Robert B. Wegman; Supermarket Innovator

He immediately raised the wages of the staff and inaugurated a comprehensive health insurance plan. He broke down the corporate hierarchy so completely that, in one of his first acts, he fired his mother from her position as vice president. She didn't speak to him for three years.

Nevertheless, Mr. Wegman diligently kept the company in family hands. He once rejected the opportunity to be chairman of Kroger, the country's second-largest supermarket chain, because it would have meant giving up family control of his own company.

Wegmans is now one of the nation's 50 largest privately held firms, with 35,000 employees and annual sales of $3.8 billion. Mr. Wegman's son and granddaughter are the current chief executive and president, respectively.

In 1974, after Mr. Wegman chaired an industry committee that developed the now-familiar UPC codes, his stores led the way in using computerized scanning at cash registers. In 1985, he went to court to gain the right to place ATMs in his stores.

The company's worker satisfaction derives from generous wages -- salaried workers make an average of $92,000 -- as well as health programs and $56 million in scholarships to employees since 1984. A youth mentoring program sponsored by the company received the grand prize at a 1991 White House "Points of Light" ceremony.

In recent years, Mr. Wegman gave away about 70 percent of his income, mostly for educational causes. In 1995, he donated $25 million to help Rochester children attend Catholic schools. It is believed to be the largest gift to Catholic elementary education in the United States.

Survivors include his wife, Peggy Wegman of Brighton, N.Y.; four children; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Upon learning of his company's top ranking in last year's Fortune survey, Mr. Wegman appeared at his company's Rochester headquarters and spoke to an appreciative audience of employees.

"This is the culmination of my whole life's work," he said. "When I became president of our company in 1950, after working in our stores for a number of years, I was determined to make it a great place to work."