By Dan Cirucci | Dan Cirucci’s Blogspot
We first met Lewis Katz 44 years not long before Carole Cirucci and I were married.
I had moved from Camden (the town that both Lew and I claimed as “home”) to Cherry Hill and had become involved in the local Democrat Party there as we attempted to end 20 years of entrenched Republican rule in that town. We fought on the same team together and won.
Lew Katz was a young lawyer and a rising star in South Jersey politics.
He was tall, handsome, charming and clearly, very bright.
Over the years we watched him climb to extraordinary heights as a successful businessman, extraordinary deal-maker, friend of presidents and corporate titans and most recently, major philanthropist.
None of this surprised us because it was clear to us that Lew Katz had the talent, the energy, the drive and the smarts to get where he was going, and fast.
But here’s the thing about Lew Katz: He climbed to the top of the ladder but never. ever forgot the people he encountered on the first few rungs. In fact, he seemed to have a special affection for those people — especially if they were from Camden.
Carole Cirucci and I last saw him a little more than a year ago when we were in Philadelphia on a late summer evening dining al fresco near Rittenhouse Square. Lew walked by and we got his attention and waved him over to our table. He not only greeted us but sat at our table and chatted on and on about the times we shared and the memories we had. He was very concerned about doing the right thing as a co-owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com which he had recently acquired with a group of partners. But he didn’t want to talk at length about business. He wanted to know about us, how we were, our children, our life together, etc.
He told me that his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah was coming up and he was so proud. He had jotted down some thoughts that he was suggesting to his grandson for his remarks to the congregation upon becoming a Bar Mitzvah. He had them on his iPhone. It was all about giving back and that quote from the Jewish sage, Hillel: “If I am not for me, who is for me? If I am only for me, who am I?”
He talked to us about what he was trying to do with charter schools in Camden and how he was trying to make a positive difference in the lives of those less fortunate. He was particularly interested in Carole’s views since she is a former elementary school teacher. He was clearly deeply invested in the causes dear to him, not just in monetary terms but heart and soul as well.
All through his life, Lew exhibited a concern for others.
Going back to our early days in Cherry Hill, I remember one time when I was disenchanted with the local Democrat organization in town because the local party boss had flat-out lied to me. What did I know? I was young and expected politicians to be honest.
Lew heard about this and he called me to his law office at 15th & Locust in Philadelphia (he was a licensed to practice in Pennsylvania as well as New Jersey) and he heard me out. He didn’t deny that I had perhaps been deceived but he didn’t want me to lose faith or become disenchanted or uninvolved and he tried so hard to make up for this other person’s deceit. He really cared and that impressed me.
Over the years as he became more and more successful, I would often see him, mostly in Philly as that’s where I then spent the bulk of my time and what I remember is that he always had time for me — and for Carole Cirucci. He always used to tell me he had a crush on Carole. He really liked her and we would joke about it.
One time I was dining at The Palm in Philadelphia with a group of Philadelphia Bar Association leaders including the Chancellor of the Association. Lew was at a corner table with Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider and real estate developer Ron Rubin — two of the most powerful people in the region. As soon as he saw me, he waved me over, gave me a big hug and introduced me to his esteemed table mates and then I introduced all of them to my bosses, the leaders of the bar association. Needless to say, the bar leaders were impressed.
For a time early in his career Lew was a Camden County freeholder. But politics — at least elective office — was too small to contain him. Though he remained politically involved, his interests and passions roamed far beyond politics. In many ways, I think the political wars were simply too feeble for him, too small minded. My impression was that he was not a petty person. In many ways, he was bigger than that.
When my granddaughter was born a year ago Lew sent me a sweet note via social media. He never forgot the people who were with him from the start. He never forgot his roots. He wanted to help Camden so much — and he did.
He was a caring person — a giving person, very human. I’ve known my share of rich and successful people and more than a few of them quickly and/or conveniently forgot those who were there at the start. Or. they conveniently shrugged off those who were simply were not at their station in life. Lew never did.
So, our memories of Lewis Katz are all good.
We will remember him as very human — a shrewd judge of character and a loyal and caring person.
And this, too — while he was a liberal Democrat and I we had long since became conservative Republicans, he never judged us on that in any way whatsoever. It didn’t matter to him. He had his priorities in order. He knew what was important in life.
Lew Katz was a good man who helped many, many people. His loss is incalculable.
We hope he’s now reaping his just reward for all the good he accomplished here on earth.
