Millard Fuller: Biography from Answers.com

Millard Fuller (born 1935) is the founder of Habitat for Humanity International, an organization staffed by volunteers that was created to help those in need purchase a home of their own.

Millard Fuller was a millionaire by the age of 29, and has experienced the "American Dream." But more importantly, he has made it his life's work to pass that dream on, especially through his work with Habitat for Humanity International. This need to serve came upon him when he almost lost his family and his health to the rigors and pressures of the business world. Although the Atlanta Constitution once identified Fuller as the lowest paid among the top executives of the country's one hundred largest charities, it does not seem to bother him in the least.

Fuller, who holds a B.S. in economics and a law degree, had a strong entrepreneurial streak in him from the beginning. As a child in Lanett, Alabama, he fattened and sold a pig, and then used the profits to buy and sell more small livestock. Certain experiences in his childhood also seemed to foreshadow his future. His mother, Estin Cook Fuller, died when he was three years old. His father, Render Alexander Fuller, later married Eunice Stephens. His father and stepmother had two sons and owned a grocery store. When Millard was about ten, his father bought 400 acres of farmland. An elderly couple lived in a small, rickety building on the land. One of the first things that Fuller's father did was to purchase materials and help the couple rebuild their home. In a way, this was Millard Fuller's first brush with destiny.

Fuller continued his entrepreneurial ways in high school, raising beef cattle and earning enough to pay for his college expenses. He graduated from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, in 1957. He then went to law school at the University of Alabama. There, he was joined in his entrepreneurial ventures by friend and a fellow law student, Morris S. Dees, Jr. They ran a direct mail fund raising operation that sold items to schools and nonprofit organizations that they could in turn sell for more money to earn a profit. They also invested in real estate near the school, buying, repairing and then renting out a number of buildings. The two were earning up to $50,000 a year between them before they even finished law school. During this time, in 1959, Fuller also married his college sweetheart, Linda Caldwell. They eventually had four children: Christopher, Kimberly, Faith, and Georgia.

Fuller served a brief stint in the United States Army in 1960, the same year he received his LL.B. and passed the Alabama bar exam. Shortly thereafter, Fuller and Dees started their own law office in Montgomery, Alabama. Still, they put more energy into their entrepreneurial projects than their legal ones. They began publishing cookbooks, starting with Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers (1963), and eventually started their own imprint, The Favorite Recipes Press. After two years, they folded their legal practice and were the largest publisher of cookbooks in the United States.

Things were not idyllic in the Fuller household, however. Fuller had a severe breathing disorder, among other health problems, which his doctors believed were stress-related. By November of 1964, he realized his symptoms had spread into his relationship with his family as well. His wife abruptly left for New York City to seek the counsel of a pastor and examine her commitment to her marriage. That event was Fuller's wake-up call. He followed his wife to New York and they had many soul-searching conversations.

The couple finally decided they would sell almost everything they owned. According to the Shirley Barnes of the Chicago Tribune, they returned home to Montgomery to "sell their home and give away their possessions, donating the proceeds to mission projects worldwide and church-related organizations." Fuller also sold out his share of the business to his partner, and donated the proceeds of that sale to humanitarian causes. Dees eventually followed Fuller's lead; he sold the business and cofounded the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971.

The Fuller family moved to Koinonia Farm, "Koinonia" taken from the Greek word for "fellowship." The farm was founded in 1942 to be a space for racial equality and the common sharing of material goods. Residents had only enough possessions to support a meager lifestyle. Fuller met Clarence Jordan, a Bible scholar and author of "The Cotton Patch Gospel," at the farm. Jordan was soon to wield great influence on Fuller's life.

Beginning in 1966, Fuller was a fund-raiser for Tougaloo College, a small, church-funded, and predominantly African-American school in Tougaloo, Mississippi. Though based in New York, Fuller traveled frequently for the school. He also took a two-month leave of absence to visit Africa with a group from the Church of Christ. The burgeoning city of Mbandaka, Zaire, made an impression on him at this time.

