Joyce C. Hall*

Born in 1891 in David City, Nebraska, Joyce Hall was the son of a traveling minister, who abandoned the family when Hall was seven.

Hall's first experience in the business world came at the age of nine in his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, when he sold perfume door to door. He helped in his brother's bookstore, and by the time he was 14, he was distributing postcards over a large Midwest territory.

Having heard of the "Kansas City spirit" and the progressive attitude that it represented, Hall decided to make his career in Kansas City. In 1910, at age 19, he moved there and launched a mail-order postcard business while attending business school. His company developed into Hallmark and became the world's largest producer of greeting cards.

The company adopted its famous slogan, "When you care enough to send the very best," in 1944. Hallmark grew through its network of specialty retail stores and as the sponsor of the Hallmark Hall of Fame television series.