Marcus founded The Marcus Corporation, a Milwaukee-based firm with operations in limited service lodging, movie theatres, hotels/ resorts and restaurants, in 1935. He had served as the firm�s Chairman Emeritus since 1991, when he stepped down as Chairman of the Board, a position he held since 1972. 

Ben Marcus was, in a very real sense, the personification of the American dream. He arrived as a young immigrant shortly after the First World War, learning English, getting educated on the run, building his theater and lodging business into a large and successful public company, and leaving a legacy of public service, which will enrich his community for generations to come.  Marcus had a running love affair with America and with the City of Milwaukee. The Marcus Amphitheater and the Ben and Celia Marcus Performing Arts Center testify to his commitment to Milwaukee. He joined Lee Iococca in spearheading the drives to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, he referred to his work on these projects as the cheapest rent he ever paid for the privilege of becoming an American.  He was one of the last of his kind. Successful in business, devoted to his family and always committed to his community. Those who knew him best, agree that his guiding principal was simply to do what was right. This was the ethic that guided him in his personal life as well as his business life according to his son Stephen Marcus, current Chairman and CEO of The Marcus Corporation.  The Ben Marcus story began in the remote town of Stolpce, Poland in 1911. His father, a produce broker, traveled to America, worked and saved enough to send for his wife, Ben and his four sisters in 1925. 

Ben Marcus�s career began delivering newspapers for The Minneapolis Journal. Like many other school children, he started with a paper route, but he expanded his territory so quickly that he soon had other boys working for him, and, in a very short time, had to purchase a car to deliver papers to his ever growing clientele. Proving that the best way to get a lot done is to rely on busy people, he finished high school in just a year and one half. 

The Journal, recognizing his considerable talent, made Ben a district manager in the circulation department. He studied accounting at the University of Minnesota until the Great Depression struck. Then, unable to continue college, he returned to the Journal where he found a new challenge�selling ads to movie theatres. 

He met his wife, Celia in 1929 at his older sister�s wedding. They dated for five years and were married in 1934.  Ben Marcus was fascinated by the movie business. In 1935, at the age of 24, he pooled his own money with some borrowed funds and bought an abandoned department store in downtown Ripon, Wisconsin for $15,000. He converted the building into the Campus Theatre, a single screen movie-house that served as the foundation of The Marcus Corporation and is still in operation today. The Campus Theatre opened in 1935 with the showing of �It�s In the Air� starring Jack Benny. From that single theatre, Marcus expanded into Wisconsin�s Fox River Valley and Milwaukee. 

Ever the showman, Marcus is credited for being the first theatre owner in the U.S. to use then arch rival television to advertise movies. He continued to build and purchase theatres during good times and bad as the industry survived the onslaught of television, the VCR, and other technological trends. 

Marcus believed that movies as entertainment had staying power and over the years, his philosophy and the strength of his commitment were proven to be correct. When naysayers questioned Ben about the future of the motion picture theatre in the face of television, VCR�s and Cable, Ben would quickly respond that even though every house had a kitchen, people still go out to dinner, proving that maxim to be correct, for both restaurants and theatres. Today, Marcus Theatres, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Marcus Corporation, is the 15th largest operator in the United States with 482 screens, 296 are in Wisconsin, making the corporation Wisconsin�s largest movie exhibitor.  Marcus expanded his vision from motion pictures to restaurants in 1958 when he acquired the franchise rights for Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa for the Big Boy Restaurants of America. The first Marc�s Big Boy Restaurant opened that same year on Milwaukee�s northwest side. The company operated the family restaurants for over 30 years until they sold the operation in 1995 to a group of executives who had managed the Big Boy group. 
Ben met Colonel Harlan Sanders, who had a great recipe for chicken, and became a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchisee in 1960. Ben began construction of a chain of freestanding Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants that today operates in 30 locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. 

With strong operations in the theatre business and restaurants, Marcus expanded further into the related field of hospitality with the construction of The Guest House Inn motel in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1960. Two years later, Marcus purchased the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, which had fallen on hard times and was in bankruptcy proceedings. Marcus was the only bidder at the auction, and made up his mind he would take on the daunting task of restoring the Pfister, which was originally built in 1893. Later, the entire facility would again undergo a massive renovation leading up to its centennial celebration in 1993. 

All of Ben�s businesses were consolidated into The Marcus Corporation in 1972 when the company went public. The Marcus Corporation stock currently trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MCS. 

