John H. McConnell

Memorial Service Set for John H. McConnell Honoring and Celebrating His Life on May 7, 2008 Columbus, Ohio, April 28, 2008-A memorial service celebrating the life of John H. McConnell will be open to the public and held at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. McConnell, the founder of Worthington Industries and majority owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets, passed away on Friday, April 25, 2008, at the age of 84. Doors will open at 6 p.m. No tickets are necessary for entry. The family respectfully requests that donations made in his memory be directed to the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center, P.O. Box 986, Worthington, OH 43085 or online at www.worthingtonarts.org/arts_center.php. The arts center is named after Mr. McConnell's late wife, Peggy. He made a $1 million contribution to the center in 2007. Work is scheduled to begin in July of this year and the opening is planned for the spring of 2009. McCONNELL John H. McConnell, business leader, philanthropist, founder of Worthington Industries and owner of the Columbus Blue Jackets passed away on April 25, 2008. He was born May 10, 1923 in Pughtown, West Virginia. The son of a steel worker, McConnell grew up during the Great Depression. He served aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga during World War II and married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Rardin upon discharge from the Navy. He then used the GI bill to enter Michigan State University, where he studied business and played football. While working for Weirton Steel Corp., McConnell identified a niche in the industry for custom steel processing services. He used his 1952 Oldsmobi1e as collateral for a loan and, in 1955, launched Worthington Industries and the steel processing industry. A replica of that 1952 Oldsmobile is a proud part of the company’s innovative heritage and is displayed in the company headquarters lobby. Today, the company he founded in Columbus, Ohio, is traded on the New York Exchange and employs 8,000 people in 69 facilities in 10 countries. It has annual sales of approximately $3 billion. He served as Chairman and CEO until 1993 when his son, John P. McConnell assumed that role and Mr. McConnell became Chairman Emeritus. Although he stepped down from a formal leadership role in the company in 2002, McConnell’s leadership style, which has been included in business curriculum at Harvard University and praised by management guru Tom Peters, still drives the company’s culture. That philosophy, based on the Golden Rule: “We treat our customers, employees, investors and suppliers as we would like to be treated,” is the subject of McConnell’s 2004 book, “Our Golden Rule”. Through his humanitarian and community efforts, McConnell became widely recognized as one of Columbus’ most generous citizens. His charitable contributions lead to the McConnell Heart Hospital at Riverside Hospital, which provides treatment and prevention services for heart-related illnesses. The more than $15 million donation to develop the hospital was the largest gift ever received by Riverside Hospital or its parent company, OhioHealth. In 1997, McConnell led a group of investors to bring the National Hockey League to Columbus. The Columbus Blue Jackets played its first game in September 2000. The arrival of the Blue Jackets brought an influx of development and community pride to Columbus. Before the team even took the ice, McConnell made sure the Blue Jackets organization would serve its community in other ways too. The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation was established in March of 2000 to help improve the quality of life throughout central Ohio. McConnell also was one of the early investors in the Columbus Crew Major League Soccer franchise and previously was a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club and was a minority owner of the Columbus Destroyers. Through his work ethic, business acumen, philanthropy, sense of community and genuine desire to do the right thing for his customers, employees and community, McConnell established himself as a leader not only in Columbus, but also throughout the steel industry and the business world. McConnell was named Chief Executive Officer of the Year by Financial World Magazine and Industry Week magazine recognized him for Excellence in Management. He was the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award and the National Football Foundation Gold Medal Award. He was a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason and received the Ohio Governor’s Award and the Michigan State University Outstanding Alumni Award. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame, the Central Ohio Business Hall of Fame and the Columbus Hall of Fame. Mr. McConnell was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy R. McConnell. He is survived by his son, John P. (Amy) McConnell of Galena, Ohio and his daughter, Margaret of New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. McConnell is also survived by seven grandchildren: Casey and Jennifer Kollis, John H., II, Jessica, Porter and Colin McConnell and Luke Edmonds; brother, Robert McConnell and special friend, Robert McDaniel. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by the RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME, 515 High Street, Worthington, Ohio 43085, (614) 885-4006.