Exhibit Features Nostalgic Hershey Advertising, Open Daily!
HERSHEY, Pa. – Visitors to The Hershey Story can soon learn the fascinating story of William E. “Bill” Dearden. Dearden was an underprivileged boy who attended Hershey Industrial School (now Milton Hershey School) and the only graduate to become CEO of Hershey Foods Corporation (now The Hershey Company). Most notably, his leadership led the chocolate company to start using mass media advertising in the late 1960s, well after its competitors. The new exhibit features a variety of vintage television commercials.
William E. Dearden Foundation and Hershey Company Continuing Education Scholarship
The William E. Dearden Foundation and Hershey Company Continuing Education Scholarship was established in 2022 to honor the life and spirit of William E. Dearden, a distinguished and highly respected alumnus of Milton Hershey School (MHS) and former Chairman of the Board of The Hershey Company. From his graduation in 1940 to his death in 2003, Mr. Dearden was driven in all aspects of his life by his love for and indebtedness to Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Company and the Milton Hershey School. Mr. Dearden spent virtually his entire career at The Hershey Company working to repay his debt of gratitude for all they had provided him as a student and made possible for his future.
