By
Bruce Murphy - Dec 30th, 2020 03:54 pm
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John Menard Jr. Photo by Travisvanvelzen (Own work) (CC BY-SA 4.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsIn the 103-year-history of UW-Eau Claire, it had never awarded an honorary degree for lifetime achievement. The first such degree was given in May 2019 to
John Menard, the billionaire owner of the Menard’s home improvement chain.
It was was called a “doctorate of humane letters,” but there are some who would not necessarily think of Menard as a humanitarian. A successful businessman, yes: Menard’s is one of the biggest home improvement chains in the nation, with 325 stores and 41 manufacturing facilities located in 14 Midwestern states, and an advertising jingle, “Save big money at Menard’s,” we all probably know by heart.