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www.HartfordBusiness.com November 26, 2012 • Hartford Business Journal 65 Celebrating 20 Years of Business News Actor Paul Newman's vision for the Newman's Own brand was explained simply in the business' motto: "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good. MeMoriuM In chArles KAmAn 1920 to 2011 Charles Kaman, who died at the age of 91, was a man who made his mark in not one but three disparate fields: aviation, guitars and guide dogs for the blind. Kaman founded the Kaman Aircraft Corp. in 1945 and led the com- pany as CEO for 55 years. He started the company with $2,000 invest- ed from friends to demonstrate a rotor concept to make helicopters easier to fly. Today, the Kaman Corp. is a multi-billion-dollar company involved in producing aerospace components, including fuzes for Air Force bombs, and oilfield equipment and services. In 1997, Charles Kaman received the nation's premier aviation award — the National Aeronautic Association's Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy — joining other recipients such as Charles Lind- bergh, Neil Armstrong and Igor Sikorsky. According to his obituary in the Wall Street Journal, "His innova- tions in propeller designs helped him to create round-backed Ova- tion guitars, among the most popular instruments made in the U.S." That same obit pointed out an interesting but little known fact about Kaman. He was so talented with the guitar that he once played with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. The same obituary also noted the inspiration for Fidelco. "In his spare time, Mr. Kaman and his wife bred German Shepherds, con- centrating on eliminating hip dysplasia. On land adjacent to his company's Bloomfield … campus, he created the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. Fidelco specializes in guide dogs for the blind, and says it places about 75 dogs annually with the disabled." rIchArd l mAhoney 1936 to 2011 Those who enjoy the vibrant retail/restaurant experience that is West Hartford Center today may not recall that about 30 years ago it was a less-than-stellar location with an Army/Navy store in a prime location and nondescript restaurants known more for their happy hours than their cuisine. Richard Mahoney was the man who turned that all around. As noted in a Hartford Courant story on his life, "There's no formal com- petition, but unofficially, Richard Mahoney was Mr. West Hartford Center." Mahoney, the owner of RLM Co., a commercial real estate management firm he took over from his father, pushed through many of the changes to the Center and worked to create a vibrant West Hartford Center Business Association. As the Courant story pointed out, "[West Hartford Center] was a useful place to shop, but not exciting. As recently as 1991, Mahoney was fond of saying: You could shoot a rifle down Farmington Avenue on Friday night and not hit anything.'" One of the biggest secrets to Mahoney's success with the Center was patience. He would let a storefront remain vacant instead of filling it with just any tenant. He was also a supporter of Blue Back Square, the adjoining mix of retail, residential and office space that some thought would threaten West Hartford Center. John murthA 1913 to 2011 John Murtha was a founding member in 1938 of one of Greater Hartford's largest law firms now known as Murtha Cullina. He became one of its leaders in 1967 when it became known as Murtha, Cullina, Richter and Pinney. After serving in the Pacific during World War II, Murtha returned to the United States in 1946 and served as assistant states attorney for Hartford County until 1951. An "Extraordinary Life" profile of Murtha in the Hartford Cou- rant recalled that, "Murtha practiced corporate and labor law, representing management. Some of Hartford's most important businessmen were friends and clients, including Charles Kaman, Malcolm Baldrige and Clayton Gengras. Murtha served on the boards of several area companies, among them United Bank and Trust, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut, Security Insur- ance Co. and Kaman Corp." Murtha's career encompassed many community and civic activi- ties including the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation and Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford. He was a Director of Kaman Corporation and Cor- porator at Hartford Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the Institute of Living. Murtha was president of the Hartford Golf Club, the Yale Club of Hartford, and president and general campaign chairman for United Way of Greater Hartford. He was also a past director of the American Red Cross Greater Hartford Chapter, and Hartford Hospital. He was also former chairman of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and was a trustee of Loomis-Chaffee School and Saint Joseph College. pAul newmAn 1925 to 2008 Paul Newman was certainly one of Connecticut's best known busi- nessmen what with those movies and all. But, later in life, he became as well known for his philanthropic business he created called "New- man's Own." Its motto was, "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good," was the actor's vision for Newman's Own. Newman's Own is a thriving company with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. All profits are donated to charity through Newman's Own Foundation. (More than $330 million has been given away since 1982.) According to the company's website, Newman "occasionally referred to Newman's Own as the "joke that got out of control" and would express astonishment at its success." The company was started with a homemade salad dressing Newman and a friend prepared and gave as gifts. It was so well received that Newman commercialized it for sale and devoted 100 percent of its post-tax profits to charity. mIchAel "mIKe" peters 1950 to 2009 Mike Peters, known simply as Mayor Mike, was a successful Hartford firefighter, politician, restaurateur and, most prominently, Hartford's top cheerleader who passed away on Jan. 4, 2009 from complications from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure. Governing Magazine selected Peters as one of its 1996 Public Officials of the Year. It said at the time, "Part fixer, part showman and part civic conscience, Peters was elected in 1993 at a time when it appeared Hartford was destined to lose itself in the civic chaos and community indifference that are the hallmarks of cities going down the tubes. He is a genuinely funny man, with a homespun, up- from-the-streets charm and dynamism that have given him the ear of everyone from the city's black leadership and neighborhood groups to insurance conglomerate CEOs and suburban bluebloods." It was Peters' ability to talk to everybody from shoeshine to CEO that helped see the city through some dark recessionary times. "Mayor Mike governed with a big heart and an engaging personal- ity,'' U.S. Rep. John Larson said when Peters passed away. "He was able to disarm his critics with humor and his positively pro-Hartford, can-do attitude. Former Hartford Mayor Mike Peters, his wife Jeannette and sons Chris (left rear) and David (right rear) make a grand entrance at Peters' third inaugural ball held Dec. 6, 1997, at the Trinity College Field House.