Robert G. Schwartz*

Born in Czechoslovakia, Robert Schwartz moved with his parents to the United States when he was 18 months old and settled into a predominantly Slavic neighborhood in Philadelphia. His parents had little formal education, but they instilled in their son a strong sense of traditional family values, hard work, and discipline.

By the age of eight, Schwartz was delivering newspapers and selling hot pretzels on the street, earning a one-cent profit on each pretzel sold. When he was 11, his family moved to a dairy farm in Bucks County, outside Philadelphia. His daily chores included milking cows, feeding chickens, and taking care of horses. In high school, he supplemented his parents' income by selling real estate. Following high school, Schwartz entered Pennsylvania State University, where he majored in commerce and finance. To pay his way, he served as treasurer of his fraternity and worked as a caterer. He graduated in 1949 and joined Metropolitan Life as an internal auditor.

In 1950, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War with the Finance Corps. He rejoined MetLife in 1952. He also enrolled at New York University and earned an MBA. Schwartz transferred to MetLife's securities investment area and became an officer in 1962, moving up to senior vice president in charge of corporate investments in 1975. Four years later, he assumed responsibility for the company's entire investment portfolio. In 1980, Schwartz was elected to MetLife's board of directors as vice chairman and was named chairman of the investment committee. In 1983, he was elected chairman and later was named president and CEO.

After more than 40 years with MetLife, Schwartz retired in 1993. Reflecting on his youth, Schwartz said he could not have imagined the heights he would reach in the business world. "I came from rather humble beginnings," he said, "but I had the motivation to succeed. I feel good about it today in terms of my peers, who had much more opportunity but didn't really seek it or reach out for it. However, the success I've had was not all my own making. It was a combination of a family effort."

Throughout his career, Schwartz enjoyed taking time with young people, especially those fresh from business school. His advice to them was to "find something you enjoy, commit to it, and stay focused. The difference between those who succeed and those who settle for less comes down to desire. You have to enjoy what you're doing. If you don't, you should do something else. Those who put in the time and effort will succeed in whatever endeavor they undertake."