The American College, the nation’s leading educator of financial service professionals, awarded its highest honor, the Huebner Gold Medal, to Charles R. Wright, CLU, ChFC on January 28, 2005 in the La Grassa Auditorium at the Gregg Conference Center on The College’s campus in Bryn Mawr.”As the Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Agency and Marketing Officer at State Farm, Chuck personified professionalism and leadership,” said Larry Barton, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of The American College. “Agents from every part of the U.S. respect Chuck because of his passion for ethics, his dedication to growing the State Farm brand and his respect for the role of the community agent.”The Huebner Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by The American College. The medal has been awarded annually since 1975 to honor those special few whose support of the College and its programs, and whose dedication to education and professionalism, have been of particular meaning to the mission and progress of the institution. Charles R. (Chuck) Wright, CLU, ChFC, is the retired senior executive vice president and chief agency and marketing officer at State Farm Insurance Companies, Bloomington, Ill. He is a member of the boards of directors of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company, and State Farm Fire and Casualty Company.Wright joined State Farm in 1963 as an agent in Minneapolis, Minn. After serving as agency manager in Minneapolis from 1967 to 1973, he was promoted to agency director in the Northeastern Regional Office in Wayne, N.J. Wright was executive assistant - agency at corporate headquarters from 1976 to 1978, when he was named deputy regional vice president at the Sunland Regional Office in Tempe, Ariz. He was elected vice president - agency in the agency executive office at corporate headquarters in 1981 and regional vice president in the Illinois Regional Office in Bloomington in 1988. He was named agency vice president in the President’s Office in 1992 and executive vice president and chief agency and marketing officer in 1998. He became State Farm’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Agency and Marketing Officer in 2001. After more than 40 years of service to State Farm, Chuck retired in 2004.Wright has been a stalwart supporter of The American College. He served as Chairman of The College’s Board of Trustees in 2002 and 2003. As Chairman, he spearheaded the LUTC consolidation that resulted in a stronger LUTC sales training program at The College. Wright was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the new Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) and Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL) designation programs.As Chairman, Wright oversaw The College’s 75th anniversary celebration. He helped support the creation of a Chair in Financial Advising through a State Farm Foundation grant. During his tenure as Chairman, the 21st Century Endowment Campaign raised over $32 million exceeding the original goal set by over $7 million.Wright is probably best known by American College alumni for his stirring keynote address at the institution’s commencement exercises in Hawaii in 2003. He received a standing ovation at the end of the address.A South Dakota native, Chuck attended the University of South Dakota and graduated from Yankton College, Yankton, South Dakota. He received the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation in 1974 and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation in 2002. He was president of the Wheatridge Foundation and served as international president of the Walther League from 1965 to 1968. He is a past member of the board of directors of Eureka College, Bro-Menn Hospital, the David Davis Mansion, the National Association for Professional Saleswomen, and the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund. He also served as chairman and trustee of the Life Underwriters Training Council and is past chairman of The American College Board of Trustees.He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for LIMRA International and is a member of the Distribution Leaders Round Table. He is also a past president of the board of directors of the McLean County Historical Society in Bloomington, Illinois.The American College is the nation’s leading non-profit educator of professionals in the insurance and financial services industry. Located on a 35-acre campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, The College is a public charity that serves over 35,000 students annually, predominantly on a distance education basis. The American College offers an array of specialized designation programs, Master of Science degrees in several disciplines and customized continuing education programs for those pursuing a career in financial services. For more information, visit www.TheAmericanCollege.edu.Contact: Eric B. GordonDirector of Public Relations(610) 526-1450.