In 1968, the Fuller family returned to Koinonia Farm to find it much-changed due to the harassment of neighbors. Only six inhabitants remained. Yet, the Fullers and Jordan resolved to rebuild the community somehow. They decided to start a housing partnership plan which would build small houses on plots of one half-acre each. The homes were to be built on a corner of the 1100 Koinonia parcel, and were to be sold to poor, rural families.

Additionally, their faith dictated they follow the biblical edict in Exodus 22:25: "If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest." The money would come from Linda Fuller's business, as well as charitable donations, interest-free loans from donors, and later, small mortgage payments from the homeowners themselves.

Fuller and Jordan began building in 1969, but unfortunately, Jordan was unable to see the project through. He passed away that same year. The Fullers and the other residents of Koinonia kept the dream alive, erecting 27 houses by mid-1972. Thirty-two homes were scheduled to be built on another site as well.

With the great success of the Koinonia community, the Fullers remembered the citizens of Mbandaka, Zaire, and decided to turn their attention in that direction. They spent six months preparing for their stay in Zaire, including three months in Paris to brush up on their French, which was the official language in Zaire. Fuller became the Church of Christ's Director of Development for the entire equatorial region of Zaire. First, his team constructed several small cement-block homes. While not luxurious by any means, they were far superior to the crumbling huts the natives had previously inhabited. The Fullers and their church group also raised money for prosthetic limbs and eyeglasses for the people of Mbandaka who desperately needed them.

In 1976, Fuller and his family returned to Koinonia Farm, determined to use their experience for even bigger and better purposes. As Fuller later commented to Barnes of the Chicago Tribune, "We want to make shelter a matter of conscience. We want to make it socially, politically, morally, and religiously unacceptable to have substandard housing and homelessness." They founded Habitat for Humanity International, an organization which was to raise money and recruit volunteers to build homes for those in need. Government help would be enlisted for land acquisition and utilities, but the houses themselves were to be built from the donations of individuals.

Habitat homes are sold to families or individuals living in substandard housing who do not earn enough to buy a home through conventional channels. Some people mistakenly believe that Habitat gives people free homes, but as a Habitat volunteer commented to Christian Science Monitor, "We give away nothing but a great opportunity." A small down-payment is required, as is a low monthly mortgage. The mortgage payments go into a fund that perpetuates the program. Additionally, all buyers invest a set number of labor hours in their own home. Fuller calls this "sweat equity" and points out that it builds a sense of pride and ownership in the individuals.

The organization has grown each year: in 1980, the organization had eleven U.S. affiliate groups and five projects running overseas. Fourteen years later, they boasted 1,108 affiliate groups in the United States, plus 331 college chapters in North America, and over 160 affiliate groups in Hungary, Poland, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region. In their first 15 years of operation, Habitat for Humanity built 10,000 homes. They built their next 10,000 homes in just two years' time, and a subsequent 10,000 homes in the next year and a half. The organization ranked seventeenth in the home construction business in 1995.

The Fullers and Habitat have also generated support from people of all walks of life and every side of the political fence: former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter, President Bill Clinton, leading Republican Newt Gingrich, actor Paul Newman, entertainer Bob Hope, and singer Amy Grant. The Fullers were joined by the Carters for a rebuilding effort of 20 homes in parts of riot-torn Los Angeles in 1995.

Fuller has written a number of books which both set forth his philosophies and detail the histories of his various contributions. Bokotola (1977) was inspired by the Fullers' time in Zaire; The Theology of the Hammer (1994), and A Simple, Decent Place to Live: The Building Realization of Habitat for Humanity (1995) in which he discusses Habitat for Humanity and the theology the inspired and continues to inspire it. In The Theology of the Hammer, Fuller explained, "The idea or concept of the theology of the hammer is that our Christian faith (indeed, our entire Judeo-Christian tradition) mandates that we do more than just talk about faith and sing about love. We must put faith and love into action to make them real, to make them come alive for people…. True faith must be acted out."

Fuller continues to refuse large yearly salaries, yet, his rewards are great. He has received 15 honorary doctorates, the Council of State Housing Agencies Outstanding Achievement Award (1986), the Common Cause Public Service Achievement Award (1989), and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, from both the King Center (1987) and the Georgia State Holiday Commission (1992). In late 1996, President Clinton awarded him a Medal of Freedom. Millard and Linda Fuller have jointly won a few awards as well, including the 1994 Harry S. Truman Public Service Award.

