THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 17, 1995 TAG: 9511170248
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
During the early 1970s, Adolph Coors IV spent day and night chasing his goal of becoming president of his family's $1.6 billion Colorado-based beer empire.
One night, exhausted from his workaholic lifestyle, Coors fell asleep at the wheel of his car and had a near-fatal crash. Throughout two long years of rehabilitation, he kept asking himself three questions: Who are you? Why are you here? What are you going to do with the rest of your time on Earth?
The 50-year-old Coors found his answers in a ``born-again'' faith experience, which led him to give up his role in the beer business and his focus on wealth, to a new career dedicated to spreading a message about Christian spiritual renewal. ``All that you do in life will be totally in vain unless Jesus Christ is at the core of what you do,'' he said.
Coors, who spends more than 10months each year on the road for speaking engagements, spoke Thursday to about 1,500 people at the 20th annual South Hampton Roads Leadership Prayer Breakfast in Scope.
The breakfast was sponsored by the Law Enforcement Officers Fellowship, a non-denominational Christian group, and is funded primarily through ticket sales. Coors was paid $750 for his speech, and he also was scheduled to appear as a guest on Pat Robertson's ``The 700 Club'' later in the morning.
In the early years of his life, Coors worshiped his father, Adolph Coors III, who was an accomplished athlete and businessman. ``Everything he did, he did it to perfection,'' Coors said. ``He sat me down and said, `Son, failure is not going to be tolerated.' ''
In 1960, Coors' life was turned upside down. His father was waylaid on his morning drive to work and killed by a prison escapee, who stuffed the body in the trunk of his car. For seven months, the 14-year-old Coors and his family did not know what had happened.
His father's murder sent Coors into a tailspin of confusion, rage and academic failure. He flunked out of college and joined the Marines. But his family's financial drive was strong: He vowed to make a million dollars before his 30th birthday.
His investments soured and brought him close to bankruptcy, but he set his sights on the president's job at Coors Brewing Co. His quest to scramble up the corporate ladder halted with a car accident in 1973.
During his two-year struggle to recuperate, he found himself questioning his purpose in life. That search, along with a conversation about Christianity with some close friends, led to his religious rebirth.``In a millisecond, as I said a prayer, a void I'd tried to fill for 30 years was filled,'' he said.
As a result of his faith experience, Coors said he left his family's business and stopped drinking. However, he doesn't crusade against alcohol. ``For me to tell people they should not drink, I can't do it,'' he said in an interview.
Capt. Barry C. Black, chaplain for the Atlantic Fleet, got a standing ovation for his short response to Coors' speech. He challenged his audience to ``harness the power of prayer'' to do good in the world. by CNB