George C. Page

George C. Page (1901—1999) was an American real estate developer, shipper, entrepreneur and philanthropist; he is best-known as the namesake for the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Page was born in Fremont, Nebraska. He lost his father at age five; Page and his brothers were raised by their mother as farmboys. When Page left for California at the age of sixteen—a goal he set four years earlier after tasting his first orangeMyrna Oliver, The Los Angeles Times,Obituary; George C. Page; Philanthropist Founded La Brea Museum," 30 November, 2000

Founding of Mission-Pak

Page worked as a busboy (which he initially believed meant steering a bus) and a soda jerk until he had earned one thousand dollars. With this capital, in 1917 he bought a vacant store and founded a distribution company, Mission Pak, which shipped California fruits like the orange as holiday gifts to cold-weather customers.

The idea came to Page as he boxed oranges home to his mother and brother one year earlier: thirty-seven residents at his boardinghouse had asked if he'd do them the same courtesy; the company proved enormously successful.Grand Rapid...
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