My Path to Success

Mitchell D. Kapor pioneered the consumer software industry as founder of Lotus Development Corporation, and the creator of Lotus 1-2-3, the revolutionary spreadsheet and graphics application. A teenage math prodigy from Freeport, Long Island, he studied psychology, linguistics and computer science -- an unorthodox curriculum for the time -- at Yale University. Kapor had hoped that the study of computer science would serve his ongoing interest in the nature of consciousness, but he grew frustrated with the cumbersome, inaccessible mainframe computers of the day. After graduating at age 20, he worked as a disc jockey, transcendental meditation instructor and mental health counselor until his interest in computers was reawakened by the advent of the Apple II computer. Kapor and a partner started Lotus Development in 1982 to develop and license business software for the personal computer. When Lotus 1-2-3 made its debut in January 1983, it was the most powerful spreadsheet application yet designed. Kapor's business plan had called for $1 million in revenue for the first year; first-year revenues reached $53 million and a successful public offering soon followed. The second year's revenues were $165 million. Kapor served as CEO of Lotus until 1986, when he stepped aside to pursue other ventures. In 1990, he helped found the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit civil liberties organization working to protect privacy, free expression, and access to public resources and information. He was the founding Chairman of the Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit that promotes openness, innovation and participation on the Internet through the creation and distribution of open-source software. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1985 Summit in Denver, Colorado, the 35-year-old Kapor recalls his rebellious youth, his fascination with software design and the development of Lotus 1-2-3. He assures the Academy's student delegates that the secret to success is to find work you enjoy so much you can't walk away from it.

William G. McGowan (December 10, 1927 - June 8, 1992) was a famed American entrepreneur who challenged the AT&T phone monopoly - and revolutionized the telecommunications industry - as the Founder and Chairman of MCI Communications Corporation. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 1954, and began operating a consulting firm specializing in rescuing troubled companies, but quickly branched out into raising venture capital. In 1968, Bill McGowan was contacted by MCI to raise capital. He made a $50,000 investment in the fledgling business and was made chairman of Microwave Communications of America, predecessor to MCI Communications. In 1971, he reorganized the low-priced telecommunications services company to form MCI. He labored for years to gain financing and regulatory approvals required to expand his business. Following the filing of MCI's landmark 1974 anti-trust lawsuit against AT&T, he began cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice, which eventually led to the divestiture of AT&T and the opening of the long distance telephony market within the United States. His role in the break-up of AT&T paved the way for MCI's rapid growth to $9.5 billion in annual revenues by 1991 (and control of 16% of the domestic and international long distance phone market). A hard worker and a three-pack-a-day smoker, fueled by twenty cups of coffee a day, Bill McGowan suffered his first heart attack in 1986. He received a heart transplant in 1987, and returned to his work as Chairman within six months, and remained as the driving force of MCI until his death in 1992 from another heart attack. The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, created shortly after his death, provides for tuition and grants for college students. William McGowan participated in the 1985 Achievement Summit in Denver, Colorado, and spoke to the student delegates about his life as an entrepreneur.

Olaf Wieghorst (1899 - 1988) won lasting fame as master painter of the American West, but he was born in Viborg, Denmark, far from the wide open spaces he came to love. From childhood, he dreamed of becoming a cowboy in America. He worked on a horse farm and performed as a stunt rider in European circuses before shipping for the United States at age 19. He served in the U.S. cavalry, patrolling the Mexican border in the years following World War I, then worked as a ranch hand in New Mexico and Arizona, where he began sketching scenes of Western life. He served for 20 years as mounted policeman in New York City, training horses and leading the NYPD equestrian team. With no formal training, he taught himself to paint, creating luminous images of horses and the majestic scenery of the West. He was in his mid-40s when sales of his illustrations enabled him to quit the police force and paint full time. His work has been widely reproduced in books and magazine, the original paintings are prized by collectors from Hollywood's biggest stars to a number of U.S. Presidents. The largest collection of his work can be seen today at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum, located in El Cajon, California, Wieghorst's home for the last 44 years of his life. This audio podcast was recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota when Wieghorst was 85 years of age. In his address to the Academy's student delegates, he shares the story of his adventurous life and his lifelong love of horses.

