"My wife Beth and I just returned from Washington, D.C., where we visited the Kennedy Center.  The names of the Center's top donors are etched in the stone wall of the building's lobby.  There we noticed--at or near the top--the names, "Noemi and Michael Neidorff." Truly, their generosity had no bounds, either in St. Louis or throughout the U.S. I did not run into Mr. Neidorff on a regular basis but I did have the honor of emceeing a dinner where his son Peter received an award.  I was at the podium and could see very clearly the Neidorff family at the front table.  I am not sure I ever saw Mr. Neidorff so relaxed and pleased as he was that night.   This was an evening to pay tribute to Peter, not Michael, but I could see in Michael's eyes and smile that this was a very special evening for him and he was so happy to be there. 

I remember when I ran into Michael at an awards event and I told him that I would be leaving the next day to chaperone an overnight school trip to Chicago.  He told me that he had done that years ago and was in fact in charge of making sure the kids were in their rooms at the appointed hour.  Imagine that!  It seemed almost unbelievable that a man of his stature would chaperone a school outing!  But that was Michael Neidorff: a Fortune 24 CEO and a down-to-earth family man.  What more is there to say?  Not a bad legacy...and example for the rest of us."