Milwaukee-based Manpower Inc. today that Elmer Winter, co-founder and past president of the company, has passed away.

Winter died Thursday, Oct. 22, at the age of 97.

Since his retirement in 1976, Winter kept regular office hours at the Manpower world headquarters and took pride in watching the small business he co-founded in 1948 grow to a $22 billion Fortune 120 employment services firm with offices in 82 countries.

:It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Elmer Winter, one of the most beloved keepers of Manpower's history, culture and values. While Elmer was cherished by our present-day employees as a warm friend, charming historian and gregarious storyteller, we also honor his remarkable impact as a trailblazing entrepreneur, generous philanthropist and talented artist," said Manpower chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Joerres.

Winter founded Manpower in a tiny Milwaukee staffing office with his brother-in-law, Aaron Scheinfeld, in 1948.

Winter was devoted to Manpower's values for the dignity of people and the meaningful role of work in their lives. Among many other philanthropic and social initiatives, he started the Manpower Foundation and Youthpower, an initiative to provide summer job placement services to Milwaukee teenagers.

"Elmer was a role model for everyone in the Manpower organization regardless of position, age or function. He was a dedicated family man, a tireless worker, a compassionate manager, and a loyal friend," said Mitchell Fromstein, who served as Manpower's CEO from 1976 to 1999. "He set the standards by which his successors would operate and set the stage for unbridled growth. He was, and will continue to be, an icon of the Manpower culture."

Winter, whose first job in 1922 was delivering fruits and vegetables by horse-drawn cart to brewery workers along Highland Avenue, worked until the last week of his life just steps away at the Manpower headquarters.

Winter frequently expressed wonder when reflecting upon Manpower's worldwide success.

"I could have never imagined it - becoming president of a company that would one day have offices across the globe," Winter told filmmakers creating a documentary commemorating Manpower's 60th anniversary in 2008. "I was not an outstanding kind of a guy that was bound to succeed. I was just a nice guy."

Winter supported a variety of philanthropic causes, ranging from Milwaukee's Clarke Street School, which he "adopted," to the economic development and stability of Israel. He was recognized for forming the Committee for Economic Growth of Israel (CEGI) and serving as its leading voice, advocating trade and investment in Israel for over 30 years.

A father, grandfather of eight and great-grandfather of 13, Winter was passionate about youth education and employment opportunities around the world. He wrote numerous articles and 13 books generally related to practical business and employment advice.

As an artist, Winter created hundreds of paintings and sculptures given as gifts and now displayed in offices and homes around the world. In December 2007, Winter participated in the dedication and opening of the Manpower/Elmer Winter Sculpture Garden, now a highlight of the Milwaukee RiverWalk District on the Milwaukee River. The garden features "To Dream the Impossible Dream," a sculpture that Winter fashioned from car bumpers, fused together to reach toward the sky.

Winter was born in Milwaukee on March 6, 1912. Educated in Milwaukee Public Schools, he entered the University of Wisconsin in 1929 and graduated with a degree in economics. He went on to the University of Wisconsin Law School, receiving his degree in 1935. After graduation, Winter worked as a tax editor in Chicago before returning to Milwaukee to practice law with Scheinfeld.

Winter was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Nannette (Rosenberg), in 1990. He is survived by his wife, Hope (Melamed), three daughters, Sue Freeman, Lynn Winter Gross, Martha Gross Tracy, son-in-law Robert Tracy, his eight grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Memorials can be made to: The Elmer Winter Memorial Scholarship Fund, The Manpower Foundation, 100 Manpower Place, Milwaukee, WI  53212.