ATLANTA — Mentorship can go a long way in the development of life skills that can carry an individual from childhood into adulthood.
The impact that retired Walgreens chief executive officer L. Daniel Jorndt’s mentor, Marion E. Williams, had on him inspired a new $5 million endowed scholarship at Morehouse College.
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The scholarship is aimed at funding education for financially struggling students who are majoring in Business and Technology/STEM.
“Marion was a remarkable individual who had the ability to bring out the best in people. He was a coalition builder who nurtured future leaders of different races, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds and encouraged them to work together to improve the community,” Jorndt said.
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Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains, hired Jorndt in 1963. He rose through the ranks at Walgreens and was eventually promoted as president in 1990 and then CEO from 1997 to 2003. He is the first Walgreens CEO who was not a member of the founding Walgreen family.
But Jorndt started his career in pharmacy in Des Moines, Iowa and worked for Williams at a popular neighborhood drugstore in their Iowa hometown.
Williams died in 2018, but the impact he and his wife, Corliss “Cookie” Williams, had on the community left a mark on Jorndt.
“It was Williams’ life of service that inspired me and my wife, Patricia, to give this gift to Morehouse College. Morehouse is an institution that is mission-driven to develop service-minded leaders,” he said.
The Williams family said in a statement they are moved by the scholarship.
“Throughout his life, our father worked to inspire, educate, and mentor men from all races and all walks of life. He was proud of Daniel Jorndt’s success and grateful for his lifetime friendship,” Rev. Julie Williams Staples said. “He firmly believed that Black economic advancement was a key pillar in building bridges of reconciliation and overcoming racial division, so this gift to support scholars in Business and Technology/STEM is a beautiful tribute in his honor.”
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