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William A. Draves came to America in 1869 with nothing. Determined to take care of his family and armed with likely with just an 8th grade education, he started out working as an iron molder in Bay View,Wisconsin. He quickly advanced to foreman, then to superintendent, and then proceeded to co-found two of Milwaukee’s greatest companies: the USA’s largest malleable iron company, Northwestern Malleable, Inc., and the Chain Belt Company, which has evolved into today’s Rexnord, Inc., a Fortune 500 company still headquartered in Milwaukee today.
But along this road of great achievement, he never forgot his “working man” roots nor his family and friends who he realized had not been as fortunate as he. So, he began to help others. This first appeared through his generosity and caring for his “kid” sister, Johanna. He built her a house in Bay View, bought her two schooners for her to own and for her husband to captain, and lots more. These early charitable actions served as the “gold standard” template, which he then replicated in many
different ways for many others over the years, to include friends,
acquaintances, and others.
This book is an attempt to chronicle these efforts and, of course, his life. “WAD I,” as he is affectionately known by his descendants, could have built a magnificent mansion with his success, bought a beautiful yacht, or purchased the finest horse-drawn carriage in Milwaukee. Instead, he chose to use his wealth and success to help others and in doing so, demonstrated what’s most important in life: reaching out to and helping other people.
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