[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING JOHN W. KLUGE

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to John 
Kluge, a very close friend of mine who passed away on September 7, 
2010, at the age of 95. I would also like to take this opportunity to 
express my heartfelt condolences to his wife Maria; his children John 
and Samantha; and his stepchildren Joseph, Diane, Jeannette, and Peter. 
For all of us who had the privilege of getting to know him, this is a 
tremendous loss.
  It is no exaggeration to say that John led a truly remarkable life. 
Having made a substantial fortune from a communications empire that 
included everything from television and radio stations to mobile phones 
and the Harlem Globetrotters, John regularly graced Forbes magazine's 
annual list of the 400 wealthiest Americans.
  But John was not born with the proverbial ``silver spoon'' in his 
mouth. He didn't inherit his wealth. John Kluge built his company, 
Metromedia, on his own, through nothing more than hard work, spot-on 
business instincts and, as John himself often freely admitted, a little 
bit of good luck.
  Indeed, John's life reads like a pitch-perfect version of a classic 
American success story--a potent reminder of what individuals can 
accomplish with dedication, tenacity, and a healthy dose of self-
confidence and optimism.
  Born in Chemnitz, Germany, in 1914, John moved with his family to 
Detroit in 1922 and took his first job as a payroll clerk for his 
stepfather's business when he was just 10. From a very early age, John 
was driven to make the most of the educational opportunities available 
to him. During his teenage years, when his stepfather asked him to drop 
out of school so he could work full time at the family business, John 
instead opted to leave home and live with his typing teacher so he 
could continue his education.
  That decision ultimately paid off. During his high school years, John 
worked extremely hard to get good grades and eventually won a 
scholarship to college, later graduating from Columbia University with 
a degree in economics.
  In the 1950s, following a brief stint working for a Michigan paper 
company and several years of service in the U.S. Army during World War 
II, John started purchasing radio stations throughout the country. By 
the time he founded Metromedia, the country's first major independent 
broadcasting company, in 1961, he had already made a small fortune from 
his radio stations and a regional food distribution business he founded 
in Baltimore. When he sold Metromedia two decades later, John increased 
his net worth even more substantially, making nearly $4.7 billion in 
the process.
  Clearly, it would have been incredibly easy for John to have simply 
taken his money ``. . . and joined the country club and gotten into 
this pattern of complaining about the world and about the tax law,'' as 
he once put it in an interview for the New York Times. But John Kluge 
never had any desire to spend the rest of his life sitting around and 
frittering away his wealth. He placed a tremendous amount of value on a 
hard, honest day's work. And it was the sense of fulfillment he derived 
from his own work that ultimately served as the driving force behind 
his numerous accomplishments.
  Indeed, John Kluge was the consummate workhorse. More inclined to 
avoid the trappings of fame and recognition than many contemporary 
corporate executives, John never retained a public relations staff. He 
was content to work behind the scenes, building his telecommunications 
empire and cementing his position as one of America's most gifted 
business strategists with little fanfare.
  But John was much more than a talented entrepreneur who rose from 
humble beginnings to strike it rich. In large part, I believe, because 
he was not born into a life of privilege, John was absolutely committed 
to putting his largesse to work for others. He was a prolific 
philanthropist, and among the many worthy causes and organizations that 
benefitted from his generosity over the years, the presence of John's 
contributions can probably be most clearly felt at his alma mater, 
Columbia.
  Throughout his life, John donated substantial sums of money to 
Columbia, primarily to fund scholarships for underprivileged and 
minority students. But in 2007, John surprised everyone when he pledged 
that, upon his death, the university would receive a gift of $400 
million from his estate. To provide a sense of scale here, that single 
gift is the largest Columbia has ever received, and by far the largest 
ever given to an institution of higher learning specifically to help 
students afford tuition.
  And that is exactly the way I think John would have wanted to be 
remembered as an individual who used his good fortune to make sure 
others would be able to benefit from the same opportunities he had 
growing up. As someone who worked to ensure that bright, hard working 
students from low-income families who were accepted to one of the 
country's most prestigious universities would be able to make the most 
of their college educations. As someone who gave back to the people and 
institutions that helped make his meteoric rise in the corporate world 
possible.
  For my part, I will certainly remember John Kluge for his uncanny 
business acumen and singular dedication to philanthropy. But at the end 
of the day, I will also recall John as a wonderful, dear friend who was 
always a pleasure to be around.
  You see, in spite of everything, John never let his wealth or 
position in life get to his head. During the time that I knew him, John 
was always an extremely kind, good-natured, and genuinely fun person. 
He was always accessible and easy to talk to, and I will miss his 
company immensely.
  And so it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to say goodbye to 
such a special individual. Once again, I would like to extend my 
sincere condolences to his loving family and to all those individuals 
who, like me, were so lucky to have John in their lives.

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