As a young boy, I remember a man coming to my home. He was tall, very well-dressed, book-sophisticated, and he drove a shiny blue Cadillac. I was curious about him because my parents would always shoo me away from the kitchen saying, “Hey, this is adult talk. Get out of here.” Eventually, I came to know who Mr. Chet Duke was. I just didn’t know what he did. He was my mom and dad’s life insurance agent. I didn’t understand the meaning of life insurance, even though my parents had placed a baby policy on me at 3 months old. My parents believed in life insurance because of what it does, not because of what it is, but so much so that my dad had seven different insurance contracts on his life. When I was 13, my father bought Mr. Duke’s Cadillac. I later found out that he had borrowed from one of his life insurance policies to do that.

My mom drove the Cadillac most of the time. And a few years later, I was fortunate enough to be able to take my date to the senior prom in that shiny blue Cadillac. Later in life, as a young agent with New York Life, I would occasionally run into Mr. Duke in the hallways of our general office. One day he stopped me and said, “Brett, your father always used to say to me, ‘Chet, you’ve come to my house. You’ve sat at my table. You’ve drunk a beer. You’ve convinced me to write you a check. Now, pack your stuff and get the heck out of here.’”

My father was diagnosed with colon cancer late in my junior year of high school. Even with the diagnosis, my parents never missed a single one of my wrestling matches. I distinctly remember looking up from the mat one time and seeing my father sitting there pale and sickly, but he was present. My father passed away on August 16, 1993, at 4:55 p.m. That’s a time that sticks in your memory, the moment you lose your father. Dad’s life insurance kept our family normal. Our bills were paid. There was money in the bank. We still celebrated Christmas, birthdays and Easter. As our family struggled with the grief, the boat that was our life did not capsize. Dad’s life insurance didn’t make Mom a rich woman, but it did provide the financial foundation in those early days and weeks, and even years. Mom kept her job and her benefits, which on their own would not have been enough. The life insurance that Mr. Duke sold my dad and my mom gave them financial dignity.

My sister and I were able to continue our college coursework, and 26 years later, when my mom passed away, that wealth transferred to my sister and me. And, by the way, my mom had five policies on her life. My family began to truly understand and appreciate the real value of life insurance—what it does, not what it is. Life insurance saves families and changes lives. On July 19, 1999, I entered this life insurance business. That’s another date that sticks in my memory.

For more than two decades, Mr. Duke was the leading agent in my general office. He was a mentor to many, most of whom I never met. But I do know one of them very well, and you know him too: 2009 MDRT President Walton Rogers. Walton told me early in his career that he took Mr. Duke on many of his appointments.

Walton went on to become the leader in my general agency, a position he held for many years. I sought Walton out to be my mentor. He was the man whom agents wanted to emulate. I asked him to mentor me through the MDRT official mentoring program. He agreed. We met every month. I joined Walton on countless appointments, and he joined me on many of mine. Walton emphasized three key items: trustworthiness, openness and honesty. These were qualities that I saw in Mr. Duke, and these are qualities that remain the foundation of my practice today. Thank you, Walton.

You know, my life story here is not very significant in this business, but it is significant to me. Never forget that being a life insurance agent is a noble calling. We mentor, we teach, and we provide financial dignity. We are the lifeboat when the seas are rough. We save families, and we change lives. That is what we do.

Brett M. Sause, LUTCF, LTCP, is a 19-year MDRT member with five Court of the Table and three Top of the Table qualifications. He started in the financial services profession in 1999 and formed Atlantic Financial Group LLC shortly thereafter. The firm's philosophy is to help clients develop their financial goals and objectives. Sause is also a Royal Order Excalibur Knight of the MDRT Foundation.