Jon Huntsman Sr. is the perfect example of the American dream. He came into the world in the small town of Blackfoot, Idaho in 1937. He left, 80 years later, a billionaire philanthropist and entrepreneur who not only made his mark but helped others in the process.
Jon Huntsman Sr. is well known for the Huntsman Cancer Institute which he created after his own battle with prostate cancer and the loss of both his parents. Over the years, he donated over $1.4 million to cancer research, but he didn’t stop there. Jon Huntsman and his wife, Karen, took The Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of their wealth upon death.
Huntsman earned all that wealth fair and square with a drive and ambition few people possess. He started with a packaging company, built in the 1970s. They produced some of the first plastic plates and bowls before moving up to fast-food containers. Remember the plastic clamshell that held your delicious Big Mac? You can thank Jon Huntsman Sr. for that as well as so much more. But Huntsman was destined to move on.
He later founded the Huntsman Corporation: an $8 billion dollar multinational company that produces chemicals used for just about anything. One could say that Huntsman has a hand in nearly everything we need: clothes, cars and cancer research.
It is indeed sad to have lost such a great man and will be exciting to see the ways in which his family carries on his legacy. There will be both a funeral and a viewing open to the public. The funeral is Sat. Feb. 10 at 11 a.m. at the Huntsman Center, 1825 S. Campus Drive at the University of Utah. The viewing will be Feb. 9 at Monument Park LDS Stake Center, 1320 S. Wasatch Drive in Salt Lake City. We lost a good man and an inspiration, but his legacy will live on in his accomplishments and the gifts he bestowed to society.
