Andrew Alcorn Munro was born, the oldest of eight children, in Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia in 1919 on September 14th ( or the 19th depending on who you talked to - his father Jack who perhaps gave the wrong date when he registered him in Port Hood several weeks after his birth. Or his mother Jessie who gave birth to him! )

In 1939 Alcorn was off to Mount Allison University in New Brunswick for four years of Premed. In the fall of 1943 Alcorn entered Dalhousie medical school only to discover that though he was strong of mind he was weak of stomach. He could not stand the sight of blood!

From this discovery Alcorn knew he now had the daunting task of telling his father he would not be returning to university after Christmas. To this his father asked "What will you do for a living?" As Alcorn had sold life insurance to pay his way through university he knew what his response would be.

Selling life insurance in cash strapped Cape Breton was no simple task. While one could trade or barter for food and the necessities of life, it took cash to buy insurance. But many changes would take place in Cape Breton after the opening of the Canso Causeway in 1955 and the expansion of the Trans Canada Highway. The focus of the type of insurance Alcorn sold was now shifting.

Alcorn cultivated many strong relationships with insurance company representatives. Most notable was his friendship with Gord Wilding -the local manager for Canada Accident and Fire (known today as Aviva). He and Gord would travel Inverness County looking for good risks to write. Being probably the only two men in Inverness County in the 1960s to wear a suit on a weekday - they became known as the "Protestant Priests"!

Pulp was becoming a very popular commodity in Cape Breton. But from day one pulp trucks were not a good risk. Alcorn told of his experience in earning a new account. Charlie Simpson and his partner had a pulp hauling operation that had a run of claims. Charlie's insurance carrier decided to cancel his coverage. Alcorn paid a visit to Charlie's operations in Baddeck. What he discovered was the drivers were backing the trucks up to the ship and swinging the logs 180 degrees. Alcorn suggested they drive the trucks up parallel to the ship and load from the side requiring only a 90 degree swing of the logs. Alcorn wrote the account and Charlie's claims experience improved dramatically. Charlie went on to establish a thriving business – Mulgrave Machine Works - that is to this day a loyal customer of A.A. Munro Insurance.

In 1986 Alcorn's son-in-law, Harley MacCaull, purchased the company and injected a new vision. He changed the company's structure from a "one man show" to a thriving insurance brokerage ready for the challenges of the new millennium.