The life, the legacy, and the woman behind Reginald F. Lewis

Reginald and Loida and their daughters Leslie (left) and Christina when the family lived in Paris for five years.

Reginald and Loida and their daughters Leslie (left) and Christina when the family lived in Paris for five years.

One of the greatest love stories that has fascinated Filipino Americans is that of immigration lawyer Loida Nicolas Lewis and the legendary Reginald F. Lewis, who would become the richest African-American man in the 1980s.

The two met on a blind date some 20 years earlier. Loida was then an up-and-coming lawyer who had just passed the bar exams in the Philippines. Reginald was just another American lawyer and businessman. They were both smitten, instantly. When Reginald proposed to Loida, she shared in a 2010 interview with Kababayan L.A.’s Jannelle So, how she turned him down. “I cannot leave my country,” she told him then. But in her heart, she knew that “I’ll never meet a man like him again.”

When she got home, she phoned Reginald to say, “Darling I’m coming back.” With that, Loida left everything behind – a promising legal career and her father’s political ambitions for her. “I answered my heart,” she said. On August 16, 1969, the two married in the Philippines.

The WNET documentary, “Pioneers: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire,” chronicles the life and legacy of business pioneer, philanthropist and titan Reginald F. Lewis. He was the man Loida described as “special, more ambitious than I was, more visionary, more intense.”

A Harvard Law School graduate, who rose to prominence as a lawyer, venture capitalist, and leader of the global food company TLC Beatrice International, Lewis was the first American ever to close an overseas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal. He acquired an unprecedented global conglomerate of 64 companies in 31 countries, and paved the way for future entrepreneurs and black leaders through his life’s work until his untimely death at age 50.

Lewis hosted a fundraiser for the Rev. Jesse Jackson when he was a Democratic presidential candidate.

Lewis hosted a fundraiser for the Rev. Jesse Jackson when he was a Democratic presidential candidate.

“Reginald Lewis is a pioneer because he executed a $1 billion buyout of Beatrice International Foods. No one had done anything of that size – black nor white. He’s the first American to do an overseas buyout,” said Loida in a press statement.

Kenneth Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express noted, “There is no doubt that Reginald Lewis’ success paved the way for me, and many others, and I think that really is the test and demonstration of real leadership.”

The Baltimore-born Reginald F. Lewis is a business pioneer, human rights activist, philanthropist and titan who rose to prominence as a lawyer and venture capitalist, becoming the first American to close an overseas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal.

In 1993, Reginald passed away. Loida assumed the leadership as chairwoman and CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., a multinational food company with operations across Europe. She continues to carry on the philanthropic work of her husband as the chair of the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation.

Discover the legacy and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Reginald F. Lewis’ historic billion dollar. “Pioneers: Reginald F. Lewis and the Making of a Billion Dollar Empire” will have a television premier on these PBS affiliates:

Friday, February 16, 8:00pm WLIW21
Sunday, February 18, 7:30pm THIRTEEN
Saturday, February 24, 7:00pm NJTV

© The FilAm 2018



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