Mr. David McCahan contributed many innovations to the field of insurance. He exercised a large influence on the early growth and direction of the American College of Life Underwriters, the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters, the S. S. Huebner Foundation for Insurance Education and The American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters.
He was professor of insurance at the University of Pennsylvania where he saw the need for a substantial corps of teachers qualified to offer collegiate courses in insurance. In this way, an understanding of insurance could be developed among university students. To this end, he helped organize and was the first and long-time executive of the S. S. Huebner Foundation for Insurance Education.
An exponent of continued professional development for insurance people, he also had executive responsibility with the American College of Life Underwriters. His belief that education is a never-ending process for the individual led to his being the principal organizer of the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters. This Society provided the framework within which the Chartered Life Underwriter could continue his professional development.
He contributed several important works to the literature of insurance and was a voluminous author and editor.