Lila Acheson Wallace

Lila Bell Wallace (December 25, 1889 – May 8, 1984) was an American magazine publisher and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Born as Lila Bell Acheson in Virden, Manitoba, Canada, her father was a Presbyterian minister who brought his family to the USA when she was a child, and she grew up in the Midwest.

In 1917, she graduated from the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, taught at schools for two years, and then worked for the Young Women's Christian Association. She also studied at Ward–Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]

Marriage and career

In 1921, she married DeWitt Wallace, with whom she co-founded the Reader's Digest magazine; they published the first issue in 1922.

Philanthropy

In her lifetime, she made philanthropic contributions estimated at $60 million.

Legacy and honors

The Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writers Award was given in her memory from 1990 to 2000.[2]

On January 28, 1972, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon.[3] In 1992, she was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Arts.[4]

Death

She died from heart failure, age 94, in Mount Kisco, New York.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2007. . Wallace Foundation.
  2. ↑ "Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Awards". Wallace Foundation. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ The American Presidency Project
  4. ↑ "Lifetime Honors – National Medal of Arts" Archived August 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.. National Endowment for the Arts.
  5. ↑ Staff (May 9, 1984). "Lila Wallace, Who Bestowed Reader's Digest Wealth, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
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