Dan Towriss graduated from Ball State in 1994 with a degree in actuarial science. Over the course of his career, he’s led a number of successful insurance company acquisitions and earned a reputation for growth and a return on investment. Today, he is the CEO and President of Group 1001, an insurance holding company based in Indianapolis with assets valued at more than $58 billion.
In addition to his commitment to his profession, Dan has a passion for sports and philanthropy. Currently, he serves on the board of two national nonprofit organizations, the Cal Ripkin Senior Foundation, as well as RISE, an organization dedicated to empowering the sports community to eliminate racism and champion social justice.
In this episode, Dan talks about baseball being the formative game of his youth, how Ball State shaped him into the business leader he’s become, and how he’s been inspired to give back to our University—and to Muncie, where he grew up.
Dan also talks about the business relationships he’s fostered with some of the biggest sporting enterprises in the state—including the Indianapolis 500—and how those relationships have strengthened his resolve to be an involved partner in the community.
If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show.
Dan Towriss graduated from Ball State in 1994 with a degree in actuarial science. Over the course of his career, he’s led a number of successful insurance company acquisitions and earned a reputation for growth and a return on investment. Today, he is the CEO and President of Group 1001, an insurance holding company based in Indianapolis with assets valued at more than $58 billion.
In addition to his commitment to his profession, Dan has a passion for sports and philanthropy. Currently, he serves on the board of two national nonprofit organizations, the Cal Ripkin Senior Foundation, as well as RISE, an organization dedicated to empowering the sports community to eliminate racism and champion social justice.
In this episode, Dan talks about baseball being the formative game of his youth, how Ball State shaped him into the business leader he’s become, and how he’s been inspired to give back to our University—and to Muncie, where he grew up.
Dan also talks about the business relationships he’s fostered with some of the biggest sporting enterprises in the state—including the Indianapolis 500—and how those relationships have strengthened his resolve to be an involved partner in the community.
If you enjoy this episode, please leave a review to support the show.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Hello. I'm Geoff Mearns and I have the good fortune to serve as the president of Ball State University. August signals the start of a new academic year at our university, and with it, a new season of my podcast, Our Call to Beneficence. I'm kicking off Season 2 with Dan Towriss. Dan graduated from Ball State in 1994 with a degree in actuarial science. Over the course of his career, he has led a number of successful insurance company acquisitions and earned a reputation for growth and return on profitability. Today, he's the CEO and president of Group 1001, an insurance holding company in Indianapolis with assets valued at more than $58 billion. In addition to his commitment to his profession, Dan has a passion for sports and philanthropy.
Currently, he serves on the board of two national nonprofit organizations, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundationas well as RISE, an organization dedicated to empowering the sports community to eliminate racism and to champion social justice.In this episode, I'll talk to Dan about his passion for unifying our communities, our state, and our country through sports. I'll also ask him about his experiences growing up in Muncie and how he's giving back to his hometown and his alma mater. And I want to hear more about his experiences at Ball State and how they helped shape him into the business leader he is today. Dan, welcome and thank you for joining me on the podcast.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Thank you so much for having me here.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
It's great to have you here. So, let's start with the fact that you're a Muncie native. So, tell us about your memories growing up here with your family and your friends.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah, big times in the city of Muncie. Muncie was great. I had a lot of fun memories, you know, growing up here. Picture “Sandlot” and I think it was, you know, a gaggle of neighborhood kids, you know, running around into—there was always a game someplace, basketball, baseball, something like that late into the night. You know, that turned into organized sports, you know, through school. And so, that really was a big part of our life.
