How it started
History
The Hutton Companies were founded by the late Mrs. Betty Hutton after the death of her husband, legendary entrepreneur and chemist, Harold Hutton in 1977. In 1939, the Huttons founded Refining Associates, a chemical engineering firm making special lubricants and fuels. Together, the Huttons developed oil fields throughout South East Asia after the Second World War and worked closely with Pertamina, the national oil company of Indonesia. After Harold's unexpected death in 1975 in Indonesia, Mrs. Hutton liquidated her international oil interests and returned home to Villa Park, CA, in Orange County, California.
During the late 1970s, Hutton was primarily a venture capitalist and private equity partner in numerous real estate developments throughout the state of California. By the end of the 1970s, Hutton had evolved into a full service real estate development company and land owner.
In 1985, Mrs. Hutton retired from Hutton Companies to pursue her philanthropic work with her non-profit foundation. Today, the Hutton Foundation has approximately $100,000,000 in endowment and donates millions annually to the arts, health care, education, and civic causes.
Philanthropy
Mrs. Hutton was a generous benefactor of education and children causes. Chapman University has recognized Hutton's generosity by naming several of its facilities after Hutton, including the Harold Hutton Sports Center and the Betty Hutton Williams Colonnade. The Betty Hutton Williams Medal, established in 1994, is the highest academic honor given to a Chapman University business or economics student. Additionally, author Lan Cao is currently Betty Hutton Williams Professor of International Economic Law at Chapman University.
From Wikipedia’s article on Hutton Companies, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2