Jerome H. Kern, who fiercely advocated for some of the biggest artistic, philanthropic and business causes in Denver and the U.S., has died at age 87.
The Kerns have for years been significant leaders in the arts community who are widely credited as saving the Colorado Symphony from ruin in 2011, friends and former city leaders said. Kern’s contentious relationship with the city’s arts and political leadership doesn’t take away from his important work. Ginger White Brunetti, who formerly led Denver Arts & Venues, said Kern’s impact continues with the“He was instrumental in the Symphony’s growth, financial stability and innovative programming,” said White Brunetti, now the city of Aurora’s director of Library and Cultural Services.
Kern was vice chairman and a board member at Tele-Communications, Inc. , and architect of the AT&T/TCI merger. He would represent TCI in other high-profile mergers and acquisitions, including the Time Warner/Turner Broadcasting merger, Mary said. Before TCI, Jerry was a senior partner at Baker & Botts, LLP, and the senior corporate lawyer in the New York office. For more than 20 years, he was the principal outside legal counsel to TCI and Liberty Media.