American businessman John Hendricks is widely recognized for his entrepreneurship brilliance. Starting Discovery Communications with a mere investment of some millions, he turned the company into a billion-dollar empire. However, his watch was officially ended after he retired from the broadcasting and production company on 20 March 2014.
Moving aside from business, John also benefits from happy family life with a loving wife and adorable children. Many people who consider John as their idol, must be curious to know how he could maintain such a successful business along with balanced personal life.
Glance At John Hendricks' Personal Life
John Hendricks is a married man who read his wedding vows side-by-side his spouse, Maureen Donohue, on 10 January 1981. John and his wife Maureen have been blessed with two children; a daughter named Elizabeth Hendricks and a son named Andrew Hendricks.
Besides being a busy person, John shares some happy moments together with his wife and children. The ongoing relationship between his family members has been successfully maintained at a smooth pace. Moreover, the Hendricks family likes to keep their social profile low-key and do not show much interest in being the headlines of the tabloid news.
John with Maureen at AFI Awards back on 21 October 2010 (Photo: John's Facebook)
Hendricks, who has come a long way in his career with his hard work, has also become an example of an ideal husband and a loving father. John's family has always been co-operative of him and with the love and support from his folks; there's no wonder he falls under the list of a wealthy business tycoon who has a massive amount of earnings. Further, John is a talented and an enthusiastic person due to which he has become one of the most successful men today.
John’s net worth is not disclosed, however, taking into consideration that he has got an enormous house which he is willing to sell for a massive $149 million, you can get an idea of his assets.
Earlier Life And Career
John Hendricks was born on 29 March 1952 in West Virginia, USA. When he was six, his family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where John grew up. His father, a bodybuilder, died in 1958 when John was 20 years old. About a decade after his father's death; John's mother, who worked as a clerk for the city government, also died.
Hendricks completed his graduation from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a bachelor degree in history in 1974. After graduation, he was hired as director of community and government relations for the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He became director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Maryland in 1975.
John founded the Cable Educational Network in Bethesda, Maryland in 1982 to provide documentary programming to cable broadcasters. On 17 June 1985, Hendricks launched the Discovery Channel with $5 million in start-up capital.
Apart from being a wealthy man, Hendricks knows his duties as a responsible citizen and has established two charitable foundations, The John S. Hendricks Family Foundation in 1997 and The John and Maureen Hendricks Charitable Foundation in 2001. Moreover, John also donated a substantial amount of $1 million to the Lowell Observatory to build the Discovery Channel Telescope.
Besides, his talents and wits, John's determination to serve the community and his willingness to contribute to humanity regularly have been his key to the success. John Hendricks is the long run of perseverance with many ups and downs with the incredible feats of achievements.