Ridgefield WWII vet Nelson Broms dies at 104
RIDGEFIELD -- When the late
Instead, he survived to 104, serving in World War II under General
Friends and family of the Ridgefield resident, who died on
"Nelson was the kind of person who would meet folks and after one conversation, know everything about them," said
"He would immediately assess where you were from, what kind of person you were, what work you did," he added. "He would assess how you fit into this grand scheme of friends and relationships that he had built over 100 years."
Broms' business accomplishments include co-founder and/or board member of
In the 1950s, he established the
"Among his accomplishments in his storied career, Nelson provided leadership to diverse organizations in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors and served as a strategic advisor and leader in the evolution of new organizations," said
Nelson Broms is survived by
In a statement,
Gutierrez, founder and president of the nonprofit organization
"The magic is that Nelson had this uncanny ability to run in the circles of organizations, of business, of politics, of education, of science, of medical care. He would go to conferences and he would meet... people and get introduced to other people," said Gutierrez, who is a former senior vice president at the
Gutierrez continued: "But it was never for the purpose of saying, 'Oh, I'm going to meet such and such CEOs so that I can feather my own nest.' It was always for the purpose of saying, 'Oh, I'm going to meet the CEO of
He continued: "It was always with a sense of how can we come together so that we can make better things happen."
The early years
Nelson Broms was born on
"The (
Gutierrez credits his late friend with helping him found his nonprofit -- LEEP.
"He said, 'Roberto, it's not about forming just a network of schools. How are you going to distribute it out so you can achieve the greatest impact? ' That's what he learned in the war, was how can I distribute this efficiently? ... 'How can I get it so that it saves more lives among the soldiers that are out there in the field?'"
Nelson Broms retired from the military as a captain,
Making change
"Health care today is managed. Years ago, it was not managed. You went to any doctor you wanted. You submitted a health insurance claim and maybe you got reimbursed and maybe you didn't," he said. "My father's the man that had the influence and the power to commercialize managed health care literally 40 years ago, which is a whole different business paradigm."
"He was very skillful in mobilizing resources and in motivating... others to make progress toward a solution. He had an extensive network of friends who universally admired him and whom he skillfully interconnected to get things done, ranging from new government policies to strengthening and even creating institutions," he said.
Gutierrez said his late friend's ability to connect with others was remarkable.
"Nelson could pick up the phone and call
Gutierrez continued: "These were networks of people that liked Nelson, that appreciated his character, his integrity and understood that Nelson was also a very savvy individual, who by connecting people could come up with very creative ways to solve some of our country's most challenging problems."
Biden’s Medicare drug price plan is good medicine for Americans [New York Daily News]
Biden’s Medicare drug price plan is good medicine for Americans [New York Daily News]
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News