A Tribute to Les Soltesz

Dear Partners,

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news with you that a friend, former Board Chair, and Partner, Les Soltesz, has died at the age of 71. Les and his wife Martha became Partners in 2003. Les served as Lead Partner for our investment in the Parental Engagement Project, two terms on our Board of Directors, and two terms as Board Chair.

Fellow Partner and former CEO, Mark Holloway, offers a tribute:

A Tribute to Goodness

When Les Soltesz passed away last week, the world lost a tremendously good man and I lost a friend, mentor, and father figure. While formally Les served as my Board member and Chair for several years—and took both of those roles very seriously—he and I regarded one another more as friends and fellow men of service to the world. Always prompt and prepared with notes and agendas (thus revealing his Intel pedigree), Les was never business first. He wanted to get the work done for sure, but relationship was most important. Family took center stage in his life and he always connected first with me about mine. His encouragement, compassion, and care were especially precious to me when my then boyfriend, now husband David and I went through a break-up during Les’ tenure as Board Chair. He served as more than a Chair then and always. He was a gentle and loving father figure to me. I knew he always had my best interest at heart. Les also gets so much credit for what we have achieved and set in motion at SVP. It was during Les’ tenure as Chair that we began exploring a focused community goal. While achievement was in Les’ blood, he was never known for his imaginative, hair-brained ideas. So, he brought a healthy dose of skepticism and a pragmatism to the table in our exploring a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. He appreciated that we could achieve new heights and deeper impact in SVP, which would require some wandering through the wilderness without a map. Because of him, that journey was well plotted and carefully planned. I will always appreciate the shoulders he gave me to stand on—his feet firmly planted while I reached for the stars. I have mental scrapbooks full of fond memories, great conversations, and vivid images like his visible excitement about a new travel adventure, another December trip to Mexico with Martha, or some advance in one of his community service projects. But it was in the passing of his friend and fellow SVP Partner, Joe Barthmaier—a sudden and devastating loss for Joe’s family and friends—that I saw the model of true friendship and service. He was there to console and offer comfort for many of us, but he and Martha gave selflessly to support Joe’s wife Sharon. In a global politic where gentleness, generosity, and service can be hard to see among clouds of ego and competition, Les’ life stands as a beacon of goodness. We had Les with us for these 71 years but let his legacy remind us that we have a bit of Les in each one of us. Here’s to you, Les. Shalom, my friend! Mark