California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

W.K. Kellogg's formal education ended at age 13 and he became a salesman in his father's broom factory. He subsequently worked for his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. It was here that the brothers discovered how to process wheat into flakes. In 1906, W.K. Kellogg started his own company and produced what he called cornflakes, becomes one of the nation's foremost entrepreneurs.

With this success, Mr. Kellogg pursued his dream of owning an Arabian Horse Ranch by purchasing land in Pomona and raising Arabian horses. In 1932, he donated his Pomona Ranch and Arabian horses to be incorporated with the state's higher education system. This enormous gift exemplified Mr. Kellogg's penchant for philanthropy. In 1930, he established the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that today assists individuals and organizations throughout the world. During his lifetime, Mr. Kellogg donated more than $66 million to his foundation. His greatest legacy was to establish a tradition of unselfish giving that has been exemplified by all those in the Kellogg family who have followed him.

In recognition of his unparalleled lifetime of philanthropy and his essential role in the founding of Cal Poly Pomona, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are proud to posthumously confer upon Will Keith Kellogg the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.