Vale Chuck Feeney

Chuck Feeney was born during the Great Depression to blue-collar Irish-American parents in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and his ancestry can be traced to County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.

An entrepreneur from the beginning, he shoveled snow to make money as a child, and, later, at university became known as the ‘sandwich man’ for selling his hungry classmates sliced bologna in bread.

He spent his formative school years at Elizabeth's St Mary of the Assumption High School, during which time he was inspired by his mother’s charitable impulse.

Later, his experience at Cornell University was made possible because of the GI Bill, supporting veterans to gain an education, and this further fueled his determination to open doors for others.

Feeney ultimately became a generous donor to both institutions, and his philanthropic support for education is longstanding.

He served as a US Air Force radio operator during the Korean War and built an early career selling duty-free liquor to US naval personnel at Mediterranean ports in the 1950s.

This eventually led to his co-founding of Duty Free Shoppers (DFS) in 1960 that made his fortune, however business success for its own sake was never his focus and nor was a lifestyle of wealth. 

Instead, he wanted to help others and, having been further inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s essay titled “Wealth”, he founded The Atlantic Foundation in 1982 into which he transferred his enormous wealth and, always with the utmost humility, set about changing lives. 

Through this foundation, Feeney sought opportunities to make a difference around the world, from Ireland to South Africa, from Australia to Vietnam.

This included sharing our vision for RMIT Vietnam and providing early support in excess of US$39 million to establish an IT centre, scholarships, a 240-bed student dormitory, a sports and leisure facility, and more.

Beyond RMIT, he has also been a generous donor to other educational institutions and to the modernisation of healthcare in Vietnam.

This foresight has transformed the futures of thousands of hopeful students in a rapidly changing country.

One of the world’s most significant philanthropists and role models, Feeney devoted his wealth to the service of humanity. He recognised the transformative power of education, research and social equity, and, thanks to his generosity, lives have been changed and generations re-shaped for the better. 

Accepting no recognition for giving until later in life, he then turned to encouraging other young entrepreneurs to give from a young age and to share their success.

He maintained that wealth should be used to better the world in the lifetime of the giver. Now closed, his foundation gave US$8 billion over 38 years to promote greater fairness and equity for all. This will echo for decades to come.

Vale Chuck Fenney. You will be greatly missed while your example lives on.