Illinois Route 66 earned the nickname "Bloody 66" because curves, crossroads, and bridge abutments doomed many speeding motorists. After World War II, curves were straightened, towns bypassed, and four lanes built to improve safety, while new laws enforced by Illinois State Police slowed speeders. Patrolman Chester Henry, whose daily life included Route 66 from 1957 until his retirement in 1984, investigated accidents, issued tickets to all kinds of motorists including celebrities and politicians, set a one-year record for most tickets written, and became well known in his patrol area between Dwight and Atlanta before his induction into the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame in 1993. In Bloomington, State Farm grew from a small rural mutual insurance company founded in 1922 by George Mecherle, who believed farmers should pay less because they drove less and had fewer losses than city drivers, into the largest auto insurer in America through low rates and fair payments on claims.