Remembering John Kluge (1914-2010)
How could I say no when invited to lunch with the world's richest man? We were both in Palm Beach at the time and Bill Burton one of John's closest personal friends had suggested we meet. I had known of John Kluge because of his fame as the World's Richest Man on the Forbes list ( in which he was eventually surpassed by Mr. Gates) but more importantly because of his rich heritage as a radio broadcaster and because of our common interest in art. John wanted to share his amazing and rare collection of rare ancient roman statues, African art and paintings, which he knew I wanted to see because of my love for art.
We gathered at Mr, Kluges home, had a chance to wander around and visit the art treasures and then had a wonderful couple of hours together. This occurred in the winter of 2009 and I believe John was about to celebrate his 95th. Though his walk was a little gradual I was impressed with his mind. I think he said at the time he was overseeing about 90 companies on a day to day basis, attending board meetings rading financial reports and coaching CEOs. Unlike most elderly people who like to focus on the past John was asking our opinion about investing in things like social networking and digital technology. He said he was continuously pitched by several companies a week and read many business plans. I was impressed at how current he was about technology. I was also impressed with his curiosity. He was not a know-it-all and wanted to know our opinions about various companies he was considering buying or funding. John was sharp, jovial and charming.
Perhaps it was a cliche' conversation but we ended up discussing his longevity and his ability to remain so mentally vibrant at almost 95 to which he credited luck and good genes, daily massage and acupuncture; a habit he acquired when leaving in China, but mostly he credited his longevity to staying current in business, reading everything, remaining mentally and socially active and never stopping to retire.
I suppose the other cliche discussion had to do with becoming the worlds richest man, a multi-billionaire to which he modestly attributed to luck. He shared stories of financial struggle much of his career, of how he never focused on getting wealthy but focused on doing things people needed. What amazed me is that he said he did not become a billionaire until he was about 70 "when most people have already given up." His advice to me: "Never stop pitching. If you stop pitching you're out of the game. The more pitches you throw the more chances of a win. He said he had tried many ventures that had failed but by being curious and applying for cell phone licenses when others thought he was crazy for doing so, because "no one imagined people would need personal phones" he won the lottery, got many franchises which made him richer than he every imagined. "If I had not pitched I would have never won that opportunity."
Today at the announcement of John's death I fondly remember this brief moment in time, which is frozen in my memory as one of the great opportunities in my life. Not because he was wealthy or a billionaire but because he enriched my life with his generous advice, his passion for art, business, encouragement I'll never forget and proof that you don't have to stop contributing when you're at retirement age.
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