John Dunham West was born in 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Charles Cameron West and Julia Bernice Dunham. John's father was engaged in business in the Chicago area.
While at Cornell University he met Ruth St. John and they were married in Ithaca, New York in 1932. They moved to Manitowoc and purchased property along the shores of Lake Michigan to build their home. It was largely Ruth's personal efforts that converted six acres of quack grass and thistle into the beautiful flower gardens known as the "West of the Lake Gardens". See www.westofthelake.org to view information pertaining to the gardens.
John West graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering in 1932 and shortly thereafter, joined The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company as it was called then. He succeeded his father as President of the company in 1957 and served in that capacity until 1981 when he became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
Under his years of strong leadership, the company excelled in shipbuilding and achieved world leadership in ice cube machines and crawler cranes. John West retired on January 2, 1988.
John West passed away on December 1, 1989 and Ruth West passed on October 30, 1990. From the time of the founding of the corporation until the death of Ruth West, the Foundation was used as a vehicle by the Wests to distribute their personal charity to worthy causes, mostly in the Manitowoc area. Their philanthropy was done quietly and without publicity. They also used their personal resources, aside from the Foundation assets, to benefit many projects and individuals too numerous to mention in this brief history.
One more significant contribution by the Wests to the Manitowoc-Two Rivers community was their support of the Rahr-West Art Museum.
Literally millions of dollars were given by the Wests personally for the construction of the exhibition wings of the museum and for the purchase of works of art for the permanent collection of the museum.
Following the deaths of the Wests, the major portion of their considerable estate was bequeathed to the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc. Most of these funds were received by the Foundation early in 1991.
While at Cornell University he met Ruth St. John and they were married in Ithaca, New York in 1932. They moved to Manitowoc and purchased property along the shores of Lake Michigan to build their home. It was largely Ruth's personal efforts that converted six acres of quack grass and thistle into the beautiful flower gardens known as the "West of the Lake Gardens". See www.westofthelake.org to view information pertaining to the gardens.
John West graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering in 1932 and shortly thereafter, joined The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company as it was called then. He succeeded his father as President of the company in 1957 and served in that capacity until 1981 when he became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
Under his years of strong leadership, the company excelled in shipbuilding and achieved world leadership in ice cube machines and crawler cranes. John West retired on January 2, 1988.
John West passed away on December 1, 1989 and Ruth West passed on October 30, 1990. From the time of the founding of the corporation until the death of Ruth West, the Foundation was used as a vehicle by the Wests to distribute their personal charity to worthy causes, mostly in the Manitowoc area. Their philanthropy was done quietly and without publicity. They also used their personal resources, aside from the Foundation assets, to benefit many projects and individuals too numerous to mention in this brief history.
One more significant contribution by the Wests to the Manitowoc-Two Rivers community was their support of the Rahr-West Art Museum.
Literally millions of dollars were given by the Wests personally for the construction of the exhibition wings of the museum and for the purchase of works of art for the permanent collection of the museum.
Following the deaths of the Wests, the major portion of their considerable estate was bequeathed to the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc. Most of these funds were received by the Foundation early in 1991.
John Dunham West was born in 1906 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Charles Cameron West and Julia Bernice Dunham. John's father was engaged in business in the Chicago area.
While at Cornell University he met Ruth St. John and they were married in Ithaca, New York in 1932. They moved to Manitowoc and purchased property along the shores of Lake Michigan to build their home. It was largely Ruth's personal efforts that converted six acres of quack grass and thistle into the beautiful flower gardens known as the "West of the Lake Gardens". See www.westofthelake.org to view information pertaining to the gardens.
John West graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering in 1932 and shortly thereafter, joined The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company as it was called then. He succeeded his father as President of the company in 1957 and served in that capacity until 1981 when he became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
Under his years of strong leadership, the company excelled in shipbuilding and achieved world leadership in ice cube machines and crawler cranes. John West retired on January 2, 1988.
John West passed away on December 1, 1989 and Ruth West passed on October 30, 1990. From the time of the founding of the corporation until the death of Ruth West, the Foundation was used as a vehicle by the Wests to distribute their personal charity to worthy causes, mostly in the Manitowoc area. Their philanthropy was done quietly and without publicity. They also used their personal resources, aside from the Foundation assets, to benefit many projects and individuals too numerous to mention in this brief history.
One more significant contribution by the Wests to the Manitowoc-Two Rivers community was their support of the Rahr-West Art Museum.
Literally millions of dollars were given by the Wests personally for the construction of the exhibition wings of the museum and for the purchase of works of art for the permanent collection of the museum.
Following the deaths of the Wests, the major portion of their considerable estate was bequeathed to the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc. Most of these funds were received by the Foundation early in 1991.
While at Cornell University he met Ruth St. John and they were married in Ithaca, New York in 1932. They moved to Manitowoc and purchased property along the shores of Lake Michigan to build their home. It was largely Ruth's personal efforts that converted six acres of quack grass and thistle into the beautiful flower gardens known as the "West of the Lake Gardens". See www.westofthelake.org to view information pertaining to the gardens.
John West graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering in 1932 and shortly thereafter, joined The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company as it was called then. He succeeded his father as President of the company in 1957 and served in that capacity until 1981 when he became Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
Under his years of strong leadership, the company excelled in shipbuilding and achieved world leadership in ice cube machines and crawler cranes. John West retired on January 2, 1988.
John West passed away on December 1, 1989 and Ruth West passed on October 30, 1990. From the time of the founding of the corporation until the death of Ruth West, the Foundation was used as a vehicle by the Wests to distribute their personal charity to worthy causes, mostly in the Manitowoc area. Their philanthropy was done quietly and without publicity. They also used their personal resources, aside from the Foundation assets, to benefit many projects and individuals too numerous to mention in this brief history.
One more significant contribution by the Wests to the Manitowoc-Two Rivers community was their support of the Rahr-West Art Museum.
Literally millions of dollars were given by the Wests personally for the construction of the exhibition wings of the museum and for the purchase of works of art for the permanent collection of the museum.
Following the deaths of the Wests, the major portion of their considerable estate was bequeathed to the Ruth St. John and John Dunham West Foundation, Inc. Most of these funds were received by the Foundation early in 1991.
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