Milton Hershey

Some people know Milton Hershey for making chocolate but others know him for his hardworking attitude. Born in rural central Pennsylvania, Hershey founded his first business at the age of 19. This didn't last long because he soon moved to Chicago, New Orleans, and New York to try his luck there. But all were a bust until he moved back to Pennsylvania in the city of Lancaster. There he started the Lancaster Caramel Company which was a hit for Hershey. But when he had the opportunity to make chocolate he jumped on it. He spent a long time perfecting his recipe but it was worth it because he would soon revolutionize chocolate and with the money he would make he would then spend it to help over 1000 children. His dedication was seen by others that he cared about. While his generosity to his community would also show how others feel about him. Milton Hershey's generosity and determination made him a hero that others could look up to.

Milton Hershey shows his generosity when creating his business from the ground up. His business being successful depended on him doing this: "Hershey literally built a town for his factory workers,..."(NNDB). Instead of keeping the money for his own use, he invested in the town. This would let workers walk to and from his factory. They wouldn't have to pay for gas so that money could be used for their families. In his town he invested in his school by: "...Milton Hershey decided to give his entire personal fortune of $60 million to the school" (Polyak). Back then $60 million was a lot of money to go to just one school or any school for that matter today. This generous act will provide the school with the everyday needs and for all of the teachers. These acts have shown us today why Milton Hershey was a generous man.

Milton Hershey carried determination when starting up his business. Milton Hershey would start as soon as he could to become successful in his business: "He was an ambitious young man. Aged 19 he founded his own company,..."(Biography Reference Center) To go out on his own as earlier as 19 to try start a business is almost unheard of these days. His drive for being successful was hard to keep up with, even at such a young age. He would not stop doing what he loved for a living until he was successful: "After several failed attempts to start his own businesses in Chicago, New Orleans and New York, Hershey finally returned to Lancaster in 1886 and created the Lancaster Caramel Company"(David). This shows how he was not going to stop until he was successful in life. Learning from each mistake made him able to get to where he was in 1886. Milton Hershey's determination was seen through his many years of failure in trying to start his business.

Milton Hershey once believed: "'Give them the quality, that's the best kind of advertising in the world...'"(Hershey). His determination and generosity reflex's his belief. This is why I believe that we need more people like Milton Hershey in our society now; people willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals and be successful in life. Milton Hershey led his life to greatness and even when he found his success he was never selfish at all. He would always donate to others and give more and more money to the orphan kids. But he never had to, once. He always did it out of the goodness in his heart. Seeing others happy made him happy. So I guess that's why he wanted to sell chocolate. This kind man is an inspiration to me because of what he did outside the walls of his business. His love to others and tending to their needs made him the hero in my eyes. Milton Hershey is a hero for making chocolate but also because of his generosity and determination.

Works Consulted:

Polyak, Amanda. "Milton S. Hershey." Milton S. Hershey. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.

David. "The My Hero Project - Milton S. Hershey." Myhero.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.

"Milton Hershey." Business Leader Profiles for Students. Ed. Sheila Dow and Jaime E. Noce. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Biography In Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2013.

"Milton Hershey." Milton Hershey. NNDB, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

"Milton Snavely Hershey." Bloomsbury Business Library - Business Thinkers & Management Giants (2007): 16. Biography Reference Center. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.