Les Paul Turns 93, Celebrates in Style

Inventor, musician, and entrepreneur Les Paul “flipped the switch” at Marshall & Ilsley Corporation’s (M&I) corporate headquarters in downtown Milwaukee on Friday, June 20, lighting two sides of the 18-story corporate headquarters in the shape of Les Paul styled guitars.

To honor Les’s recent 93rd birthday, M&I also presented him with a birthday cake, which was a life-size replica of a Les Paul styled guitar, and gave him the world’s longest virtual birthday card, which was a compilation of tributes to Les by local dignitaries, fans, and musicians worldwide.

Approximately 100 M&I employees “built” the guitars by covering the interior side of over 900 windows to create the familiar iconic Les Paul shaped guitar.

Full press release:

Les Paul Lights Two 18-Story Guitars
Les Paul celebrated his 93rd birthday at M&I Bank in Milwaukee, Wis. In honor of his birthday, M&I transformed two sides of its 18-story corporate headquarters into the shape of Les Paul styled guitars and also presented him with a birthday cake, which was a life-size replica of a Les Paul styled guitar. (PRNewsFoto/Marshall & Ilsley Corporation)

MILWAUKEE, WI UNITED STATES

M&I celebrates 93-year-old guitar legend

MILWAUKEE, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Inventor, musician, and
entrepreneur Les Paul “flipped the switch” at Marshall & Ilsley
Corporation’s (M&I) corporate headquarters in downtown Milwaukee on Friday,
June 20, lighting two sides of the 18-story corporate headquarters in the
shape of Les Paul styled guitars.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080623/AQM533)

To honor Les’s recent 93rd birthday, M&I also presented him with a
birthday cake, which was a life-size replica of a Les Paul styled guitar,
and gave him the world’s longest virtual birthday card, which was a
compilation of tributes to Les by local dignitaries, fans, and musicians
worldwide.

The event also celebrated M&I’s sponsorship of the Classic Rock Stage
at Summerfest, the world’s largest music festival, and the opening of the
Les Paul’s House of Sound exhibit at Discovery World in downtown Milwaukee.

Approximately 100 M&I employees “built” the guitars by covering the
interior side of over 900 windows to create the familiar iconic Les Paul
shaped guitar. The guitars will be visible on the south and west sides of
M&I’s corporate headquarters, 770 North Water Street, during the evenings
now through the end of Summerfest, Sunday, July 6.

Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (NYSE: MI) is a diversified financial
services corporation headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., with $63.4 billion
in assets. Founded in 1847, M&I Marshall & Ilsley Bank is the largest
Wisconsin- based bank, with 193 offices throughout the state. In addition,
M&I has 51 locations throughout Arizona; 32 offices in Indianapolis and
nearby communities; 31 offices along Florida’s west coast and in central
Florida; 15 offices in Kansas City and nearby communities; 25 offices in
metropolitan Minneapolis/St. Paul, and one in Duluth, Minn.; and one office
in Las Vegas, Nev. M&I’s Southwest Bank subsidiary has 17 offices in the
greater St. Louis area. M&I also provides trust and investment management,
equipment leasing, mortgage banking, asset-based lending, financial
planning, investments, and insurance services from offices throughout the
country and on the Internet (http://www.mibank.com or
http://www.micorp.com). M&I’s customer-based approach, internal growth, and
strategic acquisitions have made M&I a nationally recognized leader in the
financial services industry.