You can count real friends on one hand. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Numbers went from 600 to 950 burgers per day.10, August 4, 1951- Proud to be the beginning of what may be a lifelong business. Harmon Archibald Dobson [1] was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger. Little did he know that he was going to be the founder of an epic fast food restaurant. After he was killed in a plane crash in 1967, his wife, Grace, took . This is a great article and very informative! As one of the largest franchisees, WOA was hit particularly hard by this arrangement. Lawrence Jagmin, of . ! Then they ask, whats a picture show? I try to explain drive in movies to them. Eventually, Jim Peterson became the new CEO, but he left a negative impact on the company. Please reset your password. BDT is a merchant bank that invests in family-owned companies. The menu grew as well, with French fries and hot pies being added in 1962. Harmon Dobson died in a plane crash in 1967, and his widow, Grace (whose first date with Harmon was at Whataburger #3, in Corpus), ran things until the first outsider, Jim Peterson, took. They are memories Sheka said he will treasure. On June 23, 1950, the Texas Secretary of State office granted Dobson the trademark for Whataburger. Dobson then invested more time and more effort into developing the first Whatabuger.4, Eventually, on August 8, 1950, Dobson opened and sold his first Whataburger through the window of a little portable building. For many years the Andrews family has been instrumental to Whataburgers success. He took jobs at the county fair and as an apprentice iron worker. Harmon Dobson, a "young entrepreneur" who made his start in life shipbuilding, oil drilling and diamond training, was the man behind the burgers. Dobsons journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. Also, Whataburger expanded to places such as Las Vegas and Memphis, where the company was unknown, leading to a lack of customers purchasing food. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. A year later, the first of the familiar orange and white striped A-frames was built in Odessa, Texas. Try again. Dobson, an Arkansas native, married Harmon Dobson in 1955, five years after he opened the first Whataburger near Del Mar College. The plane was making unusual noises and was rumored to be having engine trouble. The agreement stipulated that if Andrewss company identified a location in the three counties that it wanted to develop, Whataburger was obligated to approve the franchise. Please try again later. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. In the summer of 1854, a destitute stowaway on a Texas-bound schooner was discovered and forced to work for his passage. Online ordering through Whataburgers app and website debuted in 2019. After experiencing numerous losses that caused him to lose over $5,000, Dobson returned to the U.S. Dobson began by doing dozens of quick auto deals before returning to Texas to scout for oil. Four of six Bar-Kays members died: Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, Jimmy King and Carl Cunningham. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Whataburger was a burgeoning business, but profits were minimal. Before the Whataburger, the typical burger was a White Castle slider, a two-ounce beef patty on a 2-inch bun. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. She threw out the ball at the field right before she got really sick. And never forgetting where we started. cemeteries found in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. [5][9], "Deep in the Heart: Whataburger's Long History of Success and Brand Identity", "Whatalife: Harmon Dobson, the Founder of Whataburger", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harmon_Dobson&oldid=1103833486, This page was last edited on 11 August 2022, at 05:01. Tom officially took over Whataburger in 1993 and is still company chairman today. The Transportation Safety Board says a plane that crashed last year southwest of Edmonton killing the two people on board, had collided with a power line.. During this time he traveled to North Africa where he helped build a U.S. Navy base and worked on airplane hangars, radio towers, tanks, and whatever else the Navy needed. By the company's seventh decade, Whataburger had grown from a single burger stand in Corpus Christi to an 800-restaurant chain that spanned every state from Arizona to Florida. Non-family executives, without direct ownership interest in a privately held company, sometimes try to profit from a companys success by heading up a public offering. Police found two dead people inside the. UPLAND, Pa. (AP) _ A former New Jersey state trooper severely injured in the crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa, last month has died, a hospital spokeswoman said. The All-Time Favorites menu, featuring four of the most loved specialty sandwiches from over the years, made its debut and was greeted enthusiastically by Whataburger fans. Loved this article! Perhaps the Depression stuck with young Harmon because food was important to him long after tough economic times had ended. Andrews surrendered exclusivity to the San Antonio market and agreed to sell the existing San Antonio stores back to Whataburger. The main reason for the move was for oil. Together, they raised three children: Hugh, Lynne and Tom. [8] The crash killed Dobson and his business associate. This attention to detail likely led to Whataburger receiving $50 in purchases on their first day.5. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. At the end of 1980, Whataburger opened its 300th restaurant. Oops, something didn't work. Having lived in Texas for the 18 years of my life, I found it really interesting to finally know the full history of Whataburger. The meat and vegetables were always fresh, never frozen. After her husband died, Grace Dobson surrounded herself with a management team, became chairwoman of the board and grew the business to more than 600 company-owned and franchised stores - and raised three children as a single parent. At 4:28 p.m, the plane took off, but, unfortunately, something went wrong. Dobson filled that need by buying used autos from urban areas like Detroit, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and selling them back in Batesville for huge profits. Dobson, an Arkansas native, married Harmon Dobson in . In 1934, Dobson started work as an apprentice ironworker, he later became a shipbuilder at the start of World War II. Its not surprising that people might want a bigger piece of that pie.. Im beginning to like it & the dollars too.11, By the spring of 1967, Whataburger had expanded to more than forty stores in sixteen Texas cities and four states since it had first opened in 1950. This is a carousel with slides. And it is crazy to think how it was once only 35 cents and burger and not they are like 4-5 bucks for the same burger that they sold back then. "I considered myself lucky to be a friend of Grace. