In Remembrance is an occasional column featuring short obituaries of CAS members who have recently passed away. These obituaries and sometimes longer versions are posted on the CAS website; search for “Obituaries.”
The Workers’ Comp Expert
Allan Kerin (FCAS 1994)
1955-2020
Allan Kerin, chief actuary and executive vice president for Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies, died in August 2020.
A member of the American Academy of Actuaries, he earned a BS in mathematics and an MS in applied mathematics and statistics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Kerin was a long-serving member of several CAS committees. He was active on the Syllabus and Exam Committee from 1995 to 2003, and in 2002 he served on the Design Task Force for Exams 3 and 4. From 1997 to 2000, he served on the Ratemaking Committee. He also served AR from 2002 to 2008.
A workers’ compensation expert, Kerin wrote “Workers Compensation Pricing Perspectives: Factors Affecting Workers Compensation Insurance Efficiency and Cost,” which was published in May 2019 in The Standard. In the article he shared his thoughts on workers’ compensation pricing and the factors that were driving rate reductions.
The Actuarial Scientist
Robert Arthur Bailey (FCAS 1955)
1930-2020
Robert Bailey seemed destined for the actuarial profession as his parents, Arthur and Helen, met in the actuarial program at the University of Michigan. He earned a B.A in mathematics in 1951 and an MS in statistics in 1953 from the University of Iowa. In 1952 he married Shirley Segerstrom.
Bailey’s actuarial career included posts at the National Bureau of Casualty Underwriters, the Insurance Department of Michigan, The NAIC and A.M. Best Company, where he was in charge of Best’s ratings and reports on P&C insurers. He was a partner in reinsurance broker E.W. Blanch Company, which awarded him its Employee of the Year Award for 1990.
A two-term CAS Board member, he contributed many papers to the CAS Proceedings and Best’s Review, including seminal works in actuarial science. Bailey and LeRoy Simon wrote the 1960 Proceedings paper “Two Studies in Automobile Insurance Ratemaking.” Bailey developed the concepts further in 1963 with “Insurance Rates with Minimum Bias.”
Bailey was awarded the Matthew Rodermund Service Award in 1993 and the Michelbacher Significant Achievement Award in 2019. He served one term on the American Academy of Actuaries Board and, in 1999, received its Robert J. Myers Public Service Award. He was elected to the Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2008 he wrote The Structure of Paul’s Letters, an in-depth analysis of the some of the earliest existing Christian documents. He was a member of the Society of Mayflower Passengers in Michigan and served as its treasurer from 2001 to 2007.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley; their six children; a brother and two sisters; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
The Supportive Caregiver
James E. “Jim” Scheid (FCAS 1969)
1934-2020
Jim Scheid of Simsbury, Connecticut, died in July 2020, at his daughter’s home.
Scheid was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Franklin and Marshall College with a degree in mathematics. He moved to Connecticut and spent his entire career in the insurance industry, the majority of which with the Hartford Insurance Group as an actuary and executive. He also worked for the United Way, where he served others including delivering “Meals on Wheels.”
He was a loving and caring husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He provided compassionate care to his wife, Betty Lou, during her final years dealing with dementia. The couple were married for 61 years.
He enjoyed camping, gardening, jogging, walking his dogs and skiing, which became a lifetime pursuit and passion. He enjoyed times spent with friends and family at the Okemo Mountain ski area in Ludlow, Vermont — he was notorious for wearing a lime green ski suit.
Scheid was described as naturally good-hearted, generous, unassuming, sensitive and quick-witted. He loved animals and one special pet was by his side when he died. A supportive parent, he encouraged his children in their endeavors. Survivors include sons Jim (Mary Claire DeHaven) Scheid Jr. and Steve (Lisa) Scheid; daughter Sue (Tom) Vogt; seven grandchildren; and one great grandchild.
