Earle Arden Chiles (September 9, 1904 – December 5, 1982) was a former president of Fred Meyer, Inc. and founder of the Chiles Foundation in Portland, Oregon.[1]
Earle A. Chiles | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1904 |
| Died | December 5, 1982 (aged 78) |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1918–1982 |
| Known for | Fred Meyer, Inc. Chiles Center Earl A. Chiles Business Center Earle A. Chiles Center and award Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence Portland Medical Center |
Early life and education
editChiles was born in 1904 in Baker City, Oregon, the son of Ira Chiles and Eva Chatfield.[2] After his parents divorced in 1908, Chiles and his mother moved to Portland where Mrs. Chiles met and later married Fred Meyer.[3]
He began working for his stepfather in 1918 while still in high school, and after graduating from the University of Oregon he earned a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.[1]
Career
editAfter graduating from school, Chiles returned to Fred Meyer, Inc. and quickly rose through management ranks, serving as company president from 1955 to 1968.[3]
He formed the Chiles Foundation in 1949[4] and became active in grants for education and research. An endowment in 1984 created the Chiles Center at the University of Portland.[5]
Personal life
editWhile at Harvard, Chiles married Virginia Hughes.[6] Their son, Earle M. Chiles, later continued his father's work at the Chiles Foundation.[7]
Chiles had been president of the Portland State University foundation and had been a director of the University of Oregon foundation. He was a member of the Arlington Club, Waverley Country Club, and Portland Yacht Club.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Former Fred Meyer president Earle Chiles dies". The Oregonian. Portland. December 6, 1982. pp. B3.
- ^ Later the namesake of Eve's Buffet Restaurants at many Fred Meyer locations, see "Lehman Brothers Collection: Fred Meyer, Inc". Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ a b Leeson, Fred (2014). My-Te-Fine Merchant. Portland: Irvington Press. pp. 66–68 (iBook). ISBN 978-0996062602.
- ^ "Manta: Chiles Foundation". Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ "University of Portland to upgrade Chiles Center with $2 million pledge". The Oregonian. Portland. October 11, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ Namesake of the Virginia Hughes Chiles Atrium at the Boston University School of Management
- ^ Matsumoto, Samantha (June 24, 2016). "Earle M. Chiles, Portland businessman and philanthropist, dies at age 83". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 25 June 2016.