In Memory of Peter Winslow Plumley, FSA, MAAA
Peter Winslow Plumley, FSA 1958, MAAA 1965, of Kissimmee, Florida died Monday, May 31, 2021. He was 92.
Born in Newton Massachusetts, he attended Fessenden School (where his father, Howard Plumley, was a teacher and assistant headmaster), and Chauncy Hall, from which he graduated in 1946. He graduated in 1950 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.
After graduating from MIT, he relocated to Hartford, Connecticut and joined the Travelers Insurance Company in the actuarial department. Shortly thereafter, he was called to active duty in the Army. He served as a Captain in the Army and served two years of active duty during the Korean War, stationed in Washington DC at the National Security Agency, and served for several years in the Army reserves.
While in Washington, he met and married Elizabeth Hamann (who predeceased him). The two relocated to Hartford, Connecticut, and Peter continued his professional career as a life actuary with the Travelers Insurance Company. He broadened his professional focus and graduated from UConn Law School in 1964. He held many roles at the Travelers including in the Tax Department where he was able to use a combination of his actuarial and legal training. His professional interests included life company actuarial work, mortality research and analysis, the future of the actuarial profession, actuarial education, research on the AIDs epidemic, automation of actuarial work, and insurance company taxation.
He served as an active volunteer for the Society of Actuaries and became General Chairman of its Education and Examination Committee. He oversaw major innovations in actuarial education and was a leader in adaptation to changing professional needs in the actuarial profession. He later served on the Board of Governors. He was known for standing up for what was right and participated in a variety of controversies in his professional and personal roles.
His career eventually led him to become the Executive Director of the Society of Actuaries in Chicago, Illinois in the mid-1970s, then on to actuarial consulting in a firm and then on his own. He had many peer-reviewed actuarial papers published (Transactions, SOA) including “The Education of the Actuary in the Future.” In the 1990s, he published several articles about understanding the AIDS epidemic including “An Actuarial Analysis of AIDS in America” and “Heterosexuals and AIDS: The Risk of Magic - The Magic of Risk” (Contingencies magazine, 1992) about the HIV diagnosis of Magic Johnson.
A model train enthusiast, Peter and his younger brother Chris built a model train located in a coffee table, completed in 1958.
He enjoyed traveling and took many trips with family and friends. He was a fan of the UConn women’s basketball team, Chicago and Boston professional sports teams and trying to predict the winner of major golf tournaments along with his children.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Rappaport, his brother, Christopher Plumley (Valerie) of Tempe, AZ, his children David Plumley of Chicago, IL, Susan Jones of East Hartford, CT, Jean Bolduc (Rick) of Chapel Hill, NC, Chris Plumley (Lisa) of Cheshire, CT, his seven grandchildren- and six great grandchildren.
Peter is also survived by Anna’s daughter, Jennifer Rappaport-Royce (Michael) of Los Angeles, CA and their two children, Mia and Will.
The family wishes to express appreciation to Peter’s hospice care team (Kindred Hospice, Bridges to Care of Kissimmee and family friend Debi Martin) who provided supportive care and services.
The family requests memorial donations in lieu of flowers to The Actuarial Foundation (https://www.actuarialfoundation.org/donate/) and the Fessenden School (Newton, MA - https://www.fessenden.org/giving).