Frazier has raised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars for educational causes in Kentucky over the last 25 years. He chaired a successful five-year capital campaign for Louisville's Bellarmine College in the early '90s, doubling its $20 million goal. And now he is leading the campaign to raise $58 million for U of L's Cardinal Park.

Owsley Brown Frazier speaks at the Cardinal Park groundbreaking ceremony in December 1998. Photo by Kurt Vinion, U of L Sports Information.

Frazier is proud of the success of his family's business. A fourth generation descendent of founder George Garvin Brown, he talks animatedly about Brown-Forman's hard-working and talented employees. But his voice reaches an even higher level of excitement when discussing his community service activities-especially Cardinal Park.

"Imagine a handsome new sports park designed to serve both U of L and the surrounding community," he says. "With its expansive green spaces and sleek, modern buildings, Cardinal Park will create a beautiful front door to the university and make a profoundly positive impression on the 98,000 people who will pass it daily on I-65."

Frazier notes that when Cardinal Park is completed, U of L's athletic facilities will be in the top 10 percent of those at all colleges and universities in the United States. Perhaps more importantly, he says, those for female student-athletes will be in the top 5 percent of all colleges and universities.

That was one of the most compelling features that drew him to the project.

"I have three daughters and I feel very strongly about women not only getting everything they're entitled to, but even getting a little bit more to help them catch up," he says. "Cardinal Park is going to do that for women's sports at U of L. It will give the university's women athletes a significant presence and a beautiful place to play, which is as it should be."

A Family Tradition

When it comes to fund raising and building support for community projects, Frazier has a reputation as a man who gets the job done.

His charitable activities consume a large amount of time, something not easy to find for a man who is responsible for public affairs, stockholder services, community affairs, communications and corporate services for a Fortune 500 company. But he says he makes the time because he is passionate about the causes and because community service is in his blood.

"The Owsley and Brown sides of our family have been in the Louisville area for well over 200 years," he says. "We were brought up to believe that we should do our best not only in our own business, but to help improve and provide leadership in the community. There are very few major community activities that Brown-Forman or the family has not touched in some way. Louisville has been very good to us and we have tried to return that."

While Frazier has made many significant personal accomplishments in the area of community service, he is quick to credit Brown-Forman and its employees for their collective commitment to making a difference. He is most proud of the company's Adopt-A-Neighborhood program, which has resulted in a $6.5 million-plus investment and construction of more than 35 low-income houses in the California neighborhood around Brown-Forman's headquarters.

Employees at all levels also serve on community boards and donate their talents to numerous service agencies.

"The power that our employees bring to this community is awesome," says Frazier. "They do it because they believe in what they're doing, which goes hand-in-hand with our company culture.

"Expectations are high, but there's a passion and a spirit that create an atmosphere people enjoy. I look forward to coming to work every single day."

A Focus on Education

A childhood struggle with dyslexia, which he says he has never overcome but has learned to manage, is behind Frazier's commitment to education.

"When I was 6 or 7, I was told that I'd never be able to graduate from high school," he says. "Well, that just irritated the hell out of me and I was determined to get an education."

Frazier completed two degrees at U of L‹a bachelor of science in law in 1958 and a juris doctorate in 1960. He nearly earned a master's degree in business administration as well, but the growing demands of Brown-Forman prevented him from completing it.

Having proven that he could attain his own educational goals, Frazier is now determined to help others achieve theirs. His community service work focuses on giving people opportunities to overcome challenges and make the most of their talents, but he has little patience for those who do not work hard at both.

"Education is very important. Regardless of what you do, it cannot be taken away from you," he says. "And like most things, the quality of that education is a direct result of the effort you put into it."

Frazier supports U of L so strongly because he agrees with the direction in which the administration is taking the university and he believes it has set attainable goals. "I have nothing but the greatest respect for [university president] John Shumaker," Frazier says. "What he has accomplished here in the last five years has put U of L squarely on the launch pad and approaching liftoff.

"U of L will become a first-class teaching and research urban university, and it has the complete support of this community. The number of people who established endowed chairs and made other large gifts during the university's bicentennial campaign testifies to that."

Personal Commitment

What makes Frazier such a successful fund-raiser is that he works only for causes in which he believes. He would not ask anyone else to contribute money or time to something unless he has done so himself.

"My leadership style is to be a convincer, to demonstrate my own belief in a project, which makes me a more powerful salesperson," he says.

He has demonstrated his belief in U of L through several generous financial contributions, from a $350,000 gift in 1984 to establish the Frazier Family Professorship in the College of Business and Public Administration to $1 million in 1998 to refurbish the U of L president's home on Longest Avenue. He has also contributed well over $1 million to athletics, including his recent Cardinal Park gift.

U of L Athletic Director Tom Jurich calls Frazier his "best recruit." In fact, Jurich gives him much of the credit for the park's financial success.

"Leading this campaign was not an easy task," says Jurich. "We had just raised $65 million to build Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and followed that by going back to the community for another $14 million for Phase I of Cardinal Park.

"But Owsley's leadership gave it instant credibility. When a person of his stature in the community gets behind a project, it's a done deal."

A Thriving Community

Frazier readily admits that while he is involved in charitable work because he enjoys it and wants to help others, there is also a clear benefit for Brown-Forman.

"The security and well-being of business, higher education and the arts are interrelated," he says. "Brown-Forman helps improve the community through our support of the arts, education and housing.

"We, in turn, benefit by being able to recruit highly qualified employees because we can offer them a great place to live and raise their families.

"We also benefit from the contributions we make to U of L because the university is our largest single source of management employees," Frazier adds. "It's in our best interest to help the university offer the highest-quality programs and facilities to its students.

"Cardinal Park will provide students and faculty with one more reason to choose the University of Louisville."