An American business legend responds (via his assistant)

Lee Iacocca

Reference Date: March 24th






One of the biggest business icons of the latter part of the Twentieth Century was Lee Iacocca, the son of Italian Immigrants who rose to the postion of CEO of the Chrysler Automotive Corporation. His folksy stle and series of commercials helped to pull the auto industry out of its economic doldrums in the 1980's. In addition to his work as CEO, Mr. Iacocca also raised millions to refurbish and restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island national monuments so that the public could fuly appreciate them. He retired in the late 1990's and is now head of his charitable foundation, which raises money for diabetes reasarch.

Since Mr. Iacocca is very busy, I got a nice response from his personal assistant. this is what she had to say:


Dear Mr. Lucas:

Your very kind letter to Mr. Iacocca was forwarded here as I am Mr. Iacocca's personal assistant. He did read your letter and requested I respond on his behalf.

Mr. Iacocca' s belief system is stated through out the two books he has written; his autobiography and Talking Straight. Additionally, Mr. lacocca is working on a third book, due for publication in the Spring of 2007.

Knowing Mr. lacocca as I do, I would say the advice your own father gave you (as stated in your letter) is the same advice he would give, adding family first to that list.

As for Mr. Iacocca's daily habits, he does the New York Times Crossword everyday in ink. I once asked him how many times he was a clue and he blushed and said "3 times." In my estimation it is the combination of Mr. Iacocca's remarkable intellect, coupled with his humility that makes him a beloved American icon.

Wishing you well,

Cordially,

Norma S.

Personal Assistant to Lee Iacocca

I sent him a thank you the next day.