Herbert Nootbaar
Herbert Victor Nootbaar (born November 8, 1908) is an American businessman and philanthropist who has endowed to various organizations and institutes, such as Pepperdine University. He is an Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient.
Early life
Herbert Nootbaar was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 8, 1908, to parents Max and Minnie Nootbaar. His father Max was a German-born police officer of Dutch heritage.[1] The family moved to California in 1920.[2]
Career
Nootbaar mainly worked in the agricultural sector, purchasing and selling grain and animal feeds. In the 1940s, he was the vice-CEO for Ralston Purina, now owned by the Swiss company Nestlé.[3] He was the president of the National Grain & Feed Association. He has also been the chairman of the San Gabriel Valley Council chairman in 1954-1955.[4]
Nootbaar was a member of the World Affairs Council of Orange County.[5] He and his late wife Elinor created the Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion and Ethics at the Pepperdine University School of Law. In addition, the Hall of Fame building of the University of Southern California baseball team USC Trojans at the Dedeaux Field is named Herbert V. Nootbaar Baseball Office and Hall of Fame Complex.[2]
Nootbaar was a close friend of Ronald Reagan and donated money to his presidential library in the White House. He was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2014, which is given to immigrants (and their descendants) with significant contributions to the United States.[6] He turned 108 years old on November 8, 2016, in Laguna Beach.[7]
Personal life
Nootbaar has been married twice. On June 4, 1930, Nootbaar married Dorothy Martha Taylor, the daughter of a grain producer for whom he worked.[8] The couple had three children in total. A year after her death in 1982, he married his long-time employee Elinor W. Barker on January 30, 1983.[9] She died on March 27, 2011, at the age of 87.[10]
References
- ^ "Happy New Year to a 106 year-old". Charleston Mercury. January 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ a b "Rewarding a lifetime of achievement". Orange County Register. May 18, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Nootbaar Heads Rotary". Pasadena Independent. June 30, 1966. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Salvage Agencies In County Get 3 Million In Welfare Services". Covina Argus Citizen. November 25, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Council to View Soviet Exhibit". Pasadena Star News. March 7, 1972. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Crowd: Celebrating 105 years - and more to come". Los Angeles Times. July 3, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Chairman Spotlight: Herbert Nootbaar" (PDF). USC Associates Circle. Spring 2015. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Endowing Ethics". Wall Street Journal. August 31, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "A Laguna Beach Treasure - Mr. Herb Nootbar". St. Joseph Health Mission Hospital. May 8, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- ^ "Elinor Barker Nootbaar". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.