Russ Mawby of the Kellogg Foundation (5888714788) (a)

Russell G. Mawby (February 23, 1928 – October 20, 2017) was an American academic and philanthropist who served as chairman emeritus of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He led the

W.K. Kellogg Foundation The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was founded in June 1930 as the W. K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg. In 1934, Kellogg donated more than $66 million in Kellogg Company stock and other investments to ...

for 25 years, during which he was credited for creativity in programming by providing opportunities for youth and leadership in the field.

Early life and philanthropy

Mawby was born in

Kent County, Michigan Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Detroit area. Its county seat is Grand ...

in 1928 and grew up on a fruit farm.

Education and career

Mawby attended

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

and graduated with a baccalaureate degree in

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

and was a member of

Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Rho (), commonly known as AGR, is a social/professional, agriculture fraternity in the United States, currently with 71 collegiate chapters. Founding The fraternity considers the Morrill Act of 1862 to be the instrument of its incepti ...

fraternity. In 1951 he completed his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Agricultural Economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, and in 1959 he received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

, also in

, from

. He served on the faculties of both institutions once he completed his degrees and later became a professor and assistant director of the

Cooperative Extension Service The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was an extension agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), part of the executive branch of the federal government. The 1994 Department Reorganization Act, ...

responsible for 4-H Clubs and youth programming throughout

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. In December 1964, upon the completion of his

degree, Mawby joined the staff of the

as director of the Division of Agriculture. In that position, he developed the Michigan Agricultural Leadership Program, which became a model for the national rural leadership movement. Just three years later he was promoted to

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

and in 1970 became the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

. The Kellogg Foundation became the national leader in providing support and funding for innovative programs in a number of fields including adult continuing education, access to

primary health care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

, and the development of leadership, especially through the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. Additionally, he spearheaded projects throughout the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. Upon Mawby's retirement in 1995, he served as a foundation

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

until 2000 and served as an honorary trustee until 2017.

Leadership positions

*Director of the Division of Agriculture- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1964- August 1967 *Vice President of Programs- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, January 1966- December 1967 *Vice President- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1967- May 1970 *President and Chief Executive Officer- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, May 1970- July 1995 *Chairman Emeritus- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, August 1995 – October 2017 *Member of the Board of Trustees- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 1967- December 2000 *Honorary Trustee- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, December 2000- December 2003, January 2007– October 2017

Dr. Russell G. Mawby Fellowship in Philanthropic Studies

In 2007, the Mawby Fellowship was established at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

(GVSU), located in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. The fellowship is an interdisciplinary project that pairs one GVSU faculty member with two undergraduate students on a research topic focusing on the intersection between any field of academic study and/or the theory and/or practice of philanthropy. This ongoing fellowship program honors Mawby's lifelong devotion to nurturing, mentoring, and opening doors of opportunity for youth worldwide, as well as his quarter century of leadership in the world of philanthropy as the CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Russell G. Mawby collection

In 2007, Mawby made a gift of his personal papers to the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley. This archive documents the accomplishments of a central leader in the statewide and national philanthropic fields during a pivotal time in their history, beginning with the run-up to the

Tax Reform Act of 1969 The Tax Reform Act of 1969 () was a United States federal tax law signed by President Richard Nixon in 1969. Its largest impact was creating the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was intended to tax high-income earners who had previously avoided incur ...

, covering its turbulent aftermath, continuing with the increasing diversification of philanthropy during the 1980s, the massive growth in giving caused by the tech boom of the 1990s and carrying forward to the present day. The Mawby Collection is the signature holding of the Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives and is available to researchers online and at the Seidman House. Russell G. Mawby finding aid lists in detail the materials in the collection. Speeches and field notes are accessible online in the digital collection.

Publications

Mawby, along with James Richmond, authored a book detailing his life throughout his childhood into his retirement on all of his philanthropic work. ''Russell G. Mawby: Recollections of a Man Whose Epitaph Would Say 'He Cared was written in 2006.

References

External links

The W.K. Kellogg FoundationDorothy A. Johnson Center for PhilanthropyRussell Mawby Collection, Johnson Center Philanthropy Archives at Grand Valley State University Special CollectionsRussell Mawby Collection finding aid (PDF)Historical Philanthropy TimelineTribute honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Russell Mawby

Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mawby, Russell 1928 births 2017 deaths Michigan State University alumni Purdue University College of Agriculture alumni People from Kent County, Michigan Place of death missing 20th-century American philanthropists