LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Koch a generous philanthropist

OPINION:

I first met David Koch 40 years ago when he ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket (“Remembering David Koch,” Web, Aug. 29). Although I am a life-long registered Republican, my philosophical leanings are libertarian and I usually follow libertarian candidates. In this race, Koch had little chance of winning, but he was always willing to invest his personal resources to promote his views. He did this throughout his life and I admired him for doing so because he always did it in a very calm and thoughtful manner. Consequently, I believe he was extremely effective in advancing his limited-government views.

Koch was also one of America’s most generous philanthropists. I first became aware of his generosity here in Arizona when I learned that he was on the board of the Institute of Human Origins, Donald Johanson’s group, which discovered the prehistoric “Lucy.” Koch was a significant contributor to the IHO and to many other groups in the arts, humanities and medicine. Sadly, these donations never received the same media attention as his political donations.

When you tally the results of his life of giving, I believe David Koch emerges as one of the most influential figures of the past 50 years. I will remember him fondly.

ROY MILLER

Phoenix