John G. Pappajohn*

Born in Greece, John Pappajohn was nine months old when he immigrated with his mother to the United States, where they joined his father in Mason City, Iowa. A natural entrepreneur, Pappajohn began working at an early age. When he was eight, he was a rag merchant. He also collected castoff bronze, copper, and lead. Later, he worked in his father's small neighborhood grocery store.

When Pappajohn was 16, his father died, leaving him responsible for two younger brothers and a mother who spoke no English. Although it was a traumatic time for the family, Pappajohn said it helped him develop the traits that have made him successful in business, forcing him to mature quickly and make decisions. "I believe a little adversity is a great stimulus to success," he said.

Pappajohn and his brothers took turns putting each other through college; all three graduated from the University of Iowa. After earning a business degree, Pappajohn began selling insurance. In 1962, he founded Guardsman Life Insurance Company. Seven years later, he sold Guardsman and launched Equity Dynamics, Inc., a venture capital business. He focused on making medical-related businesses profitable. Over the years, Pappajohn had founded more than 100 startup companies, most of which have been successful. "I'm in the unusual position that I can finance dreams for people with ideas," he said. "That's what it's all about, helping other people succeed."

Pappajohn said he never doubted he would succeed. "My mother told me that '˜the more you give, the more you make.' I have found merit in that statement. You have to learn to give, even when you don't have a lot." Pappajohn and his wife, Mary, have given more than $100 million to various philanthropic causes, including the John Pappajohn Business Building at the University of Iowa Business School, the Pappajohn Pavilion at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, the John and Mary Pappajohn Institute for Biomedical Discovery at the University of Iowa, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers at five universities and colleges in Iowa. Those centers have helped create and launch more than 1,000 new companies.

In 1997, the Pappajohns funded a $5 million scholarship fund for ethnic, disadvantaged, and minority students; more than $4 million in scholarships was awarded. They also committed $4 million to help finance the John and Mary Pappajohn Higher Education Center. In 2009, they donated 28 sculptures worth $40 million to establish the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

Pappajohn was the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees, and from 1998 to 2014, he was ranked among the world's top 200 art collectors by Arts News.