ELLEN WARREN SCRIPPS BOOTH

(1863-1948)

Named for her Aunt Ellen Browning Scripps, who like her namesake championed women’s education, made many contributions to Cranbrook. Her most important project was Kingswood School which was conceived by her and probably financed from her own Scripps trust and personal funds. She also paid for the most important stained glass window in Christ Church Cranbrook, the great west window dedicated to all the Christian female saints.
NOTE: Ellen Booth’s inspiration to establish a college preparatory school for girls at Cranbrook must surely have been influenced by her namesake Ellen Browning Scripps, one of whose very first philanthropies was the establishment of the Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California.

Upon the death of Ellen Booth in1948, her five children inherited her trust and funds. When George Booth died a little more than a year later in April 1949, he left 100% of his personal estate (consisting of common stock in the Evening News and Booth Newspapers) to his Cranbrook Foundation, the forerunner of the Cranbrook Educational Community. George Booth once boasted that he had given away all of his money before he died. He almost succeeded, but he forgot about a small life insurance policy!