Leonard John Betley was born on June 30, 1933, during the Great Depression, in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Leonard Paul and Georgianna Margaret Betley, although was raised by his mother and his stepfather, Bob Busse, Sr.
He was trained by his mother, and a superfluity of nuns, to believe that one gained personal satisfaction by “fulfilling one’s responsibilities and not engaging in frivolities,” a principle he took to heart. He was an avid reader and an excellent student, eventually attending Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School. It was during this time that he discovered that he learned best by listening and reading rather than talking, developing one of his most defining, intimidating, and often annoying, traits: he always kept his thoughts to himself unless he had a strong reason to express them.
After graduation, he joined a law firm in Indianapolis, Ross McCord Ice & Miller (later Ice Miller), eventually becoming managing partner. Through his work at the firm, he was instrumental in forming and operating three of the largest charitable foundations in Indianapolis: the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, the Regenstrief Foundation and Institute, and the Walther Cancer Foundation, work that ultimately gave him the greatest satisfaction of his career. In addition, he served on the boards of the Nature Conservancy, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Park Tudor, and BioCrossroads, among others. Leonard was not aggressively ambitious, nor was he a self-promoter, he was successful because he was usually the smartest guy in the room. These public accomplishments largely define how the world sees him.
But how did his family see him? He was a simple man who preferred simple things. He liked his popcorn plain and his toast dry. He preferred his cars without computers and his mail to come in an envelope. His favorite meal was Steak n Shake. His greatest joy was the pursuit of knowledge, almost entirely through reading books. He didn’t go to the movies or watch much TV other than sports. He was a fan of IU and Butler basketball, the Pacers, and the Colts. He loved classical music and good bourbon. He was a frequent, if not sometimes reluctant, traveler who mostly preferred the destination to the journey. He was passionate about the environment.
He was a husband and a father, and often quite good at both. He loved and respected his wife of 56 years, unabashedly proud of her many accomplishments. He instilled in his sons a love of reading, a sense of the evolutionary purpose of the existence of strong moral and ethical values, and, to a very much lesser extent an emphasis on “obligation over fun.” He was a warm and loving grandfather, happiest when reading to one or more of his three grandchildren. He was impatient with superficial things, but patient when it mattered. His humor was understated, but deep. He was a mentor and a friend.
Not long before he died, Leonard was hounded by his loving but persistent wife into writing his autobiography. It is a tribute to a quiet man who led an extraordinary life. But he always believed that his “greatest success has been his contribution, small as it is, to the family he will be leaving behind.” Humble to a fault.
For those who wish to express sympathy, please consider instead a donation to the Central Indiana Land Trust in Leonard’s memory.
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