Reflections and reactions poured in Wednesday evening to the passing of former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, who owned the Milwaukee Bucks for nearly 30 years and helped shaped Milwaukee in so many ways.

Kohl passed away Wednesday afternoon at the age of 88.

Kohl, one of the city’s most active philanthropists in recent years, was remembered as a Milwaukee icon from his days running the family grocery store business to owning the Milwaukee Bucks to donating millions of dollars to charities throughout Wisconsin.

“Thank you Senator Herb Kohl for always putting Wisconsinites first,” former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said on X, formerly Twitter. “His impact across WI is immeasurable, but I have no doubt it will last forever. Rest in peace to nobody’s Senator, but ours. We’ll have a Jake’s corned beef in your honor.”

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called Kohl a “Wisconsin giant.”

“A Milwaukeean and Wisconsinite through and through, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl dedicated his life to serving our kids, our communities, our state, and our country,” Evers said. “Sen. Kohl was deeply committed to community, kindness, and service to others. Wisconsin’s seniors, students, teachers, and schools, and farmers and rural areas, among so many others, are better off because of his life and legacy, the impacts of which will last for generations.

“Kathy and I join the people of Wisconsin, friends and colleagues of Sen. Kohl, and the many people whose lives he impacted — both near and far — in offering our sincerest condolences to the Kohl family and the Herb Kohl Foundation in mourning the loss of this Wisconsin giant.”

Former U.S. Sen. and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had high praise for Kohl.

“It was an honor and delight to serve with Herbert Kohl in the Senate,” she said on X. “He was a good man whose legacy includes expanded access to health care, better nutrition for kids, concern for the elderly, and a commitment to decency and civility while representing his constituents. I’m grateful for his model of public service.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Kohl a “dear friend and one of our very best public servants.”

“He set the standard for NBA team ownership as the governor of his hometown Milwaukee Bucks for nearly 30 years,” Silver said in a statement. “Through his purchase of the team, Sen. Kohl ensured that the Bucks would stay in Milwaukee and remain an important pillar of the community. There was never any doubt about his extraordinary commitment to the franchise and the city he loved, and his vision and unparalleled financial contribution towards a new arena in Milwaukee will forever be remembered.”

The Milwaukee Bucks issued a statement that said Kohl “was a lifelong and proud Wisconsinite who cared deeply for his state and the city of Milwaukee.

“As the Bucks owner, he was steadfast in making sure the team remained in the city and his generosity led to the building of Fiserv Forum, which is on Herb Kohl Way,” according to the the team’s statement. “Even after selling the team, Sen. Kohl loved the Bucks and was always seen in his team cap around town.

“The Senator leaves behind an unmatched legacy in philanthropy, often anonymously, and through his incredible Herb Kohl Foundation. His impact in sports, public service, and business will also always be remembered in our state.”

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said Wisconsin has lost a major public figure in politics, business and philanthropy. He compared Kohl to that of a three-legged stool. All three areas were crucial to his impact in the state’s modern history.

8 over 80: Herb Kohl impactful in local, statewide giving

“Herb Kohl was an accomplished businessperson who was instrumental in elevating his family’s business. He was a politician who brought focus, who brought humbleness and accomplishment to the United States Senate,” Johnson said. “His philanthropy elevated teachers, elevated schools and quality of life all across the state.”

And of course, Kohl also saved the Bucks, Johnson noted, keeping the team in Milwaukee two times.

Johnson said his first memories of Kohl were as a teenager. Sen. Kohl gave Johnson and his mentor from the YMCA tickets to Bucks games at the old Bradley Center. Johnson recalled Kohl’s generosity, specifically in that the tickets were those in front of Kohl’s own seats at the arena.

When Johnson was a student at the University of Wisconsin, he again connected with Kohl during his last campaign for office.

“Here I was, a kid from another city and visiting him in another city in the state with swarms of other people around, and he made me feel as if I was the only person in the room,” Johnson said.

Johnson referenced Kohl’s humility and that Kohl could often be found sitting in a downtown Milwaukee café or talking with people at the Wisconsin State Fair Milk House he funded for years.

“He didn’t put on any pretense of importance or snobbery. He was always just himself. He was always just Herb,” Johnson said. “Sen. Kohl really embodied a humbleness that really embodies what the state of Wisconsin is all about,” Johnson said.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party mourned the “passing of a Wisconsin giant with a heart of gold.”

“Sen. Herb Kohl was a pillar of the U.S. Senate, generous philanthropist, business leader, and former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin,” the Wisconsin Democratic Party said in a statement. “The son of Jewish immigrants, Herb Kohl’s life reflected the deep values of the state he served: hard work, humility and generosity.

“In business, Herb Kohl put employees and customers first, reflecting the ethos by which he lived his life. His ownership of and dedication to the Milwaukee Bucks kept the team at home in the city he loved, and his decades of giving back helped make higher education a reality for thousands of Wisconsinites. In the U.S. Senate, Herb Kohl again put people first, standing above special interests to fight for kids and dairy farmers, for more accessible and affordable health care, and for a more prosperous Wisconsin for all.”