Both my parents worked. My mom worked at Ball Memorial Hospital. My dad ran a restaurant in town. And so, we were just, you know, a pretty normal family of two brothers and so kind of all, you know, those kind of things but it revolved around basketball, football, baseball, you know, and the like. And so, they were great times, for sure.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
And what was the restaurant that your father operated?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
One Accord, it was American-Mexican restaurant right on McGalliard that was there years ago.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
And pretty popular in its time.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
That's what I understand, yeah.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, you were talking about being active in sports like it was in “Sandlot.” But really baseball was the formative game of your youth and it's also the reason that you're in Muncie here today when we're recording this podcast, and I'll come back to that news in just a minute. But first, tell me how baseball shaped you and influenced where you decided to go to college.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. It's kind of interesting. I mean, I think, you know, baseball has certainly taught me a lot of lessons. The start was very inauspicious, a little rough, you know, getting cut from the team, you know, a couple of different times when I was, you know, in grade school but I wanted to play. I wanted to be there and, you know, just kept working at it. And, you know, by the time, you know, sixth grade or into middle school, I was starting to have some success and, you know, and it just really kind of, you know, parlayed that into, you know, success begat more success, you know, from there and the game started to come to me.
And, you know, really, if nothing else, has increased my confidence and my, you know, belief in myself, you know. I didn't, you know, necessarily have grandiose dreams you know, growing up. And so, you know, sports has taught me a lot about perseverance and a lot about belief, and then, you know, expanding my dreams to expect and believe in bigger things for myself.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. And overcome some of those disappointments or setbacks early on.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah, absolutely.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, what a position did you play in baseball?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. So, I was a pitcher by the time I got into sixth grade. So, yeah, that was probably the difference maker. Before that, I was maybe, you know, a backup first baseman or something and, you know, and really wasn't very good. I wasn't very successful, but somehow this pitching thing made sense and it came along and I started having success in the sixth and seventh grade.
And, you know, we had some very interesting stories and tournaments that came about overtime. And, you know, it's funny, even things going back to middle school that stand out, that even sound crazy now. There's a story where we were actually gone and missed the tournament and we had come back home. And my twin brother who played on the team with me, we were in bed one night and we somehow found out, my dad finds out that our team is still playing at a park. It's out where the Menards is now. And he goes, "Get up. Your team is still playing. Let's go play." And so, we showed up between 11 and 12 midnight and they put us in the game right away. And then we end up pulling off a victory. And with that, there's one more game to play, it starts at midnight and the coach handed me the ball to, you know, to face -- effectively face the team that had knocked us into the losers bracket I guess earlier that day. And that game ended at around two in the morning. And, you know, fortune swung our way that night and so, it was a big victory for us. But, you know, little things like that, I mean, the confidence that I took away from maybe that was a small thing as a seventh or eighth grader, you know, turned into bigger things later in life.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. Those skills then mature into some of the skills and values and disciplines that you have as a professional.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Absolutely.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
So, you initially enrolled at Indiana University. Were you on a baseball scholarship to go to IU?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. So, after graduating from Muncie Central, I had scholarship offers at Notre Dame and Indiana to play baseball. And then, ultimately, my twin brother was going to play at Butler. Ultimately, for financial reasons, you know, I chose to go to Indiana, plus it was just such a big part of—you know, Indiana basketball, like I was one of those guys. And so, just loved it so much. And so, while it was a hard, you know, decision to make, I chose the Hoosiers, you know, from that standpoint and went to play baseball there.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. And you had an injury—
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
-- kind of a career-ending injury at IU. You then transferred to Ball State.Tell me about the injury and why did you choose Ball State after you were injured?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. So, obviously, being a pitcher, having an elbow injury, I'd spent a lot of time seeing different doctors that was ultimately -- I think I went and saw the Colts orthopedic doctor and at the time, he was going to have to, you know, completely reconstruct my elbow. They're like, "We'll do it but you won't be super happy about it," and I was kind of like, you know, "I think I'm good." And, you know, there wasn't some period of time where I lamented, you know, the end of a baseball career. I kind of just took the same competitive drive I had and focused it on, you know, my degree and finishing up. You know, actuarial science is maybe a lesser known degree, you know.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, what prompted you to study actuarial science?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. So, there are a number of actuaries in my family. So, my uncle was an actuary. You know, I think I remember getting an HP 12C, you know, for Christmas in the eighth grade which is a super bizarre gift.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
