She grew up across the street in Omaha: ‘Warm, kind, with a wonderful sense of humor’
Roger Lowenstein’s Dec. 29, 2025, op-ed, “Warren Buffett’s greatest asset is his character,” was insightful and spot-on.
I grew up in Omaha across the street from the Buffetts, in a time when we kids were in and out of each other’s homes all the time. Warren and his wife, Susan, were good friends with my parents and with many others in our social circle. In my experience he has always been a warm, kind, and, as Lowenstein describes, principled person, with a wonderful sense of humor. He cares about people, about values, and about doing well by doing good. His children (my former playmates) are each making the world a better place in their own ways.
I’ve known Warren Buffett for most of my life, and Lowenstein’s portrait is a perfect tribute to a remarkable man.
Miriam Brooks
Winnabow, N.C.
She still feels the sting of New Bedford company’s fate
Roger Lowenstein’s portrait of Warren Buffett misses a local angle by making only passing mention of the New Bedford textile company from which Buffett took the Berkshire Hathaway name.
Lowenstein writes, “Once he owned a company, he rarely meddled in it. The loyalty he demonstrated toward managers elicited a fanatical dedication on their part.” In 1965 Buffett acquired control of the textile plant. My father was a middle manager in charge of automated payroll, and he was laid off along with other co-workers.
My father had given his life to that plant, working late and on weekends out of loyalty. Nearing 50, he had to completely retool to support one child (me) starting college and another two years younger. My homemaker mother went looking for a job. In many ways, Buffett is different from his billionaire counterparts, but that wasn’t reflected in my family’s experience.
Nancy Ryan
Cambridge