In a May 1995 interview with Barnes of the Chicago Tribune, Fuller remarked, "You are looking at a very happy man. Very busy, but Linda and I work together now and I derive much more joy making money for other people than I ever did from making it for myself."

Millard Fuller

Born	January 3, 1935(1935-01-03) Lanett, Alabama, USA
Died	February 3, 2009 (aged 74)
Nationality	US
Alma mater	Auburn University, University of Alabama
Occupation	missionary, humanitarian, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, founder of The Fuller Center for Housing
Religious beliefs	Disciples of Christ
Spouse(s)	Linda Fuller (née Caldwell)
Parents	Render and Estin Cook Fuller

Personal life

Fuller was born in Lanett, Alabama, on January 3, 1935, to Render and Estin Cook Fuller. Render was employed by Lanett Bleachery and Dye Works and Estin was a homemaker. Estin died in 1938 at age 27 and Render was remarried in 1941 to Eunice Stephens. Render became self-employed with a small grocery store, ice cream shop and cattle farming. Fuller had two half-brothers by stepmother Eunice, Nick and Doyle. Nick died in 2006.

Fuller majored in economics at Auburn University (’57) and received a law degree from the University of Alabama (’60). He married Linda Caldwell of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1959. A successful businessman and lawyer, Fuller became a self-made millionaire by age 29.^[2] In 1968, after giving up their wealth to refocus their lives on Christian service, Fuller and his wife, Linda, moved with their children to an interracial farming community in southwest Georgia. Koinonia Farm, founded by Clarence Jordan in 1942, became home to the Fuller family for five years until they moved to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) as missionaries in 1973 with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).^[3]

Upon returning to the United States, the Fullers began a Christian ministry at Koinonia Farm building simple, decent houses for low-income families in their community using volunteer labor and donations, and requiring repayment only of the cost of the materials used. No interest was charged, as it is with traditional mortgages, and no profit was made. These same principles guided the Fullers in expanding this ministry, called Partnership Housing, into a larger scale ministry known as Habitat for Humanity International. That vision was expanded in 2005 in the founding of a new non-profit housing organization, The Fuller Center for Housing.

The Housing Movement

Koinonia Farm

In 1965, the Fuller family visited friends at Koinonia Farm during a family vacation. After spending several hours with the intentional community’s founder, Clarence Jordan, Millard and Linda decided to stay and began a relationship with Jordan that ultimately led to the creation of Habitat for Humanity.

Jordan espoused an expression of Christianity which motivated him and the Fullers to seek ways to express God’s love to their poorer neighbors. Koinonia Farm became Koinonia Partners in 1968 as the small community undertook several new projects, the primary focus of which was Partnership Housing. Believing that what the poor needed was capital, not charity^[4], Jordan and Millard Fuller, along with other members of the Koinonia community, planned to develop a revolving “Fund for Humanity” which would take in donations that would be used to purchase building materials. Volunteer laborers would construct simple, decent houses along with the families who would eventually own the houses. The homeowners would then repay the cost of the materials to the Fund for Humanity at 0% interest. In this way, the work was not a give-away program and the funds repaid were then used to begin work on additional houses.

Zaire

Fuller moved his family to Zaire in 1973 to implement the ideals of Partnership Housing in the African context. Again, as missionaries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Fullers began work in Mbandaka, a city of extreme poverty in the western part of the country. Among other projects, Fuller developed and oversaw what would be the first step in the international housing ministry. Undeveloped land in the center of Mbandaka was given by the government for the purpose of building a 100-house development. The units were constructed and sold to families using the Fund for Humanity and additional projects were planned before the Fullers returned to the United States in 1976.

Habitat for Humanity

The possibility of utilizing the Fund for Humanity to address housing needs in the United States on a broader scale began in San Antonio, Texas, in 1976. Concerned residents worked with Fuller to develop a program similar to that in Zaire, using volunteer labor to construct affordable, safe houses for needy families in San Antonio’s slums. Soon the idea took hold in Appalachia, and by 1981, just five years from its inception, Habitat for Humanity had affiliates in fourteen states and seven foreign countries.

