Was out of the hobby when Jerry came on and was not familiar with him at all. Why someone would consider heading Marvel Comics as a put down is beyond me Any company that has been around a long time (I read marvel comics as a boy in the early 50s) is nothing to disparage, no sir. When I had a retail hobby store back in the late 1980s - early 90's comic books were a big business. We didn't handle them directly but I knew people with comic book stores.
Sounds like Jerry did a great job holding Lionel together through the mess and did indeed leave it in good shape. Like Dick Kughn before him, they both brought Lionel 'back from the brink' so to speak! A lot can happen in 10 years..