What is that, some kind of a fancy calculator?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
It is a fancy calculator with reverse Polish notation.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
It's almost as good as a new glove and a bat.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Almost. Absolutely. But, yeah. So, I learned about the profession from him. My older brother was also studying actuarial science at Ball State. And so, he started to, you know, to tell me more about the career. I obviously had a proclivity to math and numbers and things like that and wanted to figure out how do I turn that into a business degree or some kind of career, something that sounds interesting to me. And, you know, kind of through that, through some of my conversations with my older brother, I kind of had the confidence to say, "Hey, maybe I can do this too." And, you know, and then, I just went and looked at -- went after it. I had a pretty interesting experience at IU which then translates to, you know, to my time at Ball State. There was a calculus professor at IU that was working with math students and they were studying for the first exam. Well, they all kind of dropped away and so I have this like one-on-one time with the college calculus professor. So, when it comes time to take the first test, you know, I did really well on it because I had like a really good tutor, you know –
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Right.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
-- for this exam. And I was -- I remember calling the Society of Actuaries, the group that oversees the credentialing like, "Hey, can you send my scores to this address?" And Ball State's reputation was so strong that this person from the Society of Actuaries goes, "Can I ask you a question?" I'm like, "Yeah, sure." He goes, "What are you doing at IU and Ball State is in your backyard?" And I said, "Funny, you should ask. I'm correcting that problem now." And so, I went to meet with [Ball State Professor] Dr. Beekman to talk about transferring to Ball State.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, you once told me a story, you had a memorable experience that you had with one of your professors here at Ball State while you were walking across campus not long after you transferred back home. Why don't you share that story with the folks that are listening now?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. It was so funny. So, you know, again, my undergraduate years at IU, you had to take -- you had an ID to take almost every test. I mean, even into something like calculus or whatever. And so, I didn't have any real relationship with professors or no one would know. Like I said, you had to have an ID to sit down and take a test. And one day, I was -- so now, I'm at Ball State and I'm walking through campus and one of my professors addresses me by name. He says, "Hi, Dan." I was so disturbed by that. I followed him into a building and I'm like, "I'm sorry. Excuse me, why do you know my name? Did I offend you? Did I say something in class? Like whatever it is, sorry about that. Like why do you know my name?"
And they just looked at me like, "What's wrong with you?" And I was just so taken aback to have that connection to be known, to come from two years of just what felt to me like complete anonymity to now being recognizable in the street by my professors. And so, it just really created a real sense of connection with the university and, you know, just to some degree accountability as well. They know who you are.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, I asked you to share that story because it illustrates what I believe makes a Ball State educational experience distinctive, that our faculty and our staff know our students and are committed to the success of our students. Who are some of your mentors at Ball State and what influence did they have on your educational experience and now your career?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
You know, I think Dr. Beekman was probably the single, you know, biggest influence in my career. Like when I decided to transfer, I sat down with him and I still remember being like, "OK. Dr. Beekman, I want to transfer. You probably remember my brother was just here a year or two ago," and I said, "You may not remember my uncle was here and, you know, he graduated in, you know, 1974," or something like that. And he kind of chuckles and he's like, "Well, of course, I remember your uncle but he didn't graduate in 1974. He graduated in 1976."
So, like he corrects the year and, you know. But anyway, he was just so helpful in making that transition because again, I had two years at Indiana of, you know, playing sports so your credit hours are managed to like 12 or 14 hours, let's say, you lose a little bit upon transfer. And so, if I want to graduate on time at Ball State, I now have a pretty big, you know, long road ahead of me and stuff like that. And so, he was just so instrumental in kind of helping me work through that transfer process and figure it out because what was going to be a road of 18 and 21, you know, credit hours a semester for the next two years.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Right. And so again, in some conversations, I know you didn't spend a whole lot of time down at The Chug and a little more time in the library.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
[chuckles] Yeah. I mean, I was pretty focused at this time and I think kind of going back to maybe it was just a great outlet for, you know, the lack of the, you know, competitiveness through baseball, through sport but I was -- yeah, I was taking the 18 to 21 hours a semester. I think at one point, he actually had to approve -- I had two classes that overlapped by half an hour and maybe you guys don't do that, so sorry for future students if I've given them a bad idea. But he somehow let me do that so I could get the classes in on time, you know.
