George Edward Hilt, also known as George E Hilt or George Hilt, was a businessman and philanthropist. Many of his financial gifts were for the benefit of Muskegon and Whitehall, Michigan. Hilt was founder of Quality Farm and Fleet, which briefly developed into the United States' largest farm-store retailer. He served in World War II.
Early life
Hilt was born March 7, 1916, in Muskegon, Michigan, to John and Margaret Hilt. Hilt had an older sister, Marguerite. He also had four older brothers, Charles, Wayne, Raymond and Robert and a younger brother, Jack.
Jobs and career
Hilt was in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He was in the Third Army, Seventh Corps, Quartermaster Corps in the European Theater. Hilt was also an amphibious landing craft driver. He also drove a supply truck. He landed at Omaha Beach one day after D-Day. He was in charge of a landing craft filled with five-gallon cans of gasoline. Seven days after D-Day he became a supply truck driver. His assignment was to follow General George Patton's unit into Germany. Along with his younger brother, Jack, Hilt co-founded Quality Farm & Fleet Supply. Their first store was a renovated grocery store and opened in Hudsonville, Michigan, in 1962. The chain eventually became 360 stores with over a billion dollars in yearly sales. Hilt and his brother retired in 1986. Quality Farm and Fleet merged with Central Tractor Farm & Country of Iowa in 1999 and became the largest farm-store retailer in the United States. The new merged company became Quality Stores Inc. that sold merchandise for farm and country living. In 2001 the company went bankrupt and was sold to Tractor Supply Company in 2002.
Philanthropy
Hilt was one of the founders of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County through the Hilt Foundation. Hilt formed the foundation in 1986. The first gift was the Hilt Building located in the center of Muskegon. Another donation Hilt gave was for over 100 pieces of Japanese Sumida Ware given to the Muskegon Museum of Art. One part of the donation was in 1997 and another in 2008.
A property was bought in the mid-1920s by Hilt's father in the Whitehall area on the White River where it flows into White Lake. Hilt remembers the family cottage that used to be on the property where the family grew up. George and his siblings in 1979 made the decision to sell the family’s property to Muskegon County, Michigan. Later Whitehall Township decided to buy it and obtained financial assistance from The Hilt Foundation. A new plan for the property was envisioned. The Muskegon County Museum in partnership with the Hilt Foundation decided a historic park would be in order. The park itself was to take up ten acres of the property and the remainder of the property would be left as natural space. Hilt made the contributions necessary for the unfolding and initial construction of the Michigan Heritage Park through the foundation. He created two funds at the Foundation that would divide the funds to build, operate, and maintain the Michigan Heritage Park. The Museum oversees any construction and operates the half-mile walking trail and its exhibits maintenance. Hilt’s charity donated over two million dollars for the Michigan Heritage Park. A portion of the donation went to building the historic park that is being done by the Lakeshore Museum Center, and another portion of the funds went for the operation and maintenance of the facility.
Personal life
Some of Hilt's hobbies were playing cards, traveling, golfing, and fishing. He also took an interest in Hawaii and its people. His first wife was Martha Monroe Hilt whom he married May 16, 1939, when he was 23 years and she was 22 years old. Martha died March 30, 1996, at age of 79. He remarried to Betty Jean Hilt.