The American biochemist Mildred Cohn (1913 - 2009) was a trailblazer for women in science, a tireless researcher whose investigations of enzymatic processes and chemical isotopes extended the boundaries of human knowledge. Born to immigrant parents in New York City, she graduated from Hunter College, and earned her doctorate at Columbia University, mentored by Dr. Harold C. Urey. She spent much of her career at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was Benjamin Rush Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, conducting much of her work at the Institute of Cancer Research. Among the first women elected to the National Academy of Sciences, she later became President of the American Society of Biological Chemists. Throughout her career, she found excitement in scientific work, joy in penetrating the mysteries of nature. When she was honored by the International Association for Women Biochemists in 1979, she affirmed her hope that more women would participate in this joy, and experience her own zest for science and the satisfaction derived from scientific discussions with dedicated colleagues. She was awarded the American Chemical Society's Garvan Medal, the Franklin Institute's Cresson Medal, and the 1983 National Medal of Science, the highest honor America bestows upon its scientific pioneers. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she shares her love of science with the Academy's student delegates, and recalls her own path to success, as well as the obstacles she had to overcome as a woman in a field dominated by men.

In 1957, Clayton W. "Claytie" Williams, Jr. quit his job as an insurance salesman to go into the oil business with only $2,000 in savings. From this humble beginning, he grew to be the largest individual oil producer in the State of Texas. He struggled through the 1960s before making a series of major oil discoveries. By the early 1980s his privately held corporation was bringing in over $1 billion in revenue from ventures embracing all facets of the oil and gas industry, six ranches, 300,000 acres of land, and the crown jewel of his empire: the Clay-Desta Plaza, a spectacular office/banking/shopping complex on 175 acres of prime real estate. He has been a major benefactor to his alma mater, Texas A&M University, where he was a founder of the Presidents Endowed Scholarship for Gifted Students. He was also founder and director of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. In 1990, he was the Republican candidate for Governor of Texas, losing narrowly to State Treasurer Anne Richards. Many observers pinned his loss on an ill-considered joke he had had made during the campaign, likening rape to bad weather. After this experience, he declined to run for office again, preferring to concentrate on his business and philanthropic activities. In 1993 he took his company, Clayton Williams Energy, Inc., public. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Williams discusses the foundation of his success - trusting in the talent and integrity of his employees. He encourages the Academy's student delegates to seek out good people to work with, enjoy the freedom America offers and give back to their communities.

The greatest fielding third baseman in the history of baseball, Brooks Robinson spent all 23 seasons of his major league career playing for the Baltimore Orioles. He was selected four times as his team's Most Valuable Player, played in 18 consecutive All-Star games, and received 16 consecutive Golden Glove awards as the best third baseman in the American League. Since his retirement in 1977, he has provided color commentary for the Orioles' television broadcasts and served as President of the Major League Baseball Players' Alumni Association. In 1983, his first year of eligibility, Brooks Robinson was officially elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in a landslide, receiving 92 percent of the votes cast. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Brooks Robinson recalls his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player and the years he spent practicing and perfecting his skills until it became a reality. He shares some advice he received from a mentor about the power of the three Ps: practice, perseverance, and prayer.

Entrepreneur extraordinaire Deacon Chiu is the Founder and Chairman of Far East Holdings, a transnational business colossus that straddles the oceans. He first arrived in British-controlled Hong Kong in 1950, fleeing the communist revolution in China. He sold his wife's jewelry to finance his first business, selling slide advertisements to movie theaters. He saved to buy a theater of his own, a deficit-ridden second-run house, and built the leading cinema chain in the territory. In 1958, he founded the Far East Bank to serve small farmers in the New Territories of Hong Kong, and began his expansion into Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In the early 1970s, he took his ventures public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as Far East Consortium International Limited, and Far East Holdings International Limited. He built amusement parks in Hong Kong, Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, and bought Marineland in Southern California. He acquired hotels in New York and Paris and built a chain of hotels and luxury apartment buildings across Malaysia and mainland China. In this podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Deacon Chiu recalls his impoverished childhood in Shanghai, and his determined rise to wealth and success. He advises the Academy's student delegates to read all they can, value their time and apply their creativity to whatever they undertake.

