Dave Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Thomas
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Thomas in 1998
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| Born |
Rex David Thomas
July 2, 1932 |
| Died | January 8, 2002 (aged 69) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Neuroendocrine cancer |
| Resting place | Union Cemetery Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1953–2002 |
| Known for | Founder of Wendy's |
| Spouse(s) | Lorraine |
| Children | 5, including Melinda |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1950–1953 |
| Rank |  Staff sergeant |
David "Dave" Thomas (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 2002) was a famous American businessman. He is best known for starting the fast-food chain Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. He also served as the company's chief executive officer (CEO).
Dave Thomas became very well-known as the face of Wendy's. He appeared in over 800 TV commercials for the company. In fact, he was in every Wendy's commercial that aired during the 1990s! He never finished high school, but he later earned his GED in 1993.
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Dave Thomas's Early Life
Rex David Thomas was born on July 2, 1932, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was adopted as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas. Later in life, Dave became a big supporter of adoption. He even started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to help children find loving families.
When Dave was five, his adoptive mother passed away. His father then moved around the country looking for work. Dave spent some time with his grandmother, Minnie Sinclair, near Kalamazoo, Michigan. She taught him how important it was to be kind and respectful to others. These lessons helped him a lot in his future business career.
At age 12, Dave got his first job at Regas Restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee. He lost this job after a disagreement with his boss. From that day on, he promised himself he would never lose another job.
When he was 15, Dave was working at the Hobby House Restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His father planned to move again, but Dave decided to stay in Fort Wayne. He dropped out of high school to work full-time at the restaurant. Dave later said that quitting school was the biggest mistake he ever made. He finally earned his GED in 1993. After that, he became a strong supporter of education. He even founded the Dave Thomas Education Center in Coconut Creek, Florida. This center helps young adults get their GEDs.
Dave Thomas's Career Journey
Serving in the U.S. Army
When the Korean War started in 1950, Dave was 18. Instead of waiting to be drafted, he joined the U.S. Army. He wanted to have some say in what job he would do. Since he had experience with food, he asked to go to the Cook's and Baker's School.
He was sent to West Germany as a mess sergeant. His job was to prepare daily meals for 2,000 soldiers! He rose to the rank of staff sergeant. After leaving the Army in 1953, Dave went back to work at the Hobby House restaurant.
Working in Fast Food
Growing KFC's Business
In the mid-1950s, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders visited Fort Wayne. He wanted to sell KFC franchises to local restaurant owners. Dave Thomas and the Clauss family, who owned the restaurant where Dave worked, first said no. But Colonel Sanders kept trying. Eventually, the Clauss family bought a KFC franchise. They later owned many more KFC restaurants across the Midwest.
During this time, Dave worked closely with Colonel Sanders. He helped make KFC more successful and well-known. Dave suggested that KFC should have fewer items on its menu. He thought they should focus on their main dish: fried chicken. He also suggested that Colonel Sanders himself should appear in KFC commercials.
In the mid-1960s, the Clauss family sent Dave to help four of their KFC stores in Columbus, Ohio. These stores were not doing well. By 1968, Dave had made sales at these fried chicken restaurants so much better that he sold his share back to Colonel Sanders for over $1.5 million. This experience taught Dave a lot, which was very helpful when he started Wendy's a year later.
Starting Wendy's Restaurants
Dave Thomas opened his very first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, on November 15, 1969. This first restaurant stayed open until 2007. Dave named the restaurant after his eight-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou. Her nickname was "Wendy."
Before he passed away in 2002, Dave said he regretted naming the chain after his daughter. He felt it put a lot of pressure on her. He said, "I should’ve just named it after myself."
In 1982, Dave stepped back from running Wendy's every day. But by 1985, the company was having some problems. They had a new breakfast menu that wasn't popular, and their advertising wasn't working well. The company's new president asked Dave to get more involved again.
Dave started visiting Wendy's restaurants and sharing his strong work ethic. In 1989, he became the main TV spokesperson for Wendy's. At first, advertising experts thought he wasn't very good at acting. But by 1990, Wendy's advertising team decided to show Dave in a more friendly and funny way. This idea was a big hit with audiences!
Dave's natural, down-to-earth style quickly made him a household name. A survey in the 1990s found that 90% of Americans knew who Dave Thomas was. He starred in every Wendy's commercial during that decade. His commercials played a huge part in making Wendy's the third most popular burger restaurant in the U.S.
In 1994, Dave Thomas even made a quick appearance as himself in a TV movie called Bionic Ever After?.
Founding The Wellington School
In 1982, Dave Thomas and a group of other business people started The Wellington School. This was the first coeducational (for both boys and girls) independent school in Upper Arlington, Ohio. This group spent three years planning, raising money, finding a location, and hiring teachers and students.
The Wellington School opened with 137 students and 19 staff members. The first class graduated in 1989. In 2010, a new 76,000-square-foot building opened. In 2012, they started a preschool program for 3-year-olds.
Dave Thomas's Personal Life
Dave Thomas was married to Lorraine for 47 years. They had five children: Melinda (Wendy), Pam, Lori, Molly, and a son named Kenny. Even after Kenny passed away in 2013, Dave's daughters continued to own and operate several Wendy's locations. In 1978, Dave also started a restaurant chain called Sisters Chicken and Biscuits. He named it after his other three daughters.
Dave Thomas's Passing
Dave Thomas had been battling a type of cancer called neuroendocrine tumor for ten years. It spread to his liver. He passed away on January 8, 2002, at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 69 years old. Dave Thomas was buried in Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. At the time of his death, there were over 6,000 Wendy's restaurants open in North America.
Honors and Achievements
In 1979, Dave Thomas received the Horatio Alger Award. This award honors people who have achieved great success despite facing challenges. By then, his Wendy's restaurant chain had reached annual sales of $1 billion.
In 1980, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
Dave knew that his success as a high school dropout might make other teenagers think it was okay to quit school. He later said that quitting school was a mistake. So, he became a student at Coconut Creek High School and earned his GED in 1993. In 1999, Dave Thomas was honored by being inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
Like his former boss Colonel Sanders, Dave Thomas was given the honorary title of Kentucky colonel.
After his death, in 2003, Dave Thomas was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.
Dave Thomas's Legacy
In Washington, D.C., there's a small area with streets and a traffic pattern that people unofficially call Dave Thomas Circle. This is because a Wendy's restaurant and its parking lot have been there for a very long time.