In early 1984, Millard courted the man who would become Habitat’s most famous volunteer, President Jimmy Carter. A native of Plains, Georgia, just a few miles from Habitat’s headquarters in Americus, Georgia, Carter gave not only his name and reputation to the new non-profit, but his own resources as well. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter would make financial contributions regularly, but most significantly to Habitat, they would develop the Jimmy Carter Work Project, an annual week-long effort of building Habitat homes all over the world. The Carters participated all week at these events which came to attract thousands of volunteers each year.^[5]

The Carters’ involvement with Habitat for Humanity propelled the organization to even faster growth. By 2003, Habitat affiliates world-wide had built over 150,000 homes and were active in 92 nations.^[6]

Disputes between Fuller and the Habitat International board of directors regarding the direction of the organization came to a head in 2004. He and Linda were fired in March 2005 amid allegations of inappropriate behavior by him directed toward females and conflicting opinions about future plans for Habitat's expansion.^[7] The Habitat board investigated Fuller for sexual harassment but found “insufficient proof of inappropriate conduct.”

Fuller continued his work in the housing movement with the establishment of The Fuller Center for Housing in April 2005.^[8] He expanded on the foundation of Habitat by encouraging communities to create “collaborative and innovative partnerships” to address the housing needs of the most needy in communities. He continued to travel extensively, speaking at Habitat affiliates and Fuller Center Covenant Partnerships to raise awareness, funds and volunteers in his effort to eradicate poverty housing from the face of the earth.

Recognition

Fuller was the recipient of numerous awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. In September 1996, United States President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, and said, "Millard Fuller has done as much to make the dream of homeownership a reality in our country and throughout the world as any living person. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Millard Fuller has literally revolutionized the concept of philanthropy."^[9] In October 2005, the Fullers were honored by former President George H. W. Bush and the Points of Light Foundation with a bronze medallion embedded in The Extra Mile Volunteer Pathway in Washington, DC.^[10]

Bibliography

Building Materials for Life, Volume III (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 2007). ISBN 978-1573124867.
Building Materials for Life, Volume II (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 2004). ISBN 978-1573124201.
Building Materials for Life, Volume I (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 2002). ISBN 978-1573124041.
More Than Houses: How Habitat for Humanity Is Transforming Lives and Neighborhoods (Word, Inc., 2000). ISBN 0849937620.
A Simple, Decent Place to Live: The Building Realization of Habitat for Humanity (Word, Inc., 1995). ISBN 978-0849938894.
The Theology of the Hammer (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 1994). ISBN 978-1880837924.
The Excitement Is Building (Word Publishing, 1990). ISBN 978-0849907470. Co-authored with Linda Fuller.
No More Shacks!: The Daring Vision of Habitat for Humanity (Word Publishing, 1986). ISBN 978-0849930508. Co-authored with Diane Scott.
Love in the Mortar Joints (New Century Publishers, Inc., 1980). ISBN 978-0695814441.
Bokotola (New Century Publishers, Inc., 1977). ISBN 978-0809619245.

References

^ Quinn, Christopher Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller dies, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 03, 2009, retrieved 2009-02-03
^ NP Times / NPT Executive of The Year - Millard Fuller
^ A Brief History of Koinonia
^ Fuller, Millard,Bokotola(NewJersey: New Century Publishers, 1977),18
^ [1]
^ Youngs, Bettie The House That Love Built(Charlottesville: Hapton Roads Publishing Company) 295
^ NP Times / Fuller Forced Out of Habitat For Humanity
^ http://www.fullercenter.org
^ 1996 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients Ceremony
^ [2]

External links

NPT Executive of the Year--Millard Fuller
The Fuller Center for Housing official website
MillardFuller.com Millard Fuller Fan Club Website
"Fuller Receives Multiple Honors"
"Habitat for Humanity Founder Honored in Circle City"
"Fuller to receive Servant's Heart Award"
"In Monument-Cluttered District, A Creative Way to Pay Homage"
AP Obituary in the Americus Times-Recorder

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