Washington Post Profiles David Rubenstein '73

From the Post:

Long before David M. Rubenstein became a billionaire, before he began donating millions to the National Zoo and millions more to help repair the Washington Monument, he was just a kid looking for a way out of his blue-collar neighborhood in Baltimore.

“I realized that if you’re going to get somewhere in life, you’ve got to be able to communicate what you want,” said Rubenstein, 62. “So I tried very hard to learn how to be a speaker, how to write and talk intelligently, and also read a lot to learn as much about the world as possible.”

Rubenstein went on to co-found the Carlyle Group, a global asset-management firm based in Washington. Since then, far more attention has been paid to how much money he makes and how much he gives away than on how he developed the drive and talent to succeed.
So, as the nation’s political leaders wrangle over ways to create more economic opportunity, here’s how one man went about creating his own. Education is the key. For even if the country does become a place where “everybody gets a fair shot,” as President Obama likes to say, it won’t amount to much if you don’t know how to shoot.

Read the rest of the profile here.