Larry Mellon
Encyclopedia
William Larimer "Larry" Mellon (1910–1989) was an American philanthropist
and physician
.
He was born in Pittsburgh June 26, 1910, the son of financier
William Larimer Mellon, Sr. and a grandnephew of U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon
. His family
fortune derived from Gulf Oil
, Westinghouse
, BNY Mellon, Koppers
, Alcoa
and others.
He was married twice, the second time to ranch hand and single mother Gwen Grant. He attended Princeton University
for one year, worked for his family's Mellon Financial
and served in the OSS
during World War II.
He owned and operated a cattle ranch in Arizona
until, at the age of 37, he read about, and then studied, Albert Schweitzer
's medical missionary work in Gabon
, and resolved with Schweitzer's encouragement and guidance to create a similar third-world hospital. He and Gwen Grant Mellon enrolled at Tulane University
; he received his medical degree in 1954 at the age of 44, and she became qualified as a medical-laboratory technician.
In 1956, they opened the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti in Deschapelles
, Haiti
.
He died in Deschapelles at the age of 79 with cancer
and Parkinson's disease
, on August 3, 1989.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
He was born in Pittsburgh June 26, 1910, the son of financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
William Larimer Mellon, Sr. and a grandnephew of U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew W. Mellon
Andrew William Mellon was an American banker, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector and Secretary of the Treasury from March 4, 1921 until February 12, 1932.-Early life:...
. His family
Mellon family
The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential family originally of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, and its vicinity. In addition to Mellon Bank they were principally known for their control over Gulf Oil, Alcoa, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Koppers, as well as their major influence on...
fortune derived from Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil was a major global oil company from the 1900s to the 1980s. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies...
, Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
, BNY Mellon, Koppers
Koppers
Koppers is a global chemical and materials company based in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States in an art-deco 1920s skyscraper, the Koppers Tower.-Structure:...
, Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
and others.
He was married twice, the second time to ranch hand and single mother Gwen Grant. He attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
for one year, worked for his family's Mellon Financial
Mellon Financial
Mellon Financial Corporation, was one of the world's largest money management firms. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was in the business of institutional and high-net-worth-individual asset management, including the Dreyfus family of mutual funds; business banking; and shareholder and...
and served in the OSS
OSS
-Science and technology:* Open-source software* Open Sound System, a standard interface for making and capturing sound in Unix operating systems* Open Search Server, search engine software...
during World War II.
He owned and operated a cattle ranch in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
until, at the age of 37, he read about, and then studied, Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
's medical missionary work in Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, and resolved with Schweitzer's encouragement and guidance to create a similar third-world hospital. He and Gwen Grant Mellon enrolled at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
; he received his medical degree in 1954 at the age of 44, and she became qualified as a medical-laboratory technician.
In 1956, they opened the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti in Deschapelles
Deschapelles
This article refers to a town in Haiti. For the French chess master, see Alexandre Deschapelles.Deschapelles is a town in Haiti, in the Artibonite Valley. Deschapelles is where the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti is located.-External links:*...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
.
He died in Deschapelles at the age of 79 with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, on August 3, 1989.
External links
- Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti
- Friends of the Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti
- Paris, BarryBarry ParisBarry Paris is an author and journalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His best-known works include acclaimed biographies of film stars Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn. He is a movie reviewer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and co-host of a weekly radio show on WQED-FM. Paris...
. Song of Haiti (2000), a biography of Larry and Gwen Grant Mellon. - Zwolak, Judith. "Hospital of Hope" in Tulane Magazine, an article about Mellon