Larry L. Hillblom, co-founder of DHL Worldwide Express, grew up on a farm in Kingsburg, California. He studied at Reedley College, California State University, Fresno, and earned a law degree from UC Berkeley, working various jobs to support himself, including delivering packages for law firms in San Francisco.

While still at Berkeley, Hillblom, along with Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn, founded DHL, using their initials for the company’s name. His success with DHL, which became a leading global courier service, also enabled him to help rescue Continental Airlines from bankruptcy.

Hillblom later settled in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, and was involved in numerous business ventures and real estate investments worldwide. He served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and was known for his charitable efforts, including providing medical aid to underprivileged communities in Saipan and Vietnam. He died in a plane crash near Saipan in 1995.