Robert P. Gatewood was internationally known for his development of creative estate and financial planning ideas. Over the years, he made major contributions to the estate planning process and to the life insurance industry in his roles of leadership and innovation. His blackboard-Polaroid technique was hailed as a unique and transferable communication skill for assisting estate owners in their understanding of technical and esoteric planning ideas. As a highly regarded spokesman for the life insurance industry, he was perhaps best known for his advocacy of contractual guarantees.

Mr. Gatewood received his Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 1953. In 1975-76, he served as national President of the American Society of CLU & ChFC. He also served as a Trustee of The American College. In addition to conducting over 200 CLU seminars, he lectured at a record 42 CLU Institutes. He created the "ratable charge" method of accounting for business life insurance and has participated in many educational satellite teleconferences for the life insurance industry. The "Gatewood Endorsement" is one of his innovative contributions to ownership of survivorship insurance. As the inventor of the last-to-die (survivorship) policy, Mr. Gatewood was also a pioneer in other estate planning insurance product designs including multiple joint life and first-to-die policies.

Beginning in 1956, Mr. Gatewood maintained his membership in the Million Dollar Round Table throughout his career and spoke at a record 15 MDRT annual meetings. He was a founding member of The International Forum and was a keynote speaker at its inaugural meeting in 1974. As a long time member of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, Mr. Gatewood spoke at a number of the annual AALU meetings. He was published extensively and lectured in essentially all 50 states and in 6 foreign countries; in addition, he spoke on the campuses of more than 50 universities. He was a member of the professional speaker's bureaus of a number of national organizations, including the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. In this regard, he was a frequent speaker for insurance companies; estate planning councils; civic, educational, and business organizations; and he frequently appeared on radio and television.

Mr. Gatewood served as the President of the District of Columbia Life Underwriters Association and was the recipient of its prestigious award for distinguished service, the Wilner Memorial Award. He was selected as one of the nation's outstanding life insurance practitioners by Leader's Magazine and was recognized as one of the ten "greats" in the life insurance industry by Life Association News. Mr. Gatewood held the Distinguished Faculty Award from Louisiana State University. His own formal education was completed at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1992, he was invested as a Knight of Malta in recognition of his service to the Catholic Church. For many years, his biography has been included in Who's Who in the World.