A Friend to Many
Herb Kohler’s friends included those in the community and many others he came to know over the years. Some were movie stars, musicians, presidents and pro golfers. Others were customers, captains of industry, artists, horse-lovers and innovators. And, then, there were the members of his beloved “Gnarly Balls” golf gang. Herb just loved interacting with people…period.
Meaningful Friendships, Lasting Memories
A Special Bond
Herb was surrounded by a network of close friends, including icons such as golf course designers Pete and Alice Dye, business executive and civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, former Green Bay Packer Jerry Kramer, and CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz. One special friendship was formed with President George Herbert Walker Bush. Both men were “Yalemen” and met while golfing at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Over the years, Herb and President Bush played golf and fished together, and enjoyed each other’s company. President Bush attended Kohler’s first golf Major, the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run – as well as the grand opening of Whistling Straits on the same day.
In a 2012 interview with David Schefter, Herb recalled a time when he asked President Bush to be on Kohler’s Board of Directors: He said, Herb, I need 30 days to give you an answer. He called me back on the 30th day and said, Herb, I regret to tell you that I am going to have to decline and have made a decision to run for president. Mr. Bush, I have heard a lot of excuses in my day, but that’s the [biggest] one I have heard. But he ran for president and [and won].
A Special Bond
Herb was surrounded by a network of close friends, including icons such as golf course designers Pete and Alice Dye, business executive and civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, former Green Bay Packer Jerry Kramer, and CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz. One special friendship was formed with President George Herbert Walker Bush. Both men were “Yalemen” and met while golfing at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Over the years, Herb and President Bush played golf and fished together, and enjoyed each other’s company. President Bush attended Kohler’s first golf Major, the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run – as well as the grand opening of Whistling Straits on the same day.
In a 2012 interview with David Schefter, Herb recalled a time when he asked President Bush to be on Kohler’s Board of Directors: He said, Herb, I need 30 days to give you an answer. He called me back on the 30th day and said, Herb, I regret to tell you that I am going to have to decline and have made a decision to run for president. Mr. Bush, I have heard a lot of excuses in my day, but that’s the [biggest] one I have heard. But he ran for president and [and won].
First and foremost, we are golf die-hards…We like the idea of constantly testing ourselves on the golf course.”
– HVK & The Gnarly Ball Gang
Arts & Preservation
Like his parents Herbert V. Kohler Sr. and Ruth DeYoung Kohler, Herb had a deep appreciate for art, stating: Art energizes public spaces, emboldens thinking and enriches communities. Art is indispensable to who we are as people, our quality of life, and out success in business, and has guided our company for generations. His passion for the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, support for the Kennedy Center, Trust for Arts/Education, and the inspirational Arts & Industry program he developed with his sister, Ruth.
And preservation was also a personal passion of Herb’s as it combined his love of history with his ambition to use the past to influence and add authenticity to the future. Whether it was the Wade House historical site, Old World Wisconsin, historic hotels around the world, or the company’s archives, Herb was committed to bringing the past forward for many to learn and enjoy.
Arts & Preservation
Herb had a deep appreciate for art, stating: Art energizes public spaces, emboldens thinking and enriches communities. Art is indispensable to who we are as people, our quality of life, and out success in business, and has guided our company for generations. His passion for the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, support for the Kennedy Center, Trust for Arts/Education, and the inspirational Arts & Industry program he developed with his sister, Ruth.
And preservation was also a personal passion of Herb’s as it combined his love of history with his ambition to use the past to influence and add authenticity to the future. Whether it was the Wade House historical site, Old World Wisconsin, historic hotels around the world, or the company’s archives, Herb was committed to bringing the past forward for many to learn and enjoy.
Environment & Outdoor Education
The power of nature and the lure of the outdoors was often at the center of Herb’s hobbies and his business interests. Not only did he appreciate the wonders of nature worldwide but felt strongly they could frame opportunities to learn and develop at any age. From the preservation of hundreds of acres called River Wildlife and ongoing support of the Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Clean Water, to the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, Herb said, that his passion for nature and wildness that has grown throughout my life and that today influences virtually everything I do as a businessman and member of the community.
Outward Bound was especially meaningful for him as it enhanced his self-confidence and a determined mindset to achieve remarkable things “far beyond what I thought I could do.” In fact, a life of service, commitment and profound impact earned Herb and Laura the Kurt Hahn Award in 2020, Outward Bound’s highest honor named after its founder.
Environment & Outdoor Education
The power of nature and the lure of the outdoors was often at the center of Herb’s hobbies and his business interests. Not only did he appreciate the wonders of nature worldwide but felt strongly they could frame opportunities to learn and develop at any age. From the preservation of hundreds of acres called River Wildlife and ongoing support of the Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Clean Water, to the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, Herb said, that his passion for nature and wildness that has grown throughout my life and that today influences virtually everything I do as a businessman and member of the community.
Outward Bound was especially meaningful for him as it enhanced his self-confidence and a determined mindset to achieve remarkable things “far beyond what I thought I could do.” In fact, a life of service, commitment and profound impact earned Herb and Laura the Kurt Hahn Award in 2020, Outward Bound’s highest honor named after its founder.
A Love of Horses
The Kohler Stables date back to 1924, but it was Herb who revived the stables years later bringing them into current preeminence in the field of Morgan horses.
He acquired his first Morgan horse in 1969, a champion stallion named Vigilmarch. Eighteen years later, Herb purchased his second Morgan stallion, Noble Flaire – who became a multiple World Grand Champion Stallion, and World Champion in Park Harness. Noble Flaire was named Morgan Horse of the Decade in 1980 by Horse World Magazine and was inducted into the Show Horse Hall of Fame in 2016.
Herb, who was inducted into the Morgan Horse Hall of Fame in 1995, said Noble Flaire was a charismatic “showman” with a playful heart and a relentless appetite for attention, carrying himself with elegance and panache. Kohler’s Morgan horse breeding program remains a thriving entity to this day, thanks to Herb’s commitment to excellence and the legendary blood lines of stallions Vigilmarch and Noble Flaire.
A Love of Horses
The Kohler Stables date back to 1924, but it was Herb who revived the stables years later bringing them into current preeminence in the field of Morgan horses.
He acquired his first Morgan horse in 1969, a champion stallion named Vigilmarch. Eighteen years later, Herb purchased his second Morgan stallion, Noble Flaire – who became a multiple World Grand Champion Stallion, and World Champion in Park Harness. Noble Flaire was named Morgan Horse of the Decade in 1980 by Horse World Magazine and was inducted into the Show Horse Hall of Fame in 2016.
Herb, who was inducted into the Morgan Horse Hall of Fame in 1995, said Noble Flaire was a charismatic “showman” with a playful heart and a relentless appetite for attention, carrying himself with elegance and panache. Kohler’s Morgan horse breeding program remains a thriving entity to this day, thanks to Herb’s commitment to excellence and the legendary blood lines of stallions Vigilmarch and Noble Flaire.