Milton Hershey

 

IF there was ever a man who was wealthy, but was an even greater human being…..it would be Milton Hershey. Google him, but I am sure the story does not tell his whole story. He created towns (not only in Hershey Pa, but also on the sugar plantations he owned in other countries.), he created hospitals for his workers, he created schools for his workers children, he made railroads for transportation, he created his own orphanage for disadvantaged children, schooled them and gave them the choice of college or a stipend to start life with.

He built a series of “McMansions” for his executives, right across the street from the factory and his executive were on call 24/7 if any trouble developed in the factory.

Milton Hershey build an amusement park, a stadium, and their candy making museum in Hershey. When he and his wife were in Italy on holiday they stayed in an Italian villa that his wife fell in love with. So Milton Hershey had an architect design and build a similar large villa (Italian materials) on the hill overlooking the town and factory below.

Milton Hershey build a railroad for his workers to ride to work and Milton Hershey knew all the workers by their first name, because he rode the train and spoke with his workers daily. Whenever he would hear of a worker that was having troubles, he would get involved and try to remedy the situation for his worker.

“During the great depression,” Milton Hershey did NOT lay off one worker. He actually kept hiring all they way through the depression. Milton Hershey also supplied chocolates to the military in C-rations during the second world war.

Milton Hershey was worth about 2 billion dollars (in todays money) when he decided to turn his entire wealth over to his orphanage in a trust so the orphanage could help more students into perpetuity. He then managed to earn another 2 billion dollars before his death. He willed that money to the orphanage trust also.

Now, that is a wealthy man I can admire.