Two Reasons Why Kirk Kerkorian Was One of the Great Angelinos - and One of Those Men They Just Don't Make Any More

          a photo of Kerkorian during his early years in real estat  
 A native Californian born of immigrant parents, Kirk Kerkorian was one of the last of the great - larger than life characters who used to populate this city - and who also once made Los Angeles a great city. In contrast to today's business leaders who sell LA businesses to companies in other states and other countries, Kirkorian instead bought businesses in other states, and then owned them through his LA based holding company, Tracinda.

One early example of his attitude towards life was - to make certain he would be a pilot in the coming war, he first privately learned how to fly – and later signed up as a pilot with the RAF Air Transport Command to deliver new planes from Canada to England for 2 ½ years by flying them over the North Atlantic and then having to fly back over the North Atlantic on another plane. 

And despite the fact that prior to the start of the war, only 50% of all flights over the North Atlantic ever reached the other side, Kerkorian delivered 33 US and Canadian planes to the RAF in England.

For the more 'conventional' aspects of his life, here is the LA Times story.