Herb Kohl Memorial Honors Philanthropist, Former US Senator

Frederica Freyberg:
Today, people packed the Fiserv Forum arena in Milwaukee to celebrate the life and contributions of former U.S. Senator and philanthropist Herb Kohl who passed away two days after Christmas. Special projects journalist Murv Seymour has our report.

Man:
He lived a life we all admired.

Murv Seymour:
Since his passing, the flag at the state Capitol and other government buildings across the state fly at half-staff in memory of Herb Kohl.

Dan Kohl:
The Bucks suggested honoring Herb with a statue outside the arena. My uncle declined saying I’m just not a statue kind of guy.

Murv Seymour:
From inside the arena he helped fund, and near the street that shares his name, his memorial service.

Bud Selig:
Saying good-bye to Herb after more than 80 years of saying hello and so many more welcoming and positive words was really difficult.

Murv Seymour:
It’s fitting the tribute for Kohl is open to all of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the city where he grew up and the state he served. People proudly remember the four-time U.S. Senator with the legendary slogan, “Nobody’s Senator but yours.” Following his father’s footsteps in the 1970s, Kohl and his brother led the booming growth of Kohl’s grocery stores which began in Milwaukee, spread throughout Wisconsin and grew into a brand of over 1,100 department stores in every state but Hawaii.

News anchor:
Join us for this edition of Wisconsin Week.

Murv Seymour:
Herb Kohl has been a familiar face here on PBS Wisconsin’s political programming.

News anchor:
Tonight, we’ll interview Senate candidates Herb Kohl and Susan Engeleiter.

Herb Kohl:
Government is too important to be left exclusively to career politicians.

Murv Seymour:
Never married and with no kids, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin never lost an election, never took contributions from political committees or special interest groups.

Herb Kohl:
I spent my entire life helping to enhance the economy of Wisconsin.

Murv Seymour:
One of his biggest interests, buying and saving the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985, for at the time, an unheard of $18 million. He sold the team in 2014 for $550 million, donating $100 million of it toward building a new arena to help once again keep the team from ever leaving his hometown.

Teacher:
You did it without the tens and ones.

Murv Seymour:
Herb Kohl’s spirit to give lives on. His time, his efforts, his millions toward funding hundreds of teachers, students, and various after-school programs at places like the Boys and Girls Club. He put his foot down and forced more funding for enforcement to fight drug traffickers and juvenile justice. He led bipartisan support forcing safety locks to be sold with guns. He helped lower the price of prescription drugs and passed laws for better background checks at nursing homes to better protect seniors. In Washington, he proudly fought for farmers, especially Wisconsin farmers.

Herb Kohl:
Having safety nets that go to producers so that when times really get bad, through no fault of their own, they’re not all forced to go under.

Murv Seymour:
At the University of Wisconsin in Madison, his alma mater, Kohl’s $25 million donation helped build the $76 million Kohl Center. Seen here at the university’s La Follette School of Public Affairs which he funded with the largest donation ever, Herb Kohl smiles doing what he might have loved doing most: giving. Reporting for “Here & Now,” I’m Murv Seymour.

Frederica Freyberg:
Herb Kohl was 88.
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