MILWAUKEE — Former U.S. Senator and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks Herb Kohl was remembered Friday for his love of both the city he grew up in and the state of Wisconsin at a memorial service attended by leaders from the sports, political and business worlds.
Kohl, 88, died on December 27 after a short illness.
Speakers including David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama’s strategist, joked that the spotlight-shunning Kohl ordered a snowstorm to dampen attendance at his own memorial at the Fiserv Forum, where the Bucks play.
“I’m not here to mourn Herb,” Axelrod said. “I am here to celebrate this extraordinary life and to say how grateful I am that he was a part of my life.”
Former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig spoke about his lifelong friendship with Kohl. The two met as six-year-olds in grade school in Milwaukee and met weekly for lunch until his death. Selig spoke of Kohl’s commitment to Milwaukee, best known for his purchase of the Bucks franchise in 1985 to keep it from leaving the city.
“His only goal was to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee and he willingly sacrificed himself to do that,” Selig said.
Kohl sold the Bucks in 2014 and contributed $100 million to the construction of the Fiserv Forum. In 2018, the Bucks won their first NBA title since 1971.
Kohl’s cousin, Dan Kohl, said his uncle had a talent for remembering not only the names of Kohl’s employees, but also their spouses and children. During his 24 years as a senator, Kohl never boasted about his achievements, Dan Kohl said.
Kohl’s greatest legacy will be the grants he gave to teachers and children across the state, which were just a few of his numerous philanthropic efforts, Dan Kohl said.
Kohl never married or had children, but Dan Kohl said dozens of family members from across the country as well as Canada and Israel came to Milwaukee for the memorial.
Other attendees included U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Representative Gwen Moore, Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Dallet, State Representative Greta Neubauer, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Kohl served in the Senate from 1988 to 2012 and was succeeded by Baldwin.