Milton S. Hershey （ ） THE MAN BEHIND THE CHOCOLATE BAR

About “Hershey” A great entrepreneur and philanthropist, "he measured success, not in dollars, but in terms of a good product to pass on to the public. Milton S. Hershey was born September , shortly before the American Civil War, on a Derry Township farm located in central Pennsylvania. He was the descendant of people who immigrated to Pennsylvania from Switzerland and Germany in the 1700s. His father, Henry Hershey, was an inquisitive man who loved to read books. During Milton's childhood as he tried, among many efforts, running a fruit farm and nursery. Milton Hershey had very little formal schooling. His education was sporadic and disjointed. Although he became successful without the benefit of a good education, he made many provisions to provide the children of his community with quality schools and opportunities for learning.

As a young adult at first it seemed that Milton Hershey had no more talent for business than his father. He failed twice before he finally found success making caramel candy. The Denver confectioner taught Hershey how to make caramels with fresh milk. While this venture enjoyed some initial success, it also was plagued with cash flow problems and failed by Discouraged but not defeated, he returned to Lancaster. Aunt Mattie and his mother began once again to help him and Milton started manufacturing Hershey's "Crystal A" caramels, a "melt in your mouth" candy made with fresh milk.

Caramels gave Milton Hershey his first million, but chocolate gave him his real fortune. Milton Hershey used his chocolate fortune primarily for two projects: the town of Hershey and his Industrial School for orphan boys. Plans for building the town went hand in hand with building the factory. He would have to provide a place for at least some of his workers, as well as his managerial staff, to live. A bank, hotel, public school, churches, parks, golf courses and a zoo followed each other in rapid succession. Saddened because they had no children of their own, and anxious to put their growing fortune to good use, Milton and Catherine Hershey founded the Hershey Industrial School (now Milton Hershey School) for orphaned boys in Behind the founding of the school were Milton Hershey's own childhood memories of hard times and his hope that he could spare some children the pains he had experienced. When Milton Hershey died on October 13, 1945 at 88 years of age, a chocolate bar had carried his name around the world and made him a legend. Poor boy turned millionaire, he was loved and admired as well as envied and sometimes misunderstood.