EOTO Part I: Ellen Browning Scripps
She serves as a selfless, hopeful, and brilliant role-model for most woman and spent her days contributing to public service and making the world around her a better place. She was an avid supporter in the endeavors of young individuals and donated much of her money to public funds for more schools and organizations that would create a positive and enriching experience for the most impressionable among society.
She was born on October 18, 1936 in London, England to a family with an abundance of children but lost her mother at a very early age. Shortly thereafter, her father, who was a prominent bookbinder at the time, emigrated with his family to Rushville, Illinois, where Ellen would receive her education. From an early age, she proved to exceptionally bright and talented in the areas of reading comprehension, public speaking, and also showed a proficiency in writing and with a strong proclivity towards teaching others her newfound knowledge, including her siblings.
Her education consisted of various different local private schools as well as an all-female seminary where she spent her young adolescent days. She then went on to become one of the few people in her family to receive a college education from Knox College. She started her career modestly as a teacher in a public school where she further strengthened her leadership skills and patient disposition.
Her first job related to the field of journalism was when she accepted an editing position for the Detroit Tribune but soon after, her father fell gravely ill and she gave up her coveted position to return to Rushville to care for him full time.
After his death in 1873, she decided to join her brother’s new paper that he founded: Detroit Evening News, where she took on a position in editing and also took a big financial leap of faith when she invested her savings into her brother’s paper. This was significant considering this was in the post-war period where everyone was terrified of the prospect of investing money, but she believed in her brother and his paper and knew in her heart that she was making the right decision.
This proved to be an excellent choice as the paper did astonishingly well in terms of profit. She proved to be quite a savvy business woman and was had a natural knack for budgeting and managing finances. She then joined her brothers in founding the Cleveland Press, which she invested significantly in, and she made gained quite a large profit through her investments.
Her financial worth was somewhere close to $30 million, which was incredibly substantial, especially for a woman back then. However, her lifestyle remained modest throughout the duration of her life because she donated most of it to public funds for the benefit of humanity.
She donated graciously to many hospitals, schools, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, zoos, and the YMCA and YWCA. She remained steadfast to her philanthropic duties which would best benefit young minds and their educational opportunities.
She retired to La Jolla, California, where she continued with her philanthropic work and donated millions to colleges, museums, research institutes, and playgrounds - many of which eventually named their establishments after her. She never married, but found great joy in devoting her life to public service and passed away peacefully on August 3rd, 1932. Her legacy will continue on with the minds she has enriched because of her generous charitable work.
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