Billionaire industrialist David Koch, died on Friday, at the age of 79. $50.5 billion was the estimated net worth of David and his brother Charles and this year, they had tied for the 11th place on the Forbes 500 list of the richest men in the nation. David Koch donated more than $1 billion to various charitable causes, but he was more famous for using his money towards reshaping U.S. politics and he was also once the vice-presidential candidate of the US Libertarian Party.
David Koch Once Wrote
“I was taught from a young age that involvement in the public discourse is a civic duty.
Each of us has a right — indeed, a responsibility, at times — to make his or her views known to the larger community in order to better form it as a whole. While we may not always get what we want, the exchange of ideas betters the nation in the process.”
Donation After Donation
David H. Koch was well known for his very generous donations. In the year 2007, he gave $100 million, for a cancer research institute to be set up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. David H. Koch also donated millions to the M.D. Anderson Cancer in Houston, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a number of other institutions.
In the year 2008, David Koch gave $100 million to the Lincoln Center theater and this then came to be called as the David H. Koch Theater. He also donated $50 million, towards exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which were devoted to human evolution and dinosaur fossils and as such, parts of this museum have been named after him.
Why Was David Koch So Generous?
David Koch has a story to tell about this and that is that in 1991, he had escaped a calling from death at Los Angeles airport, when two airliners collided and thirty-four people were killed. David Koch had to spend two days in intensive care.
He says about this,
“I felt that the good Lord was sitting on my shoulder and that he helped save my life because he wanted me to do good works and become a good citizen.”
What People Have To Say About David Koch
Michael Mann, climate scientist, Pennsylvania State University, said:
“David Koch will likely be remembered as one of a small handful of individuals who singlehandedly thwarted efforts to act on climate change and other pressing environmental threats aimed at preserving our planet for future generations.”
US President Donald Trump Tweeted,
“The brothers were a total joke in real Republican circles.”
Donald Trump further Tweeted, calling them “two nice guys with bad ideas.”
Charles Koch, David’s brother said,
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother David. Anyone who worked with David surely experienced his giant personality and passion for life.”
How David Koch Wishes To Be Remembered
In the year 2012, after a Republican convention, David Koch said:
“When I pass on, I want people to say he did a lot of good things, he made a real difference, he saved a lot of lives in cancer research.”
Megan Davies is a reporter for White Pine Tribune. After graduating from the University of Toronto, Megan got an internship at the CBC News and worked as a reporter and editor. Megan has also worked as a reporter for Global Toronto. Megan covers economy and community events for White Pine Tribune.