The distinguished attorney, educator and diplomat Max Kampelman was born in New York City, and earned his undergraduate degree at New York University in 1940. A conscientious objector in World War II, he volunteered for a starvation experiment at the University of Minnesota. Following this experience, he renounced pacifism and returned to New York University to earn his law degree. He first came to Washington as a young attorney on the staff of Minnesota's newly elected Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. He later served as Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and was a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Kampelman. As Ambassador and Chairman of the U.S. Delegation at the European Security talks in Madrid, he conducted President Ronald Reagan's first successful negotiations with the Soviet Union, winning acclaim as "the epitome of the citizen-diplomat." In 1999, President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following his service in the Reagan administration he returned to the firm of Fried Frank. In more recent years, he urged a diverse group of elder statesmen -- George P. Shultz, Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, and William Perry -- sign a groundbreaking opinion piece, "A World Free of Nuclear Weapons," published by the Wall Street Journal in January 2007. In 2008, Kampelman was presented with the Democracy Service Medal of the National Endowment for Democracy, at a ceremony held at the U.S. State Department, in recognition of his lifetime achievement in advancing the principles of freedom, human rights, and democracy. In this podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he recalls his relationships with Hubert Humphrey and Ronald Reagan and discusses the role he played in security negotiations with the Soviet Union.

From over 30 years, beginning in the 1960s, Karl Eller was the dominant figure in the outdoor advertising industry. In less than ten years, he built a small billboard company into Combined Communications Corporation, one of the largest mass media enterprises in the nation, with seven television stations, 12 radio stations and two daily newspapers, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Oakland Tribune. In 1979 he sold Combined Communication to Gannett, becoming he largest individual shareholder in that communications giant. In the 1980s he ventured into the motion picture industry, serving as President of Columbia Pictures Corporation. In 1983 he acquired the Circle K chain of stores, merging it with a smaller chain of convenience stores to form the largest publicly held company in the grocery convenience sector, with 4,641 stores in 32 states and an additional 1,386 licensed or joint venture stores in 13 foreign countries. During his tenure as CEO of Circle K (1983-1990) the company grew from annual sales of $747 million to $3.4 billion. Eller returned to the outdoor advertising industry in 1995 by acquiring the 100-year-old Patrick Media, which he renamed Eller Media Company. In 1997, Eller media merged with Clear Channel Communications. Karl Eller continued as Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor until his retirement in 2002. The Eller College of Management at his alma mater, the University of Arizona, is named in his honor. Karl Eller addressed the Academy of Achievement in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1984, shortly after his acquisition of Circle K. In this audio podcast, recorded on that occasion, he shares some of his core beliefs with the student delegates. He extols the free enterprise system, accepting failure and learning from your mistakes. He recalls how his high school football coach taught him the self-confidence he needed to take big risks in his business career.

The entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas S. Monaghan achieved enormous success as the Founder, Chairman and President of the Domino's Pizza chain, but he did not have an easy start in life. His father died when he was only four. His mother was unable to care for him alone, and Tom Monaghan spent ages six to 12 in a Catholic orphanage in Jackson, Michigan. Monaghan has credited the nuns of the orphanage for instilling in him the powerful faith that has animated his life and philanthropy. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Monaghan was a student at the University of Michigan when he borrowed $500 to buy a small pizzeria in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Soon, he expanded the business to more locations, focusing his attention on delivery to college campuses. He invented a new, insulated pizza box that kept the pizzas warmer longer, and could be stacked without crushing the pizzas inside, allowing more deliveries per trip. By the 1980s, Domino's was the world's largest pizza delivery company and the second largest pizza chain in the country, with three new franchises opening almost every day. The success of Domino's enabled Thomas Monaghan to fulfill a childhood dream; he bought the Detroit Tigers baseball team in 1983, and saw them win the World Series the following season. At first, Monaghan used his riches to support a lavish lifestyle, but in the 1990s he began to divest himself of his personal possessions and devote more of his resources to Catholic charities, education and pro-life activism. Monaghan sold the Detroit Tigers in 1992, and in 1998, sold his controlling interest in Domino's Pizza to Boston-based Bain Capital, for a reported $1 billion. Monaghan founded the Ave Maria Foundation to fund Catholic education throughout the Americas; its projects include the Ave Maria Law School in Florida, and the Spiritus Sanctus Academies for elementary education in Central and South America. Among many other projects, he has paid for the building of a new cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua, to replace the old church, destroyed in an earthquake. Tom Monaghan addressed the Academy of Achievement at its 1984 Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, shortly after his acquisition of the Detroit Tigers. In this audio podcast, Monaghan reflects on his experience building Domino's Pizza, and how he succeeded in business by making every possible mistake, and learning from his mistakes.