By Lawrence A. Cunningham, MarketWatch
Charlie Munger, the esteemed vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway who passed away last November at the age of 99, was honored last week at a tribute hosted by the Museum of American Finance and the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University.
Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett did not attend and Berkshire Hathaway did not sponsor the event, but many Berkshire shareholders were in the audience to honor the life of the man whom Buffett has described as the “architect” of the company.
That evening, several of Munger’s closest friends and associates spoke about him in a panel discussion I moderated. The panel featured Tom Gayner, CEO of Markel Group, which is among Berkshire’s largest shareholders and where I am a director; Don Graham, former publisher of the Washington Post and chairman emeritus of Graham Holdings Company; and Ron Olson, partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson and a Berkshire director. Together, we delved into Munger’s enduring principles, his investment philosophy and the legacy he leaves behind.