Candid ‘conversation’ raises $1.3 million for MD Anderson
Rich Kinder gives a good interview — a revelation which shocked no one more than Rich Kinder.
The “famously shy” executive chairman of Kinder Morgan Inc. was visibly nervous as he joined NBC News correspondent and fellow University of Missouri alum Janet Shamlian onstage for MD Anderson Cancer Center’s “A Conversation With a Living Legend” recently.
When asked why he agreed to the rare speaking engagement downtown at the Hilton Americas, Kinder paused before admitting, “I owed (Texans owner) Bob (McNair) a favor, so I’m going to pay him back later.”
With the ice officially broken, he and Shamlian breezed candidly through a number of topics.
On Buffalo Bayou Park: “I knew that it would flood, but did not anticipate the silt.”
On creating the Kinder Foundation with wife Nancy in 1997: “I just float in and out as ordered.”
On the couple’s penchant for transformational gifts: “We invest in projects that wouldn’t otherwise succeed without our help.”
On being asked to give away most of his wealth by Giving Pledge founder Warren Buffett: “He asked Nancy and I out to dinner in Dallas to make the pitch — I was kind of insulted (by the location).”
On bureaucracy: “It’s kind of like getting slime on your boots.”
On his biggest mistake: “My response would have to be, ‘What day?’ ”
Kinder, who is currently ranked No. 194 on Forbes’ annual billionaires list and accepts a $1 salary, delivered zippy one-liner after another until Shamlian asked how MD Anderson has impacted his life.
“My brother was diagnosed with lymphoma eight or nine years ago,” he began, overcome with emotion. The audience applauded as Kinder choked back tears. “He came down here, and they cured him.”
The mix of humor and candor struck a chord with cancer research supporters, too.
Together, co-chairs Denise Monteleone and Ellie and Michael Francisco raised a recordbreaking $1.3 million. It was a particularly significant milestone for the Francisco family.
“Tonight, I celebrate almost to the day, the 10th anniversary of my first cancer treatment,” Michael shared from the podium.
As MD Anderson president ad interim Dr. Marshall Hicks expressed, “Our primary goal has been to take care of our patients and take care of each other.”
That night, the cancer center achieved both.