Howard Schultz (b. 1953)
Filed under the name Howard · March 14, 2026
I'm not much of a coffee-shop person myself — a percolator and a kitchen table have always suited me fine — but I respect what Howard Schultz built with Starbucks, turning one idea into a business you can find in nearly every town in this country now. What catches my attention more than the business itself, though, is the philanthropy toward veterans and youth programs, because my late husband Rusty was a Vietnam vet, and I know firsthand how much difference real, sustained support can make for a man who came home carrying more than he ever talked about. Building something that large takes drive, but choosing to put real money and attention behind veterans afterward takes a different kind of character, the kind that remembers who else needs looking after once you've made it. I always told my students that what you do once you've got something is the real test of who you are, more than how you got it in the first place. From what I understand, Schultz has passed that particular test more than once.