W. Keith Kellogg II
Renowned Businessman and Philanthropist
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
W. Keith Kellogg II carries the heritage of a prominent family of notable historical significance in the annals of American business and philanthropic endeavor. It is a highly respected legacy distinguished by successful leadership and enormous contributions to advancing the welfare of people all over the world. Nowhere are these contributions more evident than at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Mr. Kellogg is the son of John L. and Helen Kellogg, and the grandson of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg, whose winter home and Arabian horse ranch is now the site of Cal Poly Pomona. In the 1930's, through extraordinary effort, leadership and acumen, Mr. Keith Kellogg was successful in returning to solvency several divisions of the Kellogg Company's packaging operations in Chicago. Although retired, he remains Chairman of the Board and Treasurer of the General Packaging Products Company.
However, success for Mr. Kellogg is defined as more than the sum of his business achievements. He has been a lifelong philanthropist who has supported projects in education, research, and the arts, among others. He has served in many capacities in directing the foundation established by his parents, which has provided funding for the Cal Poly Pomona art gallery. In honor of the Kelloggs, the art gallery has been named the W. Keith and Jean Kellogg University Art Gallery.
Mr. Kellogg has contributed to Cal Poly Pomona in numerous other ways. He was the general co-chair of the university's first major capital campaign, Partners in Progress, which raised more than $11 million in private funds. He has been a member of the Cal Poly Pomona President's Council since 1984 and is currently the co-chair for the Hugh O. LaBounty Chair of Applied Interdisciplinary Knowledge.
In recognition of his dedication to helping others, particularly his unswerving commitment to Cal Poly Pomona, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are proud to confer upon W. Keith Kellogg II the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.