ve tied up all the loose ends of their busy lives so they can focus fully on enjoying retirement. Their careful planning begs the question: Years from now, how do they want to be remembered? “I need to know I’ll leave this world a better place,” Amy says, as one who likes to see her roses bloom while she’s around to enjoy them. What about Ken? Without hesitation, he says, “I don’t care. ‘Born 1942. Died ‘blank’…’ My journey is not about being remembered. It’s about being challenged and enjoying life. “I don’t believe in looking back, and I don’t worry about the future. You know the riddle: ‘What do worry and a rocking chair have in common? Both give you something to do, but neither gets you anywhere.’” And this is a man who moves with the propulsion of a fighter jet, carrying his wife in the jet stream he creates. His great energy gives them wings, while her kindness gives them roots wherever they are. They’ve made many friends in Florida, but do they maintain contact with their Tennessee friends? With a mischievous grin, Ken says, “When you live in Florida, friends gladly come to see you— especially in January and February.” Regardless of the season, guests are sure to be welcomed warmly and treated royally. That’s just who Amy and Ken Landrum are. Austin Peay/Fall 2005 21
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