Work

I was watching a morning news show and the lady hostess said she was the daughter of former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman. This got my attention because I knew that her grandfather John Huntsman Sr. was a self-made billionaire. He was raised dirt poor by a loving mother in a dysfunction home where his father was an alcoholic. Starting with nothing he built a chemical company from scratch and is today a wealthy man. He has set a goal to give away all of his money before he dies. He has given money to needy people around the world but his number one project is a large cancer research hospital he built in his home state of Utah. To keep in running costs him out of pocket 120 million dollars per year. He is my age and has suffered a number of times from cancer and his mother died of cancer. His son Jon Jr. has spent most of his life in public service working for various politicians including Reagan and was elected governor of Utah for two terms. Jr’s daughter is a TV talking head and his son is a naval pilot currently serving on a carrier. John Sr. has very expensive home that he is selling at below cost to give the money away. He is often criticized because many of the products his company makes and not good for the environment. For example the makes Styrofoam containers used in things like egg cartons. The reason I was interested is that his grandchildren, who could be living a life of leisure are out making careers for themselves. I think one of the finest gifts a grandfather can give is to pass on the work ethic and the Huntsman’s seem to have done that.