George H. Alber leaves a legacy of education with $16 million gift to Ohio State Marion
In Marion, Ohio, it looks like one Ohio State education multiplying into many more.
In a sepia-toned photograph, a 20-year old Ohio State student and Buckeye football player George H. Alber posed outside a brand new Ohio Stadium. His hair is neatly combed, brow furrowed. The young George Alber meant business. When he graduated with a business degree in 1929, Alber went to work making fertilizer in his home town. Plant Life Fertilizer, the company he founded in Marion, became the largest privately-held fertilizer company in the country. When Alber passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 1997, he left half of his $32 million estate to be invested on behalf of The Ohio State University at Marion to provide scholarships for Marion County students.