W. Clement Stone

Stone himself was born in Chicago and started his business career at age 13, when he owned his first newsstand. At age 16, he journeyed to Detroit to help out his mother at an insurance company she'd opened there. Soon, he was making $100 a week selling casualty insurance. Stone was soon a prime example of a character right out of the Horatio Alger stories, in which poor boys make good.

In the late 1920s, Stone built the Combined Insurance Company of America, and by 1930, he had over 1000 agents selling insurance for him across the United States.

Above all, Stone emphasized using a "positive mental attitude" to make money for himself, and for millions of people who read his books. His company eventually changed its name to the Aon Corporation in 1987.

In 1960, Stone teamed up with Napoleon Hill to author Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude. The two also founded a monthly digest magazine, entitled Success Unlimited. Two years later, Stone, by himself, wrote the Success System That Never Fails, in which he told his secrets to becoming wealthy and having a healthy, productive lifestyle. In 1964, he and Norma Lee Brown collaborated on writing The Other Side of the Mind.

Stone's striking appearance was something that he became noted for. Famous for his pencil-thin black mustache, vibrant suspenders, polka-dot bow ties and spats, his charitable endeavors of over $275 million to mental health and Christian organizations are also not overlooked. Stone was also a gifted inspirational speaker, and would shout "Bingo!" at board meetings if attention lapsed. Overall, Mr. Stone's most often used quote was "All I want to do is change the world."

He celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2002 with a generous gift of $100,000 to the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1980, Stone was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his philanthropic endeavors in founding the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation.

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