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Edmund Hillary

Origin: Tuakau, New Zealand
(July 20, 1919 - January 11, 2008)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Caring, Courage, Faith, Humility, Integrity, Perseverance, Tolerance, Vision, Wisdom

Background

Edmund Hillary grew up in Auckland, the child of Yorkshire parents who had emigrated to New Zealand. He was well-read, using the two hour bus ride to school to good advantage. At 16 he visited Mount Ruapehu on a school trip and his interest in mountain climbing was sparked.

Following in his father's footsteps, he became a bee keeper so he could make money during the summer to finance his climbing. He became a well-known climber and was invited to be part of the 1953 Everest attempt launched from Nepal. He was paired up with Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa. On May 29th the two of them reached the summit of Mount Everest - the first people to ever reach the top of the tallest mountain in the world. He continued climbing for most of his life as well as reaching both poles (the first to stand at each pole and the peak of Everest), and jet boating to the source of the Ganges River.

With his fame he dedicated his life to helping the Sherpa people in Nepal by building hospitals, schools, and airfields. He spoke out against selfish climbers who stopped caring about each other and focused only on reaching the top. And he has inspired many other heroes.

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

Time100
Hillary and Tenzing's profile

Academy of Achievement
Hillary's page