Distilled : a memoir of family, seagram, baseball, and philanthropy

Title:

Distilled : a memoir of family, seagram, baseball, and philanthropy

Author:

Bronfman, Charles, 1931-

ISBN:

9781443448475

Publication Information:

Toronto, ON : HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 2016

Physical Description:

xx, 348 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : ill. ; 24 cm

Summary:

"While much has been written about his father, Sam, a titan of industry, there is no public record of Charles Bronfman's thoughts on his own life, family, career and his significant accomplishments in sport and philanthropy. Distilled does just that, chronicling key events in the life of the heir to one of Canada's great fortunes. Born in 1931 to the fabulously wealthy Bronfmans, Charles grew up in a 20-room mansion with many staff. Via their control of the distilling giant Seagram, the Bronfman family dominated the liquor business with brands such as Crown Royal, V.O. and Chivas Regal. By the 1980s, Seagram was also the biggest shareholder of DuPont and by the 1990s, the family's wealth was in the billions, culminating in the $35-billion sale of Seagram to France's Vivendi, which turned into a financial and family disaster. In Distilled, Charles reflects on all of it--his relationship with his parents, his brother Edgar, working in the family business, landing Canada's first big league baseball franchise (the Montreal Expos), leading a philanthropic life by promoting Canadian identity through Heritage Minutes and supporting Israel through countless innovative initiatives including the globally respected Birthright Israel--and to how the Bronfman family splintered over the sale of Seagram."--Amazon.com.

Contents:

Basket case kid -- Overwhelming family -- Young man in business -- Bringing Major League Baseball to Canada -- DuPont: selling the insurance policy -- Selling Seagram: losing the farm -- Philanthropy: finding my métier -- Heritage Minutes: I didn't know that! -- Israel: hope over upset -- The magic of Birthright Israel -- Family: love, loss, regret, and pride -- Reflections of a contented man.

Subject:

Bronfman, Charles, 1931-

Bronfman family.

Seagram Company -- History.

Jewish philanthropists -- Canada -- History.

Baseball -- Canada -- History.

Biography

Available:*

Library	Collection	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Cobourg Branch	Searching... Unknown	Adult Biography	338.76635 Bro	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Finalist for the National Business Book Award

While much has been written about his father, Sam, a titan of industry, there is no public record of Charles Bronfman's thoughts on his own life, family, career and his significant accomplishments in sport and philanthropy.

Distilled does just that, chronicling key events in the life of the heir to one of Canada's great fortunes. Born in 1931 to the fabulously wealthy Bronfmans, Charles grew up in a 20-room mansion with many staff. Via their control of the distilling giant Seagram, the Bronfman family dominated the liquor business with brands such as Crown Royal, V.O. and Chivas Regal. By the 1980s, Seagram was also the biggest shareholder of DuPont and by the 1990s, the family's wealth was in the billions, culminating in the $35-billion sale of Seagram to France's Vivendi, which turned into a financial and family disaster. In Distilled, Charles reflects on all of it--his relationship with his parents, his brother Edgar, working in the family business, landing Canada's first big league baseball franchise (the Montreal Expos), leading a philanthropic life by promoting Canadian identity through Heritage Minutes and supporting Israel through countless innovative initiatives including the globally respected Birthright Israel--and to how the Bronfman family splintered over the sale of Seagram.