Ninety-Six And Too Busy To Die
By Merri Rosenberg
Here’s something that might very
well inspire those students who are currently enrolled in alternative
high schools or similar programs.
Mortimer Levitt, the founder of the now-defunct
Custom Shops Shirtmakers, is perhaps one of the most successful
businessmen to actually flunk out of high school. In this entertaining
and diverting—if sometimes confusing and name-dropping
narrative—Levitt reveals the secrets of his success:
an attitude that wouldn’t accept failure, a can-do
spirit that propelled him to experiment and be comfortable
going against the prevailing wisdom, and a determination
to embrace as many of life’s experiences as possible.
While he relished the challenges of establishing
his own business, and enjoyed the benefits of making money,
Levitt wasn’t
about to have money determine how he led his life. Sure,
he had fun opening an art gallery, meeting artists and being
part of a “glamorous” world, but he wanted to
be sure that he also had ample opportunity to travel, ski,
play tennis and sail his beloved boat. He actually retired
from the daily responsibilities of managing his business
less than four years after he opened his first shop, at the
age of 34. In later years, he cared deeply about philanthropy
and the arts, and launched the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing
Arts more than 30 years ago in Connecticut. Other centers
opened in California and Pennsylvania.
More recently, Levitt has turned his energies
and attention to education, developing courses for Mercy College,
Bard College and a consortium of high schools in Lawrence,
Long Island.
While most people obviously don’t
have his financial resources, or his distinctive set of skills
and talents, Levitt’s
embrace of life could well inspire legions of baby boomers
who need to redefine how they’ll spend their ever-longer
post-work lives. #
Ninety-Six And Too Busy To Die
by Mortimer Levitt
(Published by Aspator Books, 2003) 199 pp.
