Lewis Katz

Lewis Katz (January 11, 1942 – May 31, 2014) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and newspaper publisher, who was a co-owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Katz was born to a Jewish family in Camden, New Jersey, on January 11, 1942, and grew up in the Parkside section of the city, now one of New Jersey’s most crime-ridden. He was raised along with his sister, Sandra Katz (Wolff) by their mother, a secretary at RCA, after their father died when they were very young.

He became a lawyer and businessman, making millions in parking lots, billboards and sports. Katz was a former owner of Kinney Parking Systems, at the time the largest parking company in New York City, and the former chairman of Interstate Outdoor Advertising, one of the largest regional outdoor-advertising firms in the country. He was the majority owner of five radio stations in Atlantic and Cape May counties at the Jersey Shore, and a founding partner of the law firm Katz, Ettin & Levine in Cherry Hill.

Sports ownership

Katz invested in the two New Jersey sports teams back in 2000. He was part of the YankeeNets/Puck Holdings group along with Ray Chambers. The group purchased the Devils from their original owner Dr. John McMullen.

Katz's ownership involvement of both teams ended in 2003 when the YankeeNets group disintegrated with the Devils being sold to Jeffrey Vanderbeek and the Nets sold to Bruce Ratner. The Devils have since been sold again while the Nets were also sold and moved to Brooklyn.

Philanthropy

A noted philanthropist, he was the director of the Katz Foundation, which supports charitable, educational and medical causes. To support pioneering medical research, Katz established an annual prize and endowed a visiting professorship in cardiovascular research at Columbia University, where he served on the Board of Visitors of the medical school. His $15 million gift to The Dickinson Schools of Law of The Pennsylvania State University helped fund the extensive renovation of historic Trickett Hall at Dickinson Law in Carlisle, PA, and fund the development of a law school building for Penn State Law in University Park, PA, both of which bear his name. As a native of Camden, New Jersey, Katz established several programs to help Camden children. Katz also donated to Jewish organizations, focused on young Jewish entrepreneurs. Katz was a prominent donor to the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, New Jersey, and the National Museum of American Jewish History.

In 1966, Katz married Marjorie Nemarow; they had a son, Drew Katz, and a daughter, Melissa Katz. His wife died in 2013.

On May 31, 2014, Katz and 6 others died when their private plane crashed at Hanscom Field and erupted into fire. An FAA spokesperson said that a Gulfstream IV corporate jet apparently ran off Runway 11 at the base at around 9:40 p.m. The aircraft was departing to Atlantic City, New Jersey when it failed to take off because the gust lock was left engaged.