Chuck Feeney

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenberton- (Forbes)

"I want the last cheque I write to bounce" (Chuck Feeney). The wise man that once said those words was Chuck Feeney. "Born on April 23, 1931 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States to a working-class family, Feeney is an American businessman and a philanthropist. Feeney graduated from Cornell University in New York in 1956, and four years later, he and Cornell classmate Robert Miller founded their own business, Duty Free Shoppers (DFS). DFS sold tax-free items to international travelers at airports. The company became extremely successful and made Feeney very wealthy ("Chuck Feeney." Gale). You may think that hero is someone who does courageous things or someone who is rich. But to be a hero, you could do something as simple as giving to the worthy causes. That is exactly what Feeney did. Chuck Feeney is a social figure because he was a giving man who donating massive amounts to worthy causes and changed many people's' lives. He was also humble by not letting attention from the media get to him despite being a prosperous man.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/nyregion/james (The New York Times))

Feeney, even though he was affluent, decided to give away all his money so that it can help other people around the world have a better lives. Feeney did indeed give all his money to others, but he did not just give it to random people. He wanted the money he gave to go towards worthy causes: "In the early 1980s, he decided to use his money to help others and began a foundation to anonymously donate his wealth to worthy causes around the globe. When his secret philanthropy was revealed, Feeney decided to promote his charitable work and asked others to join him. Motivated by his foundation's motto, "giving while living," Feeney donated the last of his fortune by 2016 " ("Chuck Feeney." Gale). He wanted to give away all of his fortune to help other people. He felt that his money could be used for other people and their well-being. Not only did Feeney deposit his money to good causes, he also gave it to school and universities to help others with their education: "Last month, Mr. Feeney and Atlantic completed the sprint and made a final grant, $7 million to Cornell University, to support students doing community service work. He officially emptied his pockets, meeting his aspiration of "giving while living." Altogether, he had contributed $8 billion to his philanthropies, which have supported higher education, public health, human rights and scientific research " (Dwyer, "James Bond"). Mr. Feeney gave universities millions of dollars to help support their schools and help others get a better education. Feeney may have given all his money to good causes, school, and universities, but in the process, he made sure his name did not get out to the media because he preferred to do favors for others, not get attention from the media.

Even though Feeney became rich and gave away all his money, he did not want the media to find out about his mass donations because he did not want to get attention from the media or anyone of that sort. Feeney did give massive donations to causes and universities, but rather than having his name go viral, he decided to donate his money in secrecy: "In 1984, he secretly transferred all of his assets, including his 38.75 percent ownership of the duty-free business, to Atlantic Philanthropies. He grew the Atlantic pot with early investments in companies like Facebook, Priceline, E-Trade, Alibaba and Legent " (Dwyer, "James Bond"). Mr. Feeney did the transfer secretly because he didn't want to get a lot of attention from the media. He was afraid that if his name got out to the public, people would make fake causes, make him believe it is for a good reason, and steal his money. Feeney had his donation kept a secret, but with the money he still had, he could have had luxurious life, but he preferred not to: "He also insisted that his donations were kept quiet and his identity remained secret. Although he was worth billions of dollars, Feeney was not comfortable showing off his wealth and led a modest lifestyle " ("Chuck Feeney." Gale). Mr. Feeney didn't want his name to go viral. He didn't want any attention from the media because of his donations to various cause, so he kept his name private. He also didn't let the wealth get to him, so he did things just like an average person would. Even though Feeney could lived a luxurious life where he got a lot of attention from the media because of his donations worth millions, he chose to not live like that. Feeney preferred to live a modest life without attention or luxury. Being modest and giving are 2 characteristics that a someone should possesses in order to be considered a hero.

(http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/secretive-ex-billio (Good News Network))

Chuck Feeney is a hero because he was a giving man by donating to worthy causes such as HIV and cancer research and orphanages. He was also  humble by not letting attention and wealth get to him despite being a prosperous man. The businessman is a real hero because of his giving nature by being selfless and because of humble ways of life. Feeney is also an inspiration to many people because he was once a poor man who eventually made billions because of his intelligence and kind heart: "It was a race: Mr. Feeney was then 81, and Atlantic Philanthropies, a collection of private foundations he started and funded, still had about $1.5 billion left. Flinging money out the window or writing checks willy-nilly was not Mr. Feeney's way" (Dwyer, "James Bond"). Feeney is an inspiration to me and many others because he donated all his money to charities and universities to help other people have a better life and a better future. The businessman philanthropist's promise, "I want the last cheque I write to bounce" was a promise he kept.

Works Cited

"Chuck Feeney." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2017. Biography in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650010603/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=737e3324. Accessed 27 Apr. 2017.

Dwyer, Jim. "'James Bond of Philanthropy' Gives Away the Last of His Fortune." New York

Times, 6 Jan. 2017, p. A15(L). Biography in Context, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/nyregion/james-bond-of-philanthropy-gives-away-the-last-of-his-fortune.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FFeeney%2C%20Charles%20F.&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection.