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{{short description|American businessman and engineer}}
{{other people||George Woodruff (disambiguation){{!}}George Woodruff}}
{{other people||George Woodruff (disambiguation){{!}}George Woodruff}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = George Waldo Woodruff
|name = George Waldo Woodruff
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|birth_place =
|birth_place =
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|02|04|1895|08|25}}
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1987|02|04|1895|08|25}}
|death_place = [[Emory University Hospital]],<br/>Atlanta, Georgia
|death_place = [[Emory University Hospital]], Atlanta, Georgia, US
|body_discovered =
|body_discovered =
|death_cause = [[Pneumonia]]
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|ethnicity =
|citizenship =
|citizenship =
|other_names =
|other_names =
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|education =
|education =
|alma_mater = [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]]
|alma_mater = [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]]
|employer = [[Coca Cola Company]]
|occupation =
|occupation =
|years_active =
|years_active =
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|title =
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|opponents =
|opponents =
|boards =
|boards =
|spouse = Irene King Woodruff (1918&ndash;1982)
|religion =
|spouse = Irene King Woodruff (1918-1982)
|partner =
|partner =
|children = [[Jane Woodruff]] <br /> [[Irene Woodruff]] <br /> [[Frances Woodruff]]
|children = [[Jane Woodruff]] <br /> [[Irene Woodruff]] <br /> [[Frances Woodruff]]
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|website =
|website =
|footnotes =
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}}
'''George Waldo Woodruff''' (August 27, 1895 - February 4, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an engineer, businessman, and [[philanthropist]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. He attended the [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] in 1917 and gave generously to both his alma mater and [[Emory University]], including (in coordination with his brother [[Robert W. Woodruff]]) what was at the time the single largest donation ever to a school, $105 million to Emory University in 1979.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/06/obituaries/george-w-woodruff-atlanta-philanthropist.html|title=George W. Woodruff, Atlanta Philanthropist|work=[[New York Times]]|date=1987-02-06|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://emoryhistory.emory.edu/people/guidinglights/WoodruffGift.html|title=People & Leaders: The Impact of "The Gift"|publisher=[[Emory University]]|accessdate=2009-08-06}}</ref>
'''George Waldo Woodruff''' (August 27, 1895 &ndash; February 4, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an American engineer, businessman, and [[philanthropist]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia]]. He attended the [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] in 1917 and gave generously to both his alma mater and [[Emory University]], including (in coordination with his brother [[Robert W. Woodruff]]) what was at the time the single largest donation ever to a school, $105 million to Emory University in 1979.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/06/obituaries/george-w-woodruff-atlanta-philanthropist.html|title=George W. Woodruff, Atlanta Philanthropist|work=[[New York Times]]|date=1987-02-06|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://emoryhistory.emory.edu/people/guidinglights/WoodruffGift.html |title=People & Leaders: The Impact of "The Gift" |publisher=[[Emory University]] |accessdate=2009-08-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005232820/http://emoryhistory.emory.edu/people/guidinglights/WoodruffGift.html |archivedate=2008-10-05 }}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Woodruff went to high school at Tech High School (now [[Henry W. Grady High School]]) and attended Georgia Tech's [[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering|School of Mechanical Engineering]] and later the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], but left school in 1917 due to [[World War I]].<ref name="obit"/><ref name="gt">{{cite web|url=http://video.library.gatech.edu/cgi-bin/Griffin/griffin.pl?showpic=GP204&lastpicnum=120&search=griffin&fieldtype=key&dispic=no|title=George W. Woodruff|publisher=[[Georgia Tech Library|Georgia Tech Archives and Records Management]]|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref> At Georgia Tech, he was a brother of the [[Kappa Alpha Order]].<ref>[http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/13188 Georgia Institute of Technology, "Blue Print 1916"]</ref>
Woodruff went to high school at Tech High School (now [[Midtown High School (Atlanta)|Midtown High School]]) and attended Georgia Tech's [[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering|School of Mechanical Engineering]] and later the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], but left school in 1917 due to [[World War I]].<ref name="obit"/><ref name="gt">{{cite web|url=http://video.library.gatech.edu/cgi-bin/Griffin/griffin.pl?showpic=GP204&lastpicnum=120&search=griffin&fieldtype=key&dispic=no |title=George W. Woodruff |publisher=[[Georgia Tech Library|Georgia Tech Archives and Records Management]] |accessdate=2009-08-03 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> At Georgia Tech, he was a brother of the [[Kappa Alpha Order]].<ref>[http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/13188 Georgia Institute of Technology, "Blue Print 1916"]</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
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==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Woodruff is the namesake of several notable educational programs in Georgia. The [[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering]] at [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]] is the university's oldest and second-largest school; it was named for Woodruff in 1985 on the school's centennial.<ref name="gt"/> Also at Georgia Tech, the Woodruff Dining Hall is the only dining hall on west campus. Woodruff left the Georgia Tech Foundation $37.5 million in his will, one of the largest private gifts the school has received.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/us/coca-cola-heiress-sues-for-fortune.html|title=Coca-Cola Heiress Sues For Fortune|work=[[New York Times]]|date=1987-05-03|accessdate=2009-08-06 | first=William E. | last=Schmidt}}</ref>
Woodruff is the namesake of several notable educational programs in Georgia. The [[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering]] at [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]] is the university's oldest and second-largest school; it was named for Woodruff in 1985 on the school's centennial.<ref name="gt"/> Also at Georgia Tech, the Woodruff Residence Hall is a dorm on west campus. Woodruff left the Georgia Tech Foundation $37.5 million in his will, one of the largest private gifts the school has received.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/us/coca-cola-heiress-sues-for-fortune.html|title=Coca-Cola Heiress Sues For Fortune|work=[[New York Times]]|date=1987-05-03|accessdate=2009-08-06 | first=William E. | last=Schmidt}}</ref>


