Spray to speak at annual banquet

Submitted information

The Thompson family and Van Wert Service Club  have announced that Stephen Spray will be the speaker for this year’s awards banquet.

Spray serves as president and chief executive officer of Cincinnati Financial Corporation and its subsidiary, The Cincinnati Insurance Company, one of the country’s top 25 property casualty insurers based on net written premium.

He joined Cincinnati in 1991 as a field marketing representative and has held various positions with the company, each increasing in scope and responsibilities. From 2011 to 2016, he was responsible for sales and marketing, including management of field underwriters and independent agency relationships. Spray led the company’s commercial lines operations from 2016 until 2019 and served as chief insurance officer of the property casualty subsidiaries from 2019 until 2022 when he was named president of the corporation.

A proud Cougar himself, Steve graduated from Van Wert High School in 1985. Steve has fond memories of his days at VWHS and values the education and experience he received as a student and athlete. He and his wife, Clarie, have two adult daughters and reside in Cincinnati.

This year’s awards banquet will be held Wednesday, May 7. The R.K. Thompson Self-Reliance Award Program was initiated 55 years ago by R.K. Thompson, Jr. in honor of his father the late R.K. Thompson, Sr. Both men had worked closely with young people and encouraged them to set high, but attainable goals and then apply themselves to obtain those goals.

The program provides cash awards for high school seniors in Van Wert County who best exhibit that character trait. The Self-Reliance Award is designed to seek out and honor a senior who does the best with what he or she has; whether he or she is a scholar, an athlete, a student leader or someone who must seek employment to help their family meet expenses.

The R.K. Thompson Self-Reliance Award is sponsored by the Thompson Family Trust, through the Van Wert County Foundation, and administered by the Van Wert Service Club.