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. The entire crew bailed out, with Harmon parachuting into a jungle. It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. Wikipedia. Read more: 2 dead after small plane crashes near Thorsby: Alberta . Dobsons journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. On August 8, 2000, Whataburger proudly celebrated its 50th anniversary with 575 restaurants in operation and millions of fans all over the country. Some people are legendary because of what they have done, but others and perhaps the most important ones, are legendary because of who they are. That someone was Harmon Dobson, and that chain is Whataburger, which he started in a Corpus Christi shack in 1950, and which today numbers some 700 restaurants, the majority of them still in Texas. They were finally recovered earlier this month after five months of rescue attempts. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Wow! Two summers ago, with the South Texas sun beating down, a group of civic leaders gathered in front of the Whataburger on Main Street in Alice to unveil a bust of the late Joe Andrews Sr. A few weeks after the funeral, Grace visited Dobson in Corpus Christi, and they had their first date at Whataburger. Written by: Rebecca Canfield | Photos Courtesy of: Whataburger. In fact, people love representing Whataburger so much, they rush out to get the latest Whataburger swag: from Whataburger sunglasses to Whataburger sneakers, t-shirts, sweaters, and hats. Today, more than seven-hundred of the distinctive orange and white WHATABURGER restaurants can be found in eleven states, and total more than $1billion is sales annually. Each and every Whataburger is still made to orderwhen it's ordered. Ben Cauley survived the crash and James Alexander was not on the plane. The new CEO and president of Whataburger was Tom Dobson, the son of Harmon and Grace Dobson. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. While passing through the Southwest United States, particularly Texas, one will probably encounter big, tall, orange and white signs with a Texas-sized W. This is the sign of the famous Texas fast food restaurant Whataburger. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Dobson was involved in the early growth of the franchise from 1950 until his death in an airplane crash in 1967. The children grew up working in the restaurants and are still a part of what makes Whataburger great today. Great article! He wanted this burgers to be so delicious that it would make a person yell, What a burger! This inspired the naming of his company. There is even a Whataburger race car and a Whataburger field in Corpus Christi that hosts a minor league baseball team. The plane went up 100 feet off the runway and came straight back down. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. In Jefferson, Kitts Kornbread Turns Familiar Fare Into Something Special. Dobson was involved in the early growth of the franchise from 1950 until his death in an airplane crash in 1967. In 1959, the first Whataburger restaurant outside of the state of Texas opened in Pensacola, Florida.[5]. On April 11, 1967, Dobson and an associate died in an airplane crash, and Dobson's widow, Grace, took control of the business. I share with Whataburger employees how my brothers and I would have 35 cent Whataburgers from the original Ayers street store before going to the picture show. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. So, he brought along Johnny Sneed, who was working with a Whataburger franchise in Victoria, Texas. The Texas burger landscape is more competitive than ever, thanks to an influx of regional mini-chains such as Austins P. Terrys, the Metroplexs Twisted Root Burger Co., and Houstons Becks Prime and smaller national chains such as Smashburger, Five Guys, and Shake Shack. The two-seat aircraft crashed into a field north of Thorsby around 1:40 p.m., RCMP said in a Saturday evening news release. My name is Courtney Pena and I am from McAllen, Texas. I thought it was only a Texas thing and never heard of them existing anywhere else. Under the leadership of Grace Dobson, the company thrived and grew. It amazes me how many people talk about whataburger and that those burgers are probably the best they have ever tried because of their unique taste, but I have never tasted one. Little did he know that he was going to be the founder of an epic fast food restaurant. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. And on May 6, 1999, Whataburger by the Bay opened in Corpus Christi as a tribute to Whataburger's upcoming 50th anniversary. Instead, during the next 38 years, the Whataburger matriarch, who died of complications from cancer Thursday in a local hospital at age 80, played an integral part in growing the hamburger chain into the eighth largest in the nation. Eventually, more people came to eat the fresh, large burgers. Harmon Dobson was the founder of WHATABURGER Inc. The burgers were always cooked exactly how the customer wanted them to be. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Harmon Dobson (16533251)? [4] In 1993, her son Tom Dobson became the CEO and president of Whataburger. In the past, corporate simply approved such requests, as stipulated under the 1993 settlement. She is survived by two sons, Thomas and Hugh Dobson; a daughter, Lynne Dobson; three sisters, Lola Stettler, Louise Abbot and Jean Florie; and five grandchildren. Yet, I find it insane that Dobson died so tragically and unexpectedly before he could see his fast food chain truly flourish and gain a big following from many Texans and others from different states. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. DeLaughters Is the Little Grocery Store That Could, The Daughter of a Barbecue Family Takes Tradition in a New Direction, The Old Orange Cafe Is a Piece of Local History, Gen Zs Homemade Tortillas Could Use an Upgrade. In 2012, though, Tom Dobson relinquished his CEO duties to Atkinson, a former contractor who started building Whataburger restaurants in 1986 and then joined the company in 1998. There is a problem with your email/password. So, Dobson, being a former pilot, used a Piper Sub Club plane to drop flyers and coupons to potential customers. Born:? I love Whataburger and it is a Texas staple. I had over 5000 dollars invested in a drilling deal in Loving County, Texas, and on May 18 almost lost the whole thing through his drinking by fouling up a deal only two days before the money would have been forfeited Am now interested in financing Paul Burton, a hamburger expert, in some small specialized hamburger joints somewhere in Texas. Were not making much profit but at least they are going fast for our product.7, August 12, 1950- Big Day 141.80 What a workhouse 551 hamburgers.8, Dobson realized the presentation of his burgers mattered. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. It isnt