Lila Acheson Wallace
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Lila Bell Wallace (December 25, 1889 – May 8, 1984) was an American magazine publisher and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Born as Lila Bell Acheson in Virden, Manitoba, Canada, her father was a Presbyterian minister who brought his family to the USA when she was a child, and she grew up in the Midwest.
In 1917, she graduated from the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, taught at schools for two years, and then worked for the Young Women's Christian Association. She also studied at Ward–Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]
Marriage and career
In 1921, she married DeWitt Wallace, with whom she co-founded the Reader's Digest magazine; they published the first issue in 1922.
Philanthropy
In her lifetime, she made philanthropic contributions estimated at $60 million.
Legacy and honors
The Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writers Award was given in her memory from 1990 to 2000.[2]
On January 28, 1972, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon.[3] In 1992, she was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Arts.[4]
Death
She died from heart failure, age 94, in Mount Kisco, New York.[5]
See also
- List of people from New York
- List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- List of University of Oregon alumni
References
- ^ [1]. Wallace Foundation.
- ^ "Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Awards". Wallace Foundation. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ The American Presidency Project
- ^ [dead link] "Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts". National Endowment for the Arts.
- ^ Staff (May 9, 1984). "Lila Wallace, Who Bestowed Reader's Digest Wealth, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1889 births
- 1984 deaths
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century publishers
- American magazine founders
- American magazine publishers (people)
- American women in business
- American philanthropists
- American Presbyterians
- Businesspeople from Manitoba
- Businesspeople from New York
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Canadian women in business
- People from Mount Kisco, New York
- People from Pleasantville, New York
- People from Virden, Manitoba
- Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
- Reader's Digest
- United States National Medal of Arts recipients
- University of Oregon alumni
- Ward–Belmont College alumni
- Women company founders
- Women in publishing