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The Skillman Foundation |
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Rose Skillman and the Skillman Foundation
Rose and Robert Skillman spent their childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Though Rose was born in the city, Robert moved there as a young boy. In 1907, the two married. Initially Robert worked for the family business known as the Cincinnati Varnish Company. However, in 1909, he began his long career with the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company as a salesman. The company would later become known as 3M.
Robert made valuable contributions to the company and the couple's lives prospered. His sales territory comprised the eastern half of the country where he met and hired Frank Okie, the man responsible for inventing waterproof sandpaper. This gave 3M a unique product whose profits were used to sponsor additional research efforts. In 1923, the Skillmans agreed to live abroad for the next six years in order to develop 3M's sales in England and Europe. They returned to St. Paul in 1929 when Robert was appointed vice president and director of 3M. However, the winter weather in St. Paul hindered his health and he gave up active participation in the company. With this decision the Skillmans moved to the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, area for the warmer months and to Winter Park, Florida, for the remainder of the year.
In their private lives, Rose and Robert shared a number of interests. Art, animals and nature took up much of their time. Together they restored their Fairfield Farm in Bloomfield where several horses and colts were raised along with one registered Chesapeake Bay Retriever, often shown at various exhibits.
With the addition of an adhesive plant in Detroit in 1939, 3M persuaded Skillman to rejoin the company and assist with purchasing a Studebaker plant. Robert continued with the project as the general coordinator. After the project's completion, he served as a consultant for 3M's Detroit location until his passing in 1945.
Rose Skillman maintained both residences for the next forty years, continuing as a patron of the arts and music. Fifteen years after her husband's death, she incorporated the Skillman Foundation to provide programs for children, youth and needy families in Detroit, always striving for the prevention of human problems and the maximizing of human potential. She served the foundation as president, honorary chairperson and trustee until her death in 1983. Throughout the years Rose supported long?term endeavors in parenting, school development and youth sports programs. Due to her input, over 100 projects in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties were established in the areas of art, music, educational enrichment and youth development. Today, the Skillman Foundation provides grants under four areas: Children's Relationships, Learning Opportunities, Home and Community Opportunities, and Grantmaking Opportunities. With its waterproof sandpaper beginnings, the Skillman Foundation continues to smooth the path toward a better future for the children of southeast Michigan.