20th-century American philanthropists

Victor Potamkin (July 2, 1911 – June 5, 1995) was an American businessman and car dealership owner known for deep discounting and aggressive advertising.

Harry Wilson Lawton (December 11, 1927 – November 20, 2005) was an American writer, journalist, editor and historian who wrote several books about Native Americans in California. One of them, Willie Boy: a Desert Manhunt, was made into a movie in 1969, by the title Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, starring Robert Redford.

Andrew Heiskell (September 13, 1915 – July 6, 2003) was chairman and CEO of Time Inc. (1960–1980), and also known for his philanthropy, for organizations including the New York Public Library. He was President of the Inter American Press Association (1961–1962) and president of the Harvard University Board of Overseers.

Leah Ray Hubbard (February 16, 1915 – May 27, 1999) was an American singer and actress born in Norfolk, Virginia. She sang with major dance bands and acted in more than a dozen motion pictures.

Estel Wood "Ed" Kelley (1917–2003) is considered the "modern-day" founder of Steak 'n Shake, a chain of sit-down, old-fashioned style restaurants known for their Steakburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes. In 1981, E. W. Kelley & Associates, a group led by E. W. Kelley, bought controlling interest in Steak 'n Shake, and grew the company from a small chain to the more than 450 location chain it is today (2006).

Joseph Irwin Miller (May 26, 1909 – August 16, 2004) was an American industrialist, patron of modern architecture, and lay leader in the Christian ecumenical movement and civil rights. He was instrumental in the rise of the Cummins Corporation and in giving his home town (Columbus, Indiana) international stature with its modern architecture buildings.

Ruth Lilly (August 2, 1915 – December 30, 2009) was an American philanthropist, the last surviving great-grandchild of Eli Lilly, founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical firm, and heir to the Lilly family fortune. A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, Ruth Lilly is estimated to have given away nearly $800 million of her inheritance during her lifetime, mostly in support of the arts, education, health, and environmental causes in Indianapolis and in Indiana.
Lilly made major direct donations to organizations in addition to gifts made through the Lilly Endowment, her family's private foundation, and in conjunction with the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation, the charitable organization established in her name in 2002. Both of these foundations continue Lilly's legacy of charitable support. Lilly's major gifts include those to the Chicago-based Poetry Foundation, Americans for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and Indiana University, especially its programs and buildings on the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis campus.

John Hampton (May 24, 1907 – July 4, 2010) was an American retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel and former journalist. Hampton is credited with co-founding Toys for Tots with Major William L. Hendricks and other U.S. Marines during the late 1940s.Hampton was born on May 24, 1907. Hampton received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Baylor University. He worked as a journalist for several wire services and newspapers in Texas, Louisiana and Kansas following his graduation. Hampton enlisted in the United States Marines during World War II and was sent to the Pacific theater. He coded and decoded encrypted messages during the war.Hampton was stationed at a Marine Reserve training center in Los Angeles following the end of World War II, where he worked as a public information officer. He would meet Major William L. Hendricks at the Los Angeles center, who would co-found Toys for Tots. Hendricks, who was public relations officer for Warner Bros. by profession, created a campaign to place collection bins for toys outside of Warner Bros movie theaters, which evolved into Toys for Tots. Hendricks partnered with Hampton to lead the toy collections in the area. Hampton also used his journalism experience to promote the campaign.Hampton later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he practiced public relations in Oakland. His wife was journalist Nora Hampton, who worked for the Oakland Tribune. The couple resided in Orinda, California, until his wife's death on November 24, 1994.Hampton began showing symptoms of dementia in 2000. He died on July 4, 2010, at the Deer Hill Care Home in Lafayette, California, at the age of 103. His son, Mikey Hampton, died in 2006, leaving no close relatives.

Robert A. Trias (March 18, 1923 – July 11, 1989) was an American karate pioneer, founding the first karate school in the mainland United States and becoming one of the first known American black belts. He also developed Shuri-ryū karate, an eclectic style with roots in Chinese kung-fu, and indirectly some Okinawan karate.

Donald Worthington Reynolds (September 23, 1906 – April 2, 1993) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of Donrey Media Group, a communications company with newspaper, broadcasting and cable television holdings, and outdoor advertising.