Herb Kohl's impact far more than money

I met Herb Kohl only twice — once when he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and the other after he was a senator and the popular owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The first time, in the late 1980s, Kohl presented himself as a humble candidate running in his first campaign to seek the office of U.S. Senate. I interviewed him for The Clark County Press during a stop at the Clark County Fair in Neillsville. I remember that he had his stump speech down, rolling through the most important issues of the day — including federal farm aid.

The second time, I was attending a reception before the opening of the Bucks game in the 1990s. He shook hands with anyone in the room who would shake hands with him and proudly talked up the Bucks, who I think were headed for the playoffs.

Whether he was a U.S. Senator or talking about the Bucks, Herb Kohl — who died Wednesday at age 88 — was proud of his state. His $25 million gift helped construct Kohl Center on the UW-Madison campus. Anyone who’s attended a game at the Kohl Center knows the magic that can take place because of its design: Seating areas so close to the playing surface that spectators in a full seating bowl can have a direct impact on the outcome of the game — whether it is hockey or basketball.

It also served as the location of the final Sun Prairie High School graduation ceremony that I covered while I was managing editor. Students, parents and faculty were equally in awe being able to watch or walk across the stage inside The House that Herb Built during that graduation, held May 27, 2022.

Let’s also remember that the Milwaukee Bucks NBA Championship in 2021 would not have happened without Herb Kohl, who acted as a sort of steward owner until the team was sold on April 16, 2014, to a group led by billionaires Wes Edens and Marc Lasry , with Kohl retaining a significant minority interest in the team. They all knew the team needed a new facility to call home, so in 2015, Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan combined with Herb Kohl to pledge $250 million (Kohl pledged $100 million himself) for a new arena.

But they sought a match from the public — and thanks to the Wisconsin Legislature, they received it: $93 million from the Wisconsin Center District in the form of new debt on Milwaukee citizens.

Wikipedia still lists Kohl as among the ownership group of the Bucks.

There are other times I’ve seen Senator Kohl, most of them during the presentation of Kohl Fellowships to public school teachers, students and administrators. According to the foundation website , Kohl started the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation in 1990 to recognize Wisconsin students, teachers and schools with grants to support educational achievement.

In 2015, he created a new award to recognize outstanding Wisconsin school principals and increased the size of scholarships to students and fellowships to teachers. Since its inception, the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation has awarded nearly $18.5 million in grants and scholarships to more than 7,670 people. Several Sun Prairie teachers, students and administrators were among those winners over the years.

Of all his accomplishments — including six terms as a U.S. Senator — I believe it is the Herb Kohl Education Foundation that he was most proud of. He always posed for photos with the recipients and in some cases their families after the presentations.

The foundation proudly worked with many affiliates — including the Wisconsin Newspaper Association — to select finalists. I was able to participate in one session held in the Board Room at the Sun Prairie Area School District offices on South Bird Street to help narrow down those finalists.

Herb Kohl was a leader who was worth more than his money. Through his education, Kohl was able to leave lasting impacts across Wisconsin using his wealth. Those impacts will last generations because of the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation.

Thanks for providing opportunity, Senator Kohl — in both your words and actions — and for helping Wisconsin.

Serving as the managing editor of the Sun Prairie Star for 33-plus years, Chris Mertes is now the Chief Innovation Officer at 608 Beacon Enterprises LLC .