And then, I was studying for actuarial exams and then I worked part time at Ball Hospital. I had this weird occurrence. I think I mentioned my mom worked there and my twin brother was a pharmacy major at the time. Well, anyways, they offered me a job in the surgical unit and so they kept me on during school. So, Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays I was in actuarial classes from 8:00 to 11:00 and noon to 4:00, I was over in the surgical outpatient wing at Ball Hospital, working there. And so, weekends were crucial to do that. So, for me, weekends were studying 10 hours on Saturday and 10 on Sunday just to make all of that stuff work. But, you know, for a short period of time, you could do anything and it was just super important to me to, you know, to finish strong.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, you graduated in 1994 and then, you know, really quickly climbed the corporate ladder on your way to now holding a number of executive positions within the insurance industry.
And today, you oversee, as I said in the introduction, you oversee a company with insurance brands like Delaware Life, Gainbridge, Guggenheim Life, and among others. What are the lessons that you learned as a professional or as a student and as a professional that enabled you to take on the extraordinary professional responsibility you have today as the CEO of Group 1001?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. I mean I think I really just tried to take advantage of every opportunity that I had. I didn't have a game plan to be where I was today. I would even necessarily said I had the ambition to do that. I think one of the popular interview questions back in the day was where do you see yourself five years from now? And one of the things I liked about the actuarial profession at the time was like I don't know. It's like if I want to be kind of a backroom technician, I can do that. If I want to lead a business unit or use that to springboard into some other things, if I'm so, you know, inclined, I can do that as well. And so, those are just some of the things that I liked about, you know, about the profession from that standpoint. And, you know, and so it was a -- you know, being super helpful.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, Group 1001 is, as I said, a parent company of a number of operating entities, organizations, one of them being Gainbridge which in 2019 became the presenting sponsor of the Indianapolis 500. I'm not a native of Indiana but I understand that's kind of important to all of you Hoosiers.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yup.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Last year, Gainbridge also became the naming partner for now Gainbridge Fieldhouse which is the home of the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever and concerts and other events. What did these high-visibility partnerships and sponsorships mean to your business but also mean to you personally as a guy who grew up in Muncie, Indiana?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. I mean, you know, it's pretty interesting. As Gainbridge came along, it's a direct-to-consumer platform. And so, instead of selling through intermediaries, it's a digital platform and so it needs more brand recognition than what would -- than what like Delaware Life would need or something like that selling through, you know, through agents. And so, we started to look for ways to create, you know, kind of a high-profile recognition for Gainbridge but at the same time -- so we'll call that the brand awareness aspect. There's also kind of the brand image or identity that goes with that and we really wanted to kind of modernize the feel that it's -- that there's something vibrant and exciting about this brand. And it's not -- it isn't some boring old insurance company and we really want to be more relevant than that and there's -- it's more exciting than that.
And so, as we got involved in raising by sponsoring the Number 26 Car which then kind of parlayed into, you know, being the presenting sponsor for the 500, and then, you know, each opportunity -- it kind of goes back to before you were asking about lessons. You know, when an opportunity comes, you just raise your hand and take it, you know, and master that. And then, it creates the next thing and the next thing. And it's like by the time -- you know, if you've done that, if you do that a lot, you know, and don't, you know, take a playoff, if you will, at some point, you look back and you've learned some things and you've accomplished some things. Or you're in position for the next opportunity because you'll never know when it's going to come and what form it's going to take.
And so, you just do what you can and if there's a chance to learn something, if there's a new experience, just raise your hand and jump in. What even kind of happened on the sponsorship side. So, that relationship led to other things. It's led to different connections in the city, in some cases business opportunities. It led to a relationship with the Pacers which got into Fieldhouse. And not only do we have the awareness that we have with the Indy 500 and with the NBA, but we're also associated with really good partners in terms of PacerSports and Entertainment or in case of Penske Entertainment, and all the business opportunities and relationships and people there, what they do in communities and there's a real alignment as well.
