Dr. Napoleon Hill:
Napoleon Hill was born into poverty in 1883 in a one-room cabin on the Pound River in Wise County, Virginia. When he was 13 he began his writing career as a "mountain reporter" for small town newspapers and went on to become one of America's most beloved motivational authors. He dedicated more than 25 years of his life to define the reasons why so many people fail to achieve true financial success and happiness in their life. His big break came in 1908 when Robert L. Taylor former Governor of Tennessee and owner of Bob Taylor’s Magazine employed Hill to write “success stories” about famous men. Hill’s first assignment was to interview one of the richest men in the world, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. During the interview Carnegie asked Hill if he wanted the opportunity to organize the World’s first philosophy of individual achievement based upon the principles of success that he and other self-made millionaires had used to accumulate their vast fortunes. Carnegie explained that the task would require years of work and that he would only pay Hill’s expenses because he wanted to make sure Hill would learn the philosophy and prove it worked through his own success and financial achievements. Hill accepted the task, so Carnegie commissioned Hill to interview over 500 millionaires, and with Carnegie’s help Hill formulated a philosophy of success (The Law of Success), which was a success formula for the average person. Hill’s first publication of “The Law of Success in 16 Lessons” was available in 1925 as a multi-volume study course. It took Hill almost 30 years to produce “Think and Grow Rich”, which is still one of the best Personal Development books, and since its introduction in 1937 it has influenced millions of people around the world. During his life Napoleon Hill achieved great success as an attorney, a writer, a motivational speaker, and a teacher of the principles of success. He was also an advisor to President Woodrow Wilson and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” is one of Hill's hallmark expressions. Napoleon Hill passed away in November 1970 after a long and successful career. His work stands as a monument to individual achievement and is the cornerstone of modern motivation.

William Clement Stone:
William Clement Stone was born on May 4, 1902 and grew up on Chicago's South Side. His father died when he was 3, leaving the family impoverished because of his gambling losses. At the age of 6, he began hawking newspapers while his mother worked as a dressmaker. At 13, he owned his own newsstand. At the age of 16, he went to Detroit to help his mother in the insurance agency she had opened there. He went from office to office, making cold calls (he called them gold calls) to sell insurance, and he was soon making $100 a week. Stone turned $100 into millions with a strong desire to succeed and by putting into practice the principles in the book THINK & GROW RICH by Napoleon Hill. He was the living example of the proverbial rags-to-riches story. Eventually he became an ‘angel’ to others lifting some from the gutter, to incredible heights. One of his great successes was the famed Og Mandino, an alcoholic at the time whom Stone took under his wing. The relationship brought about a complete change in life for Mandino who became the publisher of Success Magazine. In 1919, Stone built the Combined Insurance Company of America (a company providing accident and health insurance coverage) and by 1930 he had over a thousand agents selling insurance for him across the United States. By 1979, Stone's insurance company exceeded $one billion in assets. In 1960, Stone teamed up with Napoleon Hill to author SUCCESS THROUGH A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE. Norman Vincent Peale said that Stone and Hill “have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people . . . In fact; I owe them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings.” In 1962, Stone wrote the Success System That Never Fails, in which he suggested how to become successful and have a healthy, productive lifestyle. In 1964, he and Norma Lee Browning collaborated on writing The Other Side of the Mind. Stone was a supporter of The Napoleon Hill Foundation, which he directed for forty years, and to which his estate contributes funding. He celebrated his 100th birthday with a gift of $100,000 to the University of Illinois at Chicago and he gave over $275 million to charity including civic groups, mental health and Christian organizations. William Clement Stone was 100 years old when he passed away on September 3, 2002. He was a self-made millionaire, a successful author, and a generous philanthropist.