Milton S. Hershey Philanthropist | Franklin D. Roosevelt warning of the Tyranny of ‘Economic Royalists’ i.e. Republican Party

Because I was born in Hershey hospital and raised in a town next to Hershey, PA, I decided to check out all that this man, Milton S. Hershey contributed to this town which was named after him. Milton S. Hershey was born September 13th, 1857. There was just a celebration in the town commemorating his birth 155 years ago. He started out with the idea of manufacturing candy. Ultimately, he came up with the creation of ‘milk chocolate’ and the building of a chocolate factory, which is still a thriving business today. This region has rich soil and an abundance of dairy farms. What is most remarkable is what this entrepreneur did with his money. His legacy is his philanthropy.

Similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt who had a plan to put America to work, “The New Deal”, on a smaller scale, Milton Hershey’s vision evolved into creating a number of different enterprises for the local community. Among his creations was the construction of an elegant hotel on a hill for his wife. Hotel Hershey still looks over the town in splendor. Hershey also created gardens, horse-riding stables and an amusement park. He also established the notorious ‘Milton Hershey School‘ for orphans; originally just for boys, it now accommodates the education and shelter for girls as well. His intention was to provide for those in need and to raise the quality of life for all of the people he invited to work in the factory he built. Hershey continually reinvested. He built an empire of products and services to accommodate the townspeople. The beauty of the town and quality of its attractions have resulted in it being a popular tourist destination. He built an elegant community center for the arts. In the last decades, this elegant building has housed the Hershey Symphony; composed of a core of quality volunteer musicians whose excellence reflects the dynamic current conductor, Dr. Sandra Dackow, who brings the music to the audience with an articulate educational description of the works that are being performed. He also built a zoo. Each of these establishments are still flourishing; a testimony to one man’s intention. Presently, the town has a dynamic population of international students and workers employed at the Penn State University Hershey Medical Center.

As opposed to the Western trend (the past 15 years or so) of cutting jobs, downsizing and outsourcing – which ultimately deprives communities of work due to greed-driven incentives to cut costs – Hershey’s actions were noble. So many lives were positively affected and enhanced through his efforts to introduce conservation, education and culture to the community. All created through one man’s vision.

Here’s a video documenting the history of Hershey Park and Milton S. Hershey’s philanthropism. Upon creating a town with the success of the chocolate factory he created, he then continued to introduce all sorts of things to entertain the citizens of the town:

Milton S. Hershey built among many things, a grand ballroom to entertain his town.

a park with picnic tables, fabulous sunken gardens, a tremendous fountain, an immense public pool, a grand ballroom and also a boys orphanage, which continues today, now co-ed. Milton S. Hershey is remembered as a kind person who showed care and consideration for everyone in the community, a man of great character. 

 

 

I compare Milton S. Hershey to Franklin D. Roosevelt as representative of individuals whose altruism and humanitarianism built their leadership; their entitlement coming through their dignity, integrity and the caliber of their actions, rather than through the persuasion and corruption of money. F.D.R rescued the American economy through bold measures, creating programs to establish a myriad of new jobs across the nation. Roosevelt’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention of 1936 for his second nomination for Presidency warned of the tyranny of the “economic royalists”:
“For too many of us the political equality we once had won, was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other peoples’ property, other peoples’ money, other peoples’ labor-other peoples’ lives. For too many of us, life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.”

I have addressed this in another blog talking about the unequal distribution of money. https://digesthis.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/the-collusion-of-big-money-eroding-the-quality-of-life-for-all/

It was later in a 1938 message to Congress, that FDR warned that the growth of private power could lead to fascism.

Here are more pics revealing the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania today, and all that are the legacy of one man’s vision and generosity.

The funny thing about the center of town, is that the streets have names of chocolate, the street lights are Hershey kisses, both unwrapped and wrapped.

Hershey Kiss wrapped

Hershey Kiss chocolate candy and street light design in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The original Chocolate factory is there in the center of town.


Another view of the original factory. One of the rides – ‘the turnpike’ was incidentally where I worked as a high school student Hershey’s enterprises have employed many people in the area !-)

the entrance to the Zoo the monorail which goes through the park. and one of several rollercoasters
Then there’s the Hotel Hershey on the Hill with it’s array of attractions; horseback riding, swimming, spas, you name it. This is next to the Milton S. Hershey Boy’s High School (which since 1977 has allowed girls to attend the school). He was an exceptional man who put his fortune into the orphanage and built up the entire town. I commemorate him, yet wanted to add the mention of his contemporary, Franklin Roosevelt, whose vision for America is even more profound today in the 21st century. As I mentioned in an earlier blog http://carolkeiter.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/america-in-decline-built-through-a-series-of-great-steals-written-by-louie-davis-june-26-1988-for-his-elderhostel-students/ on my carolkeiter.wordpress site, I cited an article those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it!