Millard Fuller 1935-2009
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Millard Fuller founded Habitat
for Humanity in 1976 in
Americus, Ga. Mr. Fuller served
as the organization’s leader for
29 years. |
Habitat for Humanity is deeply saddened
by the death of
Millard Fuller, the visionary whose
ideas and tireless work created Habitat
for Humanity.
Mr. Fuller led Habitat from its founding
in 1976 until his separation from the
organization and his founding of the
Fuller Center for Housing in 2005. He
died early today, Feb. 3, following a
brief illness. He was 74.
“Millard Fuller was a force of nature
who turned a simple idea into an
international organization that has
helped more than 300,000 families move
from deplorable housing into simple,
decent homes they helped build and can
afford to buy and live in,” said
Jonathan Reckford, chief executive
officer of Habitat for Humanity
International. “The entire Habitat
family mourns the loss of our founder, a
true giant in the affordable housing
movement. Our prayers are with the
entire Fuller family.”
The idea for Habitat for Humanity was
born at Koinonia Farm, a Christian
farming community founded in 1942 in
rural southwest Georgia to be a
“demonstration plot for the Kingdom of
God.” Millard and Linda Fuller made
their way to that demonstration plot in
1965.
By the time Millard Fuller turned 29, he
had earned his first million dollars as
an entrepreneur and attorney. But as his
finances flourished, his health and
marriage crumbled. To save their
marriage, the Fullers decided to begin
anew. They sold all that they owned,
gave the money to the poor and in their
searching, landed at Koinonia where they
began soaking up the teachings of
farmer, theologian and community founder
Clarence Jordan.
In time, Jordan and Fuller launched a
program of “partnership housing,”
building simple houses in partnership
with rural neighbors who were too poor
to qualify for conventional home loans.
The first house was dedicated in 1969
and others soon followed. In 1973, the
Fullers took the concept of partnership
housing to Africa. Within a few years,
simple concrete-block homes were
replacing unhealthy mud-and-thatch homes
… and Millard Fuller had a bold idea: If
partnership housing could improve lives
in Georgia and Zaire, why not the rest
of the world?
In 1976, the Fullers returned to the
United States and launched Habitat for
Humanity International. By the
organization’s 25th anniversary, tens of
thousands of people were volunteering
with Habitat and more than 500,000
people were living in Habitat homes.
Millard Fuller was a prolific writer,
authoring 10 books. He had received more
than 50 honorary degrees and in 1996
received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian
honor. In presenting the medal,
President Bill Clinton said, “Millard
Fuller has done as much to make the
dream of homeownership a reality in our
country and throughout the world as any
living person.” Jack Kemp, former
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development and former HFHI board member
agreed, adding, “When I’m asked about
housing success stories from our inner
cities, the first group that comes to
mind is Habitat for Humanity.”
Among numerous other awards, Fuller was
named to the National Housing Hall of
Fame and had received the World Changer
Award, the World Methodist Peace Award,
the Norman Vincent Peale Award, the John
W. Gardner Leadership Award and the
Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian
Award.
“Millard Fuller’s drive and relentless
commitment to affordable housing
captured people’s imagination and
changed lives around the world,” said J.
Ronald Terwilliger, chair of Habitat for
Humanity’s International Board of
Directors. “His inspiration lives on in
Habitat’s work and through its
employees, volunteers, partner families
and supporters. We extend our sincere
condolences to the Fuller family and are
keeping them in our thoughts and
prayers.”
Original article posted on
www.habitat.org
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