Word: kirks
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...after word of his death reached the States. His exploits attracted the attention of the famed historian and future Harvard president Jared Sparks, Class of 1815. Sparks published a comprehensive biography of Ledyard in 1828, the first edition of which now lies in Widener. Almost two centuries before Captains Kirk and Picard, Ledyard had set the standard for world travelers. He had dared to boldly go where no man had gone before...
Without being in Kirk Kerkorian's mind, it's hard to say why a secretive 87-year-old Beverly Hills billionaire would suddenly buy shares in an industrial dinosaur like General Motors. So let's say this: The man doesn't like sitting in the backseat, not in his personal life, certainly not as a businessman. Most mornings he drives himself to work in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, arriving at the office by 10:30. He can afford a chauffeur, of course, since he's worth an estimated $9 billion, a fortune built over a half-century of buying...
...said, 'They have a lot of problems,'" recalls Mason. GM stock has been a dud, and despite popping 18% after Tracinda announced its stake, the company received a major blow last week when Standard & Poor's downgraded GM's credit rating to junk (along with Ford's). "Kirk thinks it's a strong company, with strong cash flow and strong assets," says his lawyer Terry Christensen. "He thinks the management can solve GM's problems...
Whatever Kerkorian's motives, associates say his intentions are clear. "Kirk tends to be a long-term investor, and don't let the fact that he's 87 fool you," says friend Mason, suggesting that Kerkorian will wait patiently for a GM turnaround. Says Ralph Whitworth, a financier who worked with Kerkorian in the '90s: "He's not a control freak. He just likes to get good returns...
...sold MGM/UA to Ted Turner in '86, bought back most of it a few months later, unloaded it to an Italian financier in '90 and bought it again in '96. Whoever got stiffed along the way (and he's been criticized for gutting the studio), it wasn't Captain Kirk; he earned $500 million just buying MGM from Turner. "He's got ice water in his veins," says a rival. "For him, it's always about the deal, not the business...