Age: 84

Born: May 10, 1923 in Pughtown, W. Va.

Military: U.S. Navy during World War II

Education: Business administration degree from Michigan State University in 1949.

Career: Founded Worthington Industries with a single load of steel in 1955 after working as a salesman for Weirton Steel. Worthington Industries has grown to steel processor and manufacturer of metal related products with annualized sales of approximately $3 billion. The company employs 8,000 people, with 69 facilities in 11 countries.

Sports: Majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the National Hockey League, founded in 2000; owner of Double Eagle Golf Club in Galena.

Civic interests: Former chairman of the OhioHealth Corporation and founder of the McConnell Heart Health Center at Riverside Methodist Hospital, chairman emeritus of the Law Enforcement Foundation of Ohio and a director of GMI Engineering and Management Institute (now Kettering University) of Flint, Mich. Created the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, a Columbus charitable organization.

Writing: Wrote the book Our Golden Rule in 2004

Honors: Recipient of the 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, the Horatio Alger Award and the National Football Foundation Gold Medal Award, the foundation�s highest honor; the Ohio Governor�s Award and the Mr. Ohio Gold Award; Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame; Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame and the Columbus Hall of Fame; Michigan State University Outstanding Alumni award; Entrepreneur of the Year by Southern Illinois University.

Sources: Worthington Industries, Columbus Blue Jackets, Our Golden Rule, Dispatch research