Dr. John S. Bickley founded the International Insurance Society, Inc. in 1950 and the Insurance Hall of Fame in 1957. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Society from its inception until his retirement in 1988.
The Society was founded and has flourished with one mission: to encourage insurance executives and insurance academics to productively share knowledge about the insurance industry on a worldwide basis. That out of the cross-border information exchange would come greater global understanding and advancement of the industry’s goals. Dr. Bickley’s idea was ahead of its time, anticipating the importance of globalization of the industry.
Dr. Bickley founded the Insurance Hall of Fame in 1955 at the Ohio State University, USA, during his tenure as Executive Secretary of the Griffith Foundation for Insurance Education. Its purpose was and continues to be to honor fundamental innovation in the insurance industry. The first induction into the Hall of Fame was in 1957. Dr. Bickley was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.
Dr. Bickley’s contributions have been substantial in the field of insurance. He grand fathered the concept of risk management. He established the Journal of Risk and Insurance, and authored a scholarly study, "Trends and Problems in Insurance Marketing," which became an industry best seller. He is particularly known for his teaching excellence—his teaching career spanned 50 years-- and his devotion to students and their development. He founded the student insurance societies at each University where he taught: Alabama, Washington, Ohio and Texas.
Dr. Bickley has received many academic honors and was decorated by the Minister of Finance of Korea, by the Emperor of Japan, and the Minister of Finance of the Republic of China. The University of Alabama has endowed a John S. Bickley Chair in Insurance.