Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-19
SUCCESS IS WITHIN YOU
Fun-Loving Rich Man
Learned the Hard WAY


house called Jacks where food II
good. LURES lunches at Jacks
are events to which visiting cele.
ibreties crave invitations, anC
once you have been invited tt
'lioin his magic circle at the bis
round table on the right yor
have really arrived in San Fran
cisco.
Among Mr.. LURES lunch
guests have been former Prime
Minister Clement Atlee and ex.
President Herbert Hoover. He has
had ambassadors of 81 nations
Ordinarily he doesn't like wom-
len at the table but has made
exceptions for Helen Hayes
IHedda Hopper and Gertrude
Lawrence. OF the latter he re-
marks reminiscently. Il adorec
that Gertie."
Mr.. Lurie and his pals, gath
ering at Jacks for an hour anc
As minutes of freedom from
care, will do most anything fol
/ a laugh. often the harder a Joke
is to take the better Mr.. Lurie
likes it. And he can take many
a tough one on himself.
Once, he ribbed one of his
tenants at 1893 Montgomery
street, attorney Jake Enrich
about the rents being due, anc
a few hours later two armorec
cars pulled up at the building
and guards rode the elevator to
Mr.. Lurie's top-fioor Offices
bringing with them on a dolly
a 559-pound sack containing
nothing but pennies. AS per in
istructions, they wheeled it into
Mr., LURES Office. dumped the
contents ON the rug, and an
nounced, Here's Mr.. Ehrlich's
rent"
Changed His Life
The remarkable thing about
lMr. LURES laughter is that ii
was not always there. He used
to be quite a serious, plodding
hard-driven man. But in 1898,
when he reached the age of so.
an attack of coronary throm-
bosis brought home to him the
lesson that he was making a
good living but not good life.
That heart attack. as with so
many other individuals, was the
turning point of his life.
So after his 50th year, Louis
r. Lurie changed from a IL to
16 hour a day dynamo to a
relaxed man who takes an hour
and As minutes for lunch and q
nap every afternoon after 5
and lubricates his business day
continuously with gags and
laughter.
He once remarked, 1T is
though my eyes have been
opened after being emotionally
blind all my life. / could see the
Joy in the world, which some
how I had been too busy to
notice before. l have had more
fun in the years since that
heart attack than in all of the
so previous years of my life
combined"
Mr.. LURES Office, 20 stories uI
atop. 1888 Montgomery street. il
handsomely paneled in black
walnut; it has gold brocadt
drapes with golden tassels. we'll.
worn leather chairs. black wal
nut cabinets and in characteris-
Itically dominant position a huge
sofa. On the large table where
he transacts his business there
are small signs beneath the glass
top. One reads, "the man with
$40 million is probably no hap
pier than the man with So
million"
This sums up the mellow
philosophy of millionaire. Louis
r. Lurie still likes to make
money. But to him money
making is an exciting game, like
making a low score at golf might
be to some one else. He gives
away a formidable amount OF
money. is director Of the Damon
Runyon Cancer Fund, president
of the A. p. Giannini Scholar
ship Foundation, a heavy sup-
porter Of the United Nations APP
peal for Children, the Column
bia Park Boys Club and the
Mount Zion Hospital.
In addition he has created the
Louis r. Lurie Foundation. a
private philanthropy dedicated
as ne said. ITO all good causes
and he keeps Its hoppers full.
On September 8. l949, Mr.
LURES San Francisco cronies
gave him a testimonial lunch
con, its dual purpose to honor
their fun-loving pal and to raise
SIS. 900 for milk for needy school
children. Collector Of Internal
Revenue James Smyth, who wal
chairman Of the meeting. said in
introducing Lurie. Here's an
other million dollars worth OF
tangible assets for Louisa mil
lion dollars worth Of friends"
When Lurie got UP 10 speak he
looked out at the faces OF his
friends and said. Il came ia
make a tremendous speech. But
i've forgotten 1t. Thank you
thank you--thank YOU" And
he sat down. moist eyed.
Howard Whitman tells how 10
be rich with or without money
in Success Is Within You" 4