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2. Key Personnel
a. Decedent
Decedent began working for WSA in the mid-1940s. He became
president of WSA around 1972, and he worked for WSA until April
or May 1995. He worked fewer hours in his later years. His
primary function in those later years was to set wage and bonus
levels for WSA officers.
b. Robert B. Gelder, Jr.
Robert B. Gelder, Jr. (Gelder), was born in 1949 and has
lived in Asheville, North Carolina, since 1953. He graduated
from the University of North Carolina. He worked for 5 years for
NCNB (now Bank of America). He began working for WSA in 1976.
Gelder spent his first year at WSA learning the insurance
business. In 1976, WSA’s insurance underwriting was divided
between property and casualty lines of coverage. Gelder became
the manager for personal and commercial lines of casualty
insurance after 15 months at WSA. He began to perform
underwriting services, i.e., to assess risk for applicants of
property insurance policies, around 1982. He developed marketing
skills and gained experience in all aspects of underwriting for
WSA. He developed and maintained a close relationship with the
independent agents who sold WSA products and with MCC personnel.
He became the sole liaison between WSA and MCC beginning around
1982. He began managing WSA around 1987. He became the general
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