A Decade of Philanthropy

In the days before this edition went to press two super Kansas City
ambassadors moved on. One was among America’s greatest jazz legends—
Jay McShann. The other was sportsman, entrepreneur and friend
Lamar Hunt.

As a business magazine, we were only able to appreciate Mr. McShann
from afar. There are others better qualified to sing his praises than we.

Lamar Hunt, however, we got to know and occasionally work with. He made an incalculable contribution to professional sports and to the Kansas City area on a scale matched only by Ewing Kauffman. Hunt was avisionary sportsman unlike any other this city has ever known, and fortunately for Kansas City, he was a rebellious strategist who possessed the resources and the will to inspire and drive innovative change.

Lamar Hunt was a friend of the business community and of Ingram’s
Magazine. He lent us not only his time but also his presence. In the summer of 2000 Lamar Hunt spoke to our Corporate Report 100 winners at the Downtown Marriott. What impressed us much more than his speech was that nearly each of the 500 guests stayed to visit with him and to have their photograph taken with him. Lamar Hunt was an absolute gentleman in the purest sense and he was a man of great character—he will truly be missed by all.

The passing of Jay McShann and Lamar Hunt remind us of why we developed The Philanthropy Edition soon after we purchased Ingram’s in February 1997. Although common now, at the time only one other regional business publication in the nation published a philanthropy-oriented edition. Since, we’ve inspired many other publications to do so. This programming decision enabled us to educate our executive readers of the many noble nonprofits and acts of goodness being done throughout our region, all of which we consider a natural part of the business cycle—especially so in Kansas City.

We firmly believe that Kansas City is an extraordinary city of kind-hearted people, who always seems to go the extra mile to serve the needs of our communities. As we prepared this issue, we’ve taken some time to reminisce as to where we’ve been and what impact that The Philanthropy Edition may have on our marketplace. We hope that The Philanthropy Edition has educated and inspired many people and encouraged them and their organizations to improve on how they give back to the people and community that supports their enterprises.

This past decade of operating Ingram’s seems to have sailed by, but we’re grateful each year for this Philanthropy issue as it enables us to reflect on where we’ve been and what we can do to better serve the needs of our community.

In this time of Thanksgiving, we wish each of our patrons and readers the very best and would encourage you and yours to engage in an act of kindness each day through the new year.

Our Best!

Editor-In-Chief & Publisher

JSweeney@IngramsOnLine.com

Tribute to a Friend
Lamar Hunt Field at Arrowhead Stadium

One act of civic kindness and an appropriate remembrance would be to name the field at Arrowhead Stadium in honor or Lamar Hunt. The fact that Hunt’s literal second home at Arrowhead Stadium was arguably America’s largest residence attested to his desire to remain close to his greatest commercial love—the Kansas City Chiefs. We hope that the Chiefs, Jackson County officials, and civic leaders will appropriately dedicate the field at Arrowhead Stadium in honor of our long-time friend Lamar Hunt.