So, it isn't just activating, you know, in the pure, you know, business sense, we want to do that. We want everyone to know about Gainbridge but at the same time we now have really strong partners to do things in the community which will have a, you know, significant impact.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
So, in describing how you approach a major decision like that, along the spectrum of very deliberate to impulsive, where do you put yourself? What's the -- you know, in my experience, people are somewhere in the middle of those two. Where do you see yourself? What is the intersection of impulse or instinct and deliberate rational thought?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
You know, I think for me, it's somewhere in between as well. It's not, you know, it's not -- I think, you know, impulse can grab my attention, get me to look at something but then we've got to really understand it and see, you know, what it can be. And I like to look at opportunities that I think have real upside, you know, in them. And then, I think with each of these sponsorships, we don't go into it looking like what can the Indy 500 do for us or what can the, you know, Pacers do for us?
We think if we go in there looking how can we change -- how can we create change in those organizations, you know, or, you know, in those scenarios and I think like with respect to, you know, IndyCar sponsorships, I think we've changed the way some people look at IndyCar sponsorships. We've done partnerships with, you know, with Penske in a way that other, you know, sponsors have and I think being able to engage and put forth that kind of like honest effort and engagement and looking to, you know, hopefully, I can make your situation better. I can find ways to add value to you and you find ways to add value to me along the way, that's a winning partnership.
But if I go into it thinking, "What can you do for me?" constantly and looking and asking like, "Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that?" that's not a winning partnership. And I think we wouldn't be where we are today if that was the case. And so, we try to look at it differently and, you know, we know the power of each of those, you know, properties or platforms, you know, what they can do. But at the same time, it's what can we do for them and it somehow comes back to us, you know, tenfold, you know, and that's an approach we like. It's unique but it's working for us.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. It seems what you're describing, and please correct me if I didn't get this right, but you're describing the difference between a transactional relationship and a genuine partnership.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yup.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, one of the relations you have is -- that we have is Gainbridge is also the name that graces our football field in Scheumann Stadium here at Ball State and, of course, all of us are grateful for your generous gifts that made that naming opportunity possible and made possible the Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility. Tell us why education and sports, the intersection of the two, why are those the focus of your philanthropy?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Because I think they just -- they have the power to transform, you know, both in different ways. And I think I see sports as a different form of education or somebody could say that you see sports as a classroom but they have the power to transform communities, situations, individuals, outcomes, futures, all those things. And you never quite know where it's going to go. You just want to create opportunities and, you know, and give people those opportunities, you know, to learn. And I think, you know, it applies in so many different ways. It can apply, you know, to philanthropy in a community. It can apply to the way we, you know, treat employees and how we invest in people or how we invest in partnerships. And I think if you go into each situation looking at how can you make it better, then you really do start to see, you know, the transformational opportunities that come, you know, through sports and education.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, your belief in the transformational power of sports, the educational value of sports led you to join the board of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. So, tell us why did you get involved with that organization? And I understand from a recent conversation, it came about as a relatively expensive round of golf.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
[chuckles] Yeah. We had gotten involved with the program in Oklahoma City called Fields and Futures, which is very local and specific to the largest school system in Oklahoma City. And so, we were doing -- we were helping them build some fields there because as I started to see the opportunity here, I was like, "Hey, this is like low-hanging fruit to really make a big impact."
One of the days, I go out to view one of the fields and this person comes running up and like, "Hello," and he's like, "Yeah, I'm the athletic director here." And he goes, "You guys did the middle school fields before this high school field was done." He goes, "You have no idea how much this has changed this community. The freshmen and sophomore are now the leaders of this school. The parents are more engaged than they've ever been. We have cheerleaders, we have a pep band, we have all these things that really they're tangentially related to the sports that grew out of that opportunity." He's like, "I was supposed to retire two years ago. I'm not going anywhere," was his story and I was so impacted by that. It was like, this is amazing, like how do we do this again and again and again? And that was about the time that I was getting to know Cal [Ripken Jr.]. And as you mentioned, we were playing golf at Southern Hills in Tulsa and it was literally like, you know, "Hey you want to build some fields together?"
