George Ty’s motto in life are in the letters of his name: T.Y., or Thank You, and he spent the better part of his life and wealth in showing his gratitude to his country for giving him the breaks and the blessings.

If he is more known as a generous philanthropist than a genius businessman then it is because he made it his mission to repay the kindness of this nation.

So he built schools and hospitals, gave away scholarships, created endowments, bankrolled charitable institutions, was a first responder to calamities, and honored outstanding civil servants.

But no matter how much he gave back, he probably believed that he will never fully amortize what he owed his countrymen. The common good was the recipient of his corporate dividends.

In his death, many would measure his life’s work with the many pinnacles of his career he had reached: in banking, real estate, insurance, car assembly.

But the story of his life is not on what he had summited but how he climbed his way to the top—through hard work.

He was a teenage migrant from China who faced financial ruin when the flour factory he was building came short of funds.

He was in his late 20s when he spent weeks outside the office of the Central Bank governor to tell him that he wanted to found a bank that will fund the dreams of businessmen like him.

He was able to do the above and many more by simply being Mr. Ty-nacity.