Kenneth G. Langone, a financier, investor, and philanthropist who is best known as the co-founder of Home Depot, will deliver the keynote address to the Class of 2021 at the 128th Commencement of Williamson College of the Trades in Media, Pa., at 1 p.m., Friday, June 4, on the athletic field.

In 1978, Langone cofounded Home Depot and helped make it what it is today, one of the most admired and respected companies in the United States.

He began his career at a Wall Street financial services company and first made a name for himself when he made Ross Perot’s Electronic Data Systems public in 1968. Today, he is founder and CEO of Invemed Associates LLC, a New York Stock Exchange member firm specializing in health care.

He serves on the boards of Ronald McDonald House of New York, Inc., the Center for Strategic International Studies, the Medal of Honor Foundation, and Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc.

In his book, “I Love Capitalism!” he demonstrates his love of capitalism and his rise to a successful career.

He earned a bachelor’s degree at Bucknell University, an MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and served two years in the U.S. Army.

He began life in a modest family. His father was a plumber, but not a good businessman so money was scarce. To make ends meet, his mother worked in a school cafeteria and Langone worked odd jobs, including digging ditches for the Long Island Expressway.

Today, he is known as one of the most successful businessmen in the country and one of the leading philanthropists. He has given away millions with a focus on education, medical research, and helping children. In 2018, he donated a second $100 million to New York University’s School of Medicine so all of their medical students could attend tuition-free and graduate debt-free. A practicing Roman Catholic, he was made a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Benedict XVI.

In December 2019, while being interviewed on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” he praised Williamson as a great college with an outstanding employment rate. 

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For more information about Commencement, CLICK HERE.