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
That was Cal asking you that question?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
That was Cal asking me that question. And so, we just shook hands and I think we're in the second, kind of into our second partnership of over $10-plus million invested and, you know, 15 or 16 fields. And each one of them are incredible and, you know, and so special in their own right that it's just how can we make it bigger, how can we do more because it has such a positive impact in each of the places where we've been able to do these.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. And when you say $10 million and 15 fields, you're talking about your own personal or your own institutional investment. I understand that the Ripken Foundation has done now about 110 fields all across the country.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
That's right. Yeah. It's actually probably one of the best organizations I've been involved with. It's a tremendous board. They're very active, raise a lot of money. But generally, what happens is you go into a community and if you start with -- if you already have the funds or most of the funds raised, it creates a lot of momentum into the project. So, let's say the Ripken Foundation is bringing in a contribution and Gainbridge does through that partnership and so we start working on the field. And then the city is raising some money and if they exceed the expectations, we just kind of roll some of that into the next field, you know, kind of thing and so that's where 10 fields become 15 fields, you know, from that standpoint. But if you go in with no money raised, you know, then it suddenly -- it's almost like people can't see it and can't believe it. But if you start with, "We already have the funds. We have 80 or 90% of the funds raised," the community now can start to see it, feel it, taste that it's going to happen and it's very -- then we've had a lot more success of getting people to get behind the project.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Because they can see that it will become a reality.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Absolutely.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
So, that recipe, that formula worked today which I'll share in just a moment but that -- what happened today in McCulloch Park here in Muncie began with a conversation I had with you at a Ball State football game. You were telling me about your role in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and how Gainbridge, you and Gainbridge were involved. And so, I raised the issue of whether or not you would consider investing in the baseball field that's in McCulloch Park and you told me you knew a little bit about McCulloch Park. I know you're a modest person, so I'll share it. What you shared with me that day is you are familiar with that field because you played on that field back in 1990 which was the first time since the early 1920s that a team from Muncie had actually won a state title in -- what was the --
[DAN TOWRISS]:
American Legion Baseball.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
American Legion Baseball.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. Yeah.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
So, you are, of course, familiar with that field. So, today, we had the grand reopening after the renovation of that and all of us here at Muncie are grateful to you and the Gainbridge and the Ripken Foundation for that extraordinary investment. The city of Muncie, as you know, as you said a moment ago, stepped up significantly to partner with you in that investment, probably in total maybe $1.5 million to do that renovation. But beyond those statistics and that physical place, tell us how meaningful it was to have this homecoming for you in Muncie on a baseball diamond that you played on?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Yeah. I mean, it's just not something I ever dreamed was possible or would happen. We've done fields all over the country and, you know, each one is so exciting in its own right. And then, you know, I didn't really know the state of McCulloch Park. And so, when you first mentioned it and that it was in need, it was like, you know, "Oh my gosh! We've got to make this, you know, we've got to make this happen." And so, to be able to do that, you know, in my hometown was, you know, has been pretty special. But it's also a field with so much history and like what it means, you know, for Muncie as well. So, like take out like my little fraction of what is a very long history that goes back to, you know, being spring training during the World War II timeframe or, you know, the Reds playing there some and all the different things that have transpired on that field. Again, from a baseball vernacular, it's a different kind of field.
It has different dimensions than the typical high school field so when you got to play there, it was kind of going big time. You know, it was—it would expose weaknesses or would show how strong, you know, the team was. So, playing there was a big deal. And then, ultimately, being able to bring that, you know, championship, you know, to Muncie for the Post19 American Legion team, you know, that was a big deal, you know, to us at the time and also having one of the great coaches.
But if you stop and think for a minute what is American Legion Baseball, it's all the best players from the different schools in the county somehow come together and these people that have been rivals for the last number of years have to somehow come together as a team and go play with everybody else. So, it took a very special coach to kind of bring, you know, this band of rivals together and create chemistry and create teamwork, you know, out of that. And it absolutely happened and watching that happen was incredible. Participating in it, being a part of that, you know, because it really taught me a lot about that but I think it's -- you know, it means a lot. And then, to find out that the American Legion team won again this year, the Muncie Chiefs I think is what they call them now for Post 19, to bring home another state title to Muncie this year with all the things that are going on, you know, pretty special stuff.