Woodruff's will provided that his daughter, Frances Woodruff received no money, although it provides for the establishment of a $200,000 trust to be used on her behalf should she become destitute.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/us/coca-cola-heiress-sues-for-fortune.html ''The New York Times'']</ref>
Under the terms of his will, according to the lawsuit, his two other daughters, Jane and Irene, were each to receive about $30 million. Trust Fund for Daughter.


Under the terms of his will, according to a lawsuit, his two other daughters, Jane and Irene, were each to receive about $30 million.
Woodruff's will provided that his daughter, Frances Woodruff received no money, although it provides for the establishment of a $200,000 trust to be used on her behalf should she becomes destitute.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/us/coca-cola-heiress-sues-for-fortune.html</ref>


Woodruff is remembered at [[Mercer University]] as well. He bequeathed the university's law school a $15 million endowment; the Woodruff Curriculum at Mercer's [[Walter F. George School of Law]] is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.mercer.edu/News/Articles/2005/050519lawaward.htm|title=Childers Receives Top Honor at Law School|date=2005-05-19|accessdate=2009-08-06|publisher=[[Mercer University]]|first=Jenny|last=Butkus}}</ref> At Emory, the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center and the George and Irene Woodruff Residential Center bear his name.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CtFlw7CcczEC&lpg=PA91&ots=DVcgj0dK4S&dq=%22george%20woodruff%22%20coca%20cola&pg=PA91#v=onepage&q=&f=false|isbn=1-59629-375-6|title=Atlanta's Druid Hills|first=Robert|last=Hartle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/atlanta/portmanemory/physed.html|title=George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center, Emory University|first=Mary Ann|last=Sullivan|year=2003|accessdate=2009-08-06}}</ref> Finally, there are numerous scholarships at Georgia Tech, Mercer, Emory and the [[University of Georgia]] named in his memory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.me.gatech.edu/giving/endowments.shtml|title=Endowments|publisher=[[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering]]|accessdate=2009-08-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.mercer.edu/admissions/scholarships.cfm|title=Scholarships|publisher=[[Mercer University School of Law]]|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/090730_Woodruff.shtml|title=UGA awards 2009 George W. Woodruff Honors Scholarship|first=Joelle|last=Walls|publisher=[[University of Georgia]]|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref>
Woodruff is remembered at [[Mercer University]] as well. He bequeathed the university's law school a $15 million endowment; the Woodruff Curriculum at Mercer's [[Walter F. George School of Law]] is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.mercer.edu/News/Articles/2005/050519lawaward.htm|title=Childers Receives Top Honor at Law School|date=2005-05-19|accessdate=2009-08-06|publisher=[[Mercer University]]|first=Jenny|last=Butkus}}</ref> At Emory, the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center and the George and Irene Woodruff Residential Center bear his name.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CtFlw7CcczEC&q=%22george%20woodruff%22%20coca%20cola&pg=PA91|isbn=978-1-59629-375-5|title=Atlanta's Druid Hills|first=Robert|last=Hartle|year=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/atlanta/portmanemory/physed.html|title=George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center, Emory University|first=Mary Ann|last=Sullivan|year=2003|accessdate=2009-08-06}}</ref> Finally, there are numerous scholarships at Georgia Tech, Mercer, Emory and the [[University of Georgia]] named in his memory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.me.gatech.edu/giving/endowments.shtml|title=Endowments|publisher=[[George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering]]|accessdate=2009-08-06|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929153621/http://www.me.gatech.edu/giving/endowments.shtml|archivedate=2011-09-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.mercer.edu/admissions/scholarships.cfm |title=Scholarships |publisher=[[Mercer University School of Law]] |accessdate=2009-08-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323070004/http://www.law.mercer.edu/admissions/scholarships.cfm |archivedate=2009-03-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/090730_Woodruff.shtml|title=UGA awards 2009 George W. Woodruff Honors Scholarship|first=Joelle|last=Walls|publisher=[[University of Georgia]]|accessdate=2009-08-03}}</ref>


