Daily News from New York, New York • 170

GOOD SKATES BILL STAHL AR. DAILY NEWS MIGHTY FUN: Characters from Disney's "Hercules," and the mouse himself, lead skaters from Eva's Village through ice at Meadowlands arena. Talk cheap for rich guy St. dered HUCK the invisibly other FEENEY day up wan- 52nd and turned in to the '21' Club. He looked a bit miserable because he was about to give a speech in semi-public.

It was a first, and a last. Feeney is what Donald Trump would be if he lived his entire existence backward. In complete secrecy, JIM Feeney gave DWYER about $3.5 billion to charity over the last decade or so. Please spell that "billion," with a B. Somehow, he managed to become the biggest donor in American history bigger than the Rockefellers.

the Carnegies, the Mellons without nailing a single plaque to a museum wall or feeding a bold-face item about himself to the gossip columns. All the charity only became public earlier this year, after he sold the last of his business interests. That Feeney is a private man who could walk a dozen blocks from his office to the speech without a single perSMEN son tans wilder who pointing the sort to of him addicted business must be- tiare to ATIVO nius publicity and about generosity. their from own Eliza- geFeeney comes beth, N.J., a place not prone to causing dangerous bloat of the ego. Most of his family a 2661 ews boisterous and nieces clan of who kids, are neph- making their his way in the turned world without money November up but has event for of keeps homes a the his Feeney around extremely schedule the speech.

world rare and He whereabouts to himself. Thursday, my, pick "He'll can me up you call at up bring and Elizabeth the say, car 'Tom- train, and station in 20 says a nephew. "And there's Uncle Chuck, waiting on a train platform near the junkies and the hookers." Give him one reason why a New Jersey Transit train is not good enough for a billionaire, and he might switch to the bus. Feeney made his fortune at airports he ran a wildly profitable chain of dutyfree shops in airports around the world but he travels coach. The idea is to live normally.

Speeches are not part of that program, but he got hooked this week by a friend, Niall O'Dowd, publisher of Irish America magazine, which was honoring 100 Celtic business people. It was a polish-free speech, like an unprepared uncle giving a toast at a wedding. "I describe myself as 'what you see is what you Feeney said, shrugging. Among the people he admires, he mentioned a doctor who performs plastic surgery on kids in poor nations, a man engineering water supplies to dry villages, another person who delivers scholarships to disadvantaged kids in Chicago. His big project in the last few years was working on a ceasefire and peace negotiations in Northern Ireland.

With a group of Irish-Americans, he met with the Irish Republican Army and bargained for a ceasefire in Northern Ireland, which included funding for the IRA's political party, Sinn Fein. That thrilled the British newspapers. However, Feeney drove similar, unpublicized bargains with the other side, Loyalist paramilitaries. "Peaceful democratic means," he said, are the only, method for moving forward. To curry favor with the two members of the press on the scene, Feeney told how he had taken a course at Cornell in banking.

The teacher wrote on his paper: "You have a flair for writing but no knowledge of the subject matter. Have you considered journalism?" He concluded his talk in style. "That's it," he said. "I'm not doing this again." His family beamed. "We would go on these strange trips," said nephew Tommy, "end up in France, and he'd say, oh fellows, the only place available, it's old, it doesn't have air conditioning.

One time, he sent for us to come to Honolulu, and we came off the plane in regular clothes, and we walked through one of his duty-free shops. When we came out the other side, we were all dressed like Don Ho." A Feeney daughter glanced around the restaurant and recalled a visit a few years ago. "We walked into the '21' without a reservation, most of the family, party of seven," said C. Feeney, struggling actress. "They said, 'Who are He said, 'Chuck They said, 'Oh, of course, Mr.

and brought us to this excellent table. We said, this is so cool that Daddy walks in and gets this table. It turned out to be Chub Feeney's table, who used to be the president of the National League." By the way, Tommy the nephew has a last name and C. Feeney the daughter has a first name, but neither are being published here so that they do not go stark raving mad with people calling to ask for Feeney money. They don't have it.

Neither do I or the Daily News. Feeney's money is gone somewhere, I don't know where, so don't ask. A son attended the speech in a sweater and open-collared shirt. But this was not the calculated dressingdown of an arrogant rich kid. "I think I'm wearing the only tie in the whole family," Feeney said.

Landlord resurfaces, talks through lawyer By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM talk to them, the only thing they can say back and ALICE McQUILLAN to him is "Happy Thanksgiving." Daily News Staff Writers Rodriguez' civil attorney, Joseph Marro, The lower Manhattan landlord who van- said the landlord called Monday night and ished days after two of his tenants disap- then met with him and Rosen. peared has resurfaced and hired a high- The next day, Rosen spoke with Manhattan powered criminal defense attorney. Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidenmann Michael Rosen, a lawyer whose infamous and said his client "wants to be cooperative." clients have included alleged mob capo Rosen, however, said authorities can't Thomas Gambino, told authorities he won't search Rodriguez' Manhattan building and let them near landlord Bob Rodriguez with- home in Orange County, nor can they talk to out an arrest warrant. the 56-year-old landlord, sources said.

Frustrated investigators still have no firm 'When you have an arrest warrant, let me evidence of a crime in the disappearance of Rosen told Seidenmann, sources tenants Michael Sullivan and Camden Syl- said. via. Marro would not say where Rodriguez Probers also are looking into the disap- went when he skipped out on a scheduled sitpearance of a man who used to work for Ro- down with detectives Nov. 16 about Sullivan, driguez and vanished in 1991. 54, and Sylvia, 36, who vanished Nov.

7. 090 "We don't have a thing," said one detective 3 039 who bitterly joked that if Rodriguez won't SEE LANDLORD PAGE 95 anisis stidW 12 notice 16.