2. The Life of Dave Thomas
Born July 2nd, 1932 in Atlantic City, NJ
Never knew his parents
Was raised by adopted parents Rex and
Auleva Thomas
Did not graduate from High School, but
later in life he got his GED.
3. ARMY
Dave Thomas volunteered for the Army during
the Korean War
Worked in food production, was a mass
sergeant in Germany
He served 2,000 men all their daily meals
He said this experience helped him in his fast
food career of feeding large groups of people
4. Helping out the Col. Sanders
Dave Thomas got his first restaurant chain
experience in KFC
He helped the failing restaurant
by simplifying the menu to
the basic fried chicken and salad.
Dave sold his shares in KFC to get the
money to open the first Wendy’s.
5. Founder of Wendy’s
First founded in 1969, with a restaurant in Columbus,
Ohio
Appeared in over 800 Wendy’s commercials
90% of Americans knew his face in the 1990’s
Wendy’s is now the 3rd most popular fast food
restaurant in the country!
Known for the square hamburgers
“We don’t cut corners” -Dave Thomas
6. Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption
Founded in 1992
Helps over 150,000 foster
kids in the USA and Canada.
Wendy’s supports this foundation.
-Father’s Day Frosty, Halloween Coupons
raised over $1.6 million (2007) and $1.7 million
(2008)
7. WORKS CITED
Daniel de Vise and Elaine Walker/ “Wendy’s Founder Dies; Ads Made Chain a
Success:” Miami Herald. Jan. 9, 2002: 1A+ SIRS Researcher. Web. September 22
2009
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Names America’s 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces”. PR Newswire. May 01
2009. eLibrary. ProQuest LLC. Ithaca High School. September 22 2009.
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.
Welsh-Huggins, Andrew. “Hundreds bid farewell to 1st Wendy’s.” The New York
Times. March 3, 2007. Print. September 22 2009
Carmichael, Evan. “the Man at the Top of the Food Chain.” Evan Carmichael:
Famous Entrepreneurs. Web. September 22, 2009