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite book|title=George Waldo Woodruff: A Life of Quiet Achievement|first=Della Wager|last=Wells|publisher=[[Mercer University]]|year=1987|ISBN=0-86554-298-8}}
* {{cite book|title=George Waldo Woodruff: A Life of Quiet Achievement|first=Della Wager|last=Wells|publisher=[[Mercer University]]|year=1987|isbn=0-86554-298-8}}


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Georgia Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Georgia Tech alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople in the drink industry]]
[[Category:American drink industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:Coca-Cola people]]
[[Category:Coca-Cola people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Atlanta]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:American chief executives of food industry companies]]
[[Category:American chief executives of food industry companies]]
[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]

Latest revision as of 06:52, 9 April 2024

George Waldo Woodruff
George W. Woodruff
Born(1895-08-25)August 25, 1895
DiedFebruary 4, 1987(1987-02-04) (aged 91)
Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, US
Alma materGeorgia Tech
Known forDirector of the Coca Cola Company for 49 years; philanthropist
SpouseIrene King Woodruff (1918–1982)
ChildrenJane Woodruff
Irene Woodruff
Frances Woodruff
ParentErnest Woodruff
RelativesRobert W. Woodruff (brother)

George Waldo Woodruff (August 27, 1895 – February 4, 1987 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an American engineer, businessman, and philanthropist in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1917 and gave generously to both his alma mater and Emory University, including (in coordination with his brother Robert W. Woodruff) what was at the time the single largest donation ever to a school, $105 million to Emory University in 1979.[1][2]

Early life[edit]

Woodruff went to high school at Tech High School (now Midtown High School) and attended Georgia Tech's School of Mechanical Engineering and later the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but left school in 1917 due to World War I.[1][3] At Georgia Tech, he was a brother of the Kappa Alpha Order.[4]

Career[edit]

From 1936 to 1985 (49 years), Woodruff was the director of the Coca-Cola Company, although he was never an officer of the company. He also headed the Continental Gin Company from 1930 to 1985, which was a cotton-processing business.[1] George was the last living child of Ernest Woodruff, the magnate that led the Trust Company (now known as SunTrust) and who orchestrated the takeover of the Coca-Cola Company.[1] In 1984, Forbes magazine estimated that Woodruff was worth $200 million (equivalent to $586,547,085 as of 2023).[5]

Legacy[edit]

Woodruff is the namesake of several notable educational programs in Georgia. The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech is the university's oldest and second-largest school; it was named for Woodruff in 1985 on the school's centennial.[3] Also at Georgia Tech, the Woodruff Residence Hall is a dorm on west campus. Woodruff left the Georgia Tech Foundation $37.5 million in his will, one of the largest private gifts the school has received.[6]

Woodruff's will provided that his daughter, Frances Woodruff received no money, although it provides for the establishment of a $200,000 trust to be used on her behalf should she become destitute.[7]

Under the terms of his will, according to a lawsuit, his two other daughters, Jane and Irene, were each to receive about $30 million.

Woodruff is remembered at Mercer University as well. He bequeathed the university's law school a $15 million endowment; the Woodruff Curriculum at Mercer's Walter F. George School of Law is named in his honor.[8] At Emory, the George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center and the George and Irene Woodruff Residential Center bear his name.[9][10] Finally, there are numerous scholarships at Georgia Tech, Mercer, Emory and the University of Georgia named in his memory.[11][12][13]

Further reading[edit]

  • Wells, Della Wager (1987). George Waldo Woodruff: A Life of Quiet Achievement. Mercer University. ISBN 0-86554-298-8.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "George W. Woodruff, Atlanta Philanthropist". New York Times. 1987-02-06. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  2. ^ "People & Leaders: The Impact of "The Gift"". Emory University. Archived from the original on 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  3. ^ a b "George W. Woodruff". Georgia Tech Archives and Records Management. Retrieved 2009-08-03.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Georgia Institute of Technology, "Blue Print 1916"
  5. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Schmidt, William E. (1987-05-03). "Coca-Cola Heiress Sues For Fortune". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  7. ^ The New York Times
  8. ^ Butkus, Jenny (2005-05-19). "Childers Receives Top Honor at Law School". Mercer University. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  9. ^ Hartle, Robert (2008). Atlanta's Druid Hills. ISBN 978-1-59629-375-5.
  10. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (2003). "George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center, Emory University". Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  11. ^ "Endowments". George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  12. ^ "Scholarships". Mercer University School of Law. Archived from the original on 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  13. ^ Walls, Joelle. "UGA awards 2009 George W. Woodruff Honors Scholarship". University of Georgia. Retrieved 2009-08-03.