A Family Matter
Bacardi 96L learns more than the rum business from his ancestors by Maria M. Lameiras
hen he thinks about it, Facundo Bacardi 96l can trace to his childhood the lessons he learned about caring for the community. “I really think that is where you capture a lifelong interest in helping others, by teaching children early,” says Bacardi, chair of Bacardi Limited, which was founded by his great-great grandfather, Facundo Bacardí Massó, in Cuba in 1862. The third-largest distilled spirits company in the world, Bacardi Limited owns and distributes brands including Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Dewar’s scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin and Martini & Rossi vermouth. “My father taught my brother, sister and me at an early age that if you are successful at what you do and your family is fortunate, it feels good to share that with others,” he says. At Emory Law, “My father taught my Bacardi found a culture brother, sister and me at and atmosphere that an early age that if you were an ideal fit for the are successful at what philosophy of commuyou do and your family is nity service and philanfortunate, it feels good to thropy that has been a strong current in his share that with others.” family from its earliest — Facundo Bacardi 96L ancestry. By his final year at Emory Law, he wanted to make a gift that would help current and future law students share the positive experiences he had. Bacardi admits that — as the head of a family business built on rum — Emory’s connection to Coca-Cola through the Woodruff Foundation appealed to him. “After they renamed Goizueta Business School, I had a running joke with Dean Woody Hunter, who would say to me, ‘See that school over there? We need a splash of rum to go with the Coca-Cola,’” Bacardi says. In his third year of law school, Bacardi gave $200,000 to name Bacardi Plaza, which serves as a meeting place for students to study and relax and a venue for law school social events. His initial gift also helped with the construction of the Hugh F. MacMillan Law Library. Recently, Bacardi pledged $1.5 million to Emory Law for scholarships and the dean’s discretionary fund in honor of his two favorite professors: Nathaniel Gozansky and
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the late David Bederman. In 2010, he provided a $150,000 lead gift to endow a scholarship in honor of Gozansky. “You take a little bit away from everyone you meet. There were a lot of professors who I learned so much from,” he says. “Dean Gozansky and Professor Bederman were great, and there were many other outstanding professors — Andrew Cole, Gary Smith — who I learned so much from. I know I am not finished recognizing that.” His recent gifts to scholarships fulfilled his desire to help students who want the quality and experience of an Emory Law education but are unable to attend without financial aid. “I am fortunate that I was able to come to Emory Law and not have the concern of how to pay for it. I wanted to create scholarships for the school so outstanding students could come in and not worry about how to pay,” he says. Upholding family tradition This dedication to philanthropy is a cherished part of his family’s history. In 1852, family patriarch Facundo Bacardí Massó helped organize food relief for the citizens of Santiago de Cuba after devastating earthquakes. In 1879, Bacardí Massó’s eldest son, Emilio Bacardi, became a city councilor and a school board member. In 1898, he was appointed as mayor and greatly improved the city’s infrastructure and sanitation. The Bacardi family also established clinics, orphanages, homes for the elderly and libraries during that time. Bacardi believes it is his family’s responsibility to continue this tradition of philanthropy. In 2005, he founded the Facundo and Amalia Bacardi Foundation — named for his great-great grandparents. The foundation’s mission is to provide for the general well-being of south Floridians by supporting educational, health, food and housing and environmental programs. “Our family is large and has many divergent interests, but we are all here because of the efforts of two people — Facundo and Amalia,” Bacardi says. “I filed the paperwork to start this foundation on August 5 because that is the anniversary of their wedding and that is what this really is about. We are taking what others have built up and in return sharing it to both reflect for us what they have done and to spread the good works of our ancestry.” It was a similar desire to honor those who have made an