In 1972, another failing hotel, then named the Sheraton Schroeder, was purchased. It was remodeled in 1973 and reopened as the Marc Plaza. In 1995, it was renovated again, and today operates as the Milwaukee Hilton Hotel. The Hilton added a 250-room addition in 2000. The Hilton is the headquarters� hotel for the City of Milwaukee�s new Midwest Express Convention Center.  In 1973, the company became one of the first lodging firms in the country to operate both luxury and economy hotels with the introduction of its Budgetel Inn® concept and its first property in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Today, the motel division, now called Baymont Inns and Suites operates 174 properties in 30 states. That division also operates seven Woodfield Suites in five states. In recent years, the firm purchased and renovated the Grand Geneva Hotel and Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, California and this year also purchased and is renovating the Hotel Phillips in Kansas City. In spring, the company will open the new Monona Terrace Hilton in Madison, WI. The company manages, under contract, the Mead Inn in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, the Crowne Plaza Northstar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in Los Angeles, California. 

In building The Marcus Corporation, Ben Marcus frequently credited his top executives and the company�s 8,000 employees with the success of the firm�s diversified operations. He was never hesitant to praise an employee for their efforts, and frequently stated the success of The Marcus Corporation was based solely on the efforts of each employee, regardless of their position.  �The strong and successful company he built stands as a living monument to my father,� said his son, Stephen, who succeeded his father as Chairman of the Board in 1991. �He was an inspiration to me and all who worked with and for him, and to so many others around him in every facet of his rich life. He gave generously as a businessman, philanthropist, husband and father. He was an outstanding teacher and philosopher about life as well as business and that is the legacy he has left. All of us at The Marcus Corporation are proud of his legacy and will continue to uphold the high standards that he has set. Thanks to him, we have a clear path to the future based on the entrepreneurial spirit that he so dynamically forged.� 

When he was once interviewed by a Wall Street analyst who asked what Ben thought his most valuable asset was, he said, �Simple. . . my people.� The analyst remarked that he meant what asset was most valuable, like the Pfister Hotel or a particular theatre. Ben again shot back his answer, �My people! I can always borrow money or build a beautiful building, but I can�t do anything without dedicated employees at every level.� 

Ben Marcus moved to Milwaukee in 1953. Over the years, he assumed leadership roles with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, the Milwaukee Redevelopment Corporation, Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the United Jewish Appeal, and other organizations. A long time Variety Club activist, Ben founded the Variety Club Children�s Charities in Milwaukee. 

In addition to the �Horatio Alger� award which he received in 1982, Ben Marcus was honored many other times for his civic, philanthropic and industry activities. Among the awards he received were �Wisconsinite of the Year� in 1975 from the Wisconsin State Chamber of Commerce; the �Walt Disney Humanitarian Award,� presented by the National Association of Theatre Owners; and the �William J. German Human
Relations Award,� presented by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). He also received the Prime Minister�s Award for the State of Israel Bond Drive. 

He also received Lodging Hospitality Magazine�s �Hall of Fame Award�; �Employer of the Year� presented by the United Association of Retarded Children; and the Variety Club of Wisconsin�s �Man of Distinction Award.� In 1985, Ben and Stephen were co-recipients of the Milwaukee Press Club�s �Headliner Award.� 

In 1989, he and his son, Stephen, received the �Lamplighter Award� from the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitor�s Bureau for their promotion of area tourism. In 1990, Marcus also was named recipient of the prestigious �Sherrill C. Corwin Award� from the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) for his involvement with the theatre industry and community charities.  Marcus served on the boards of such industry organizations as the Foundation of Motion Picture Pioneers, the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association and the Greater Milwaukee Hotel-Motel Association. 

�The backbone of a company is the human element,� Ben Marcus has said. �You must treat everyone with dignity.� These are words that Ben Marcus and the company he founded over 65 years ago still by. 

Ben Marcus is survived by his son Stephen (Joan), his daughter Diane (Hal) Gershowitz; his grand children: Greg (Linda) Marcus, David (Melina) Marcus and Andrew Marcus; Dan, Larry and Jill Kite; Amy (Andrew) Lask and Michael (Jennifer) Gershowitz and great grandchildren, Alexandra, Michael and Gabriella Marcus, and Jennifer and Samantha Lask and Jared Gershowitz. He was preceded in death by his wife, Celia, in August, 2000. 

The family has asked that memorial donations be given in the name of Ben Marcus to an organization which he helped found: Variety Club Children�s Charities, P.O. Box 600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 or The Ben Marcus Memorial Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation, 1360 N. Prospect, Milwaukee, WI. 53202.