The W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 for general charitable purposes by William Myron Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Company. In 1979, the transfer of more than $43 million from the W.M. Keck Trust turned a modest philanthropic organization into one of the largest foundations in the United States. The Foundation's mission has broadened and deepened in succeeding years while sustaining Mr. Keck's passion for innovations that provide far-reaching benefits for humanity. Since 1979, the Foundation has increased its assets from $250 million to more than $1 billion, and has made grants totaling more than $1 billion. Under the leadership of Howard B. Keck from 1964 through 1995, we made the first of several landmark grants. Awards totaling $144 million to the California Institute of Technology supported the building of the world's largest optical telescope, the W.M. Keck Telescope and Observatory, on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Robert A. Day, grandson of William Myron Keck, has been the Foundation's chairman and president since 1996.