And, you know, congrats again to Ken and the Muncie Chiefs, you know, team. What a, you know, tremendous, you know, group of young people to be able to pull that off. But now, we've got this great, you know, field at McCulloch Park and that can continue. You know, it's not in a state of disrepair. I guess it's, you know, it's also the home field for Muncie Burris. You know, best of luck to them and, you know, maybe -- and people have this now, this opportunity to play at a beautiful ballpark and, you know, make some special things happen.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. It was pretty exciting to be out there and you could just sense with the large community, that participation that came out, you could just feel that sense of renewed optimism and excitement about not just what is happening on that field but what's happening here in Muncie and on our campus.
And speaking of our campus, you also serve on the board of the Ball State University Foundation and I recall when I asked you to consider this service opportunity, you readily and graciously agreed to accept this invitation. Why did you do that?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
You know, I think it was just I saw a real opportunity to, you know, to give back and I think the university has given so much to me. I think the -- it was really kind of driven home … Dr. Beekman came to see me at my office all these years later and I got to tell him stories about things he maybe doesn't even remember, and often times it works that way, right?
Like you may play a role in somebody's life and it may be something that you think is insignificant but to the person receiving it, it was this like difference maker, just, you know, kind of game changing moment. And it was so fun to, you know, kind of go down memory lane with him and talk about some of those things which really just kind of underscored how important Ball State was, you know, formatively and foundationally to me as a person and from, you know, a career-training standpoint and all the things that go with that, you know, with that college experience. And so, it was an easy decision to say, "Yeah, I want to get on board and see what I can do to help, you know, be a part of the, you know, foundation leadership and give back to the university."
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Yeah. So, what I'm learning here today, it wasn't the really creative pitch that I made. It really was more—more importantly, it was about who you are and what you value.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
No. But I will—I do want to give you credit for reaching out and really, you know, reconnecting and creating that opportunity. And I think what you've done, your leadership, you know, at the university, the energy that you bring to it, you make it relevant. You make it -- you know, again, leaders have to create that belief. They create a vision and they get people to believe in that vision and you do that every single day. And certainly, what I saw in your vision was something that I could get on board with, that I wanted, you know, to get on board with, and I'm glad I'm here.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Well, thank you very much for your kind words and for your support and your friendship. So, there's one more, one final question that I want to ask you and it's a question I ask all of the guests on my podcast. It's a question about beneficence and as we walked over this afternoon, on this beautiful afternoon, we walked right by Beneficence. And, as you know, it's the iconic statue that is the visible and tangible reminder of our commitment individually and collectively, our commitment to the enduring values that truly distinguish Ball State University. And beneficence, as you know, it means doing good for other people through service and philanthropy. We've touched on this a lot but why don't you just summarize for us, what does beneficence mean to you?
[DAN TOWRISS]:
You know, to me, what it means is really trying to -- you know, every situation or interaction that you can, just trying to have eyes open to see an opportunity to add value to someone else, to, you know, you give them a step up, you know, an opportunity, or just make a situation better than when you came into it. You know, finding some way to change it for the positive and sometimes that's a group of people, sometimes that's an individual, sometimes it's big, and sometimes it's very small. But the biggest part of that is coming into it with the intentionality of looking for it, you know. Like sometimes an opportunity can smack you across the face. You see it and you're like, "Oh, I'm glad I did that." But true beneficence to me is going into the situation with your eyes open looking for that in every single interaction to try to see, is there something I can do to add value to this situation, you know, to raise it up? And, you know, if we can do that, it's going to be, you know, it's going to be a better place.
[GEOFF MEARNS]:
Well, Dan, thank you for joining me on this, for this conversation. Thank you also for what you do for your profession, for your community, for our university. You make us proud and we are very grateful for all that you do. Thank you, Dan.
[DAN TOWRISS]:
Thank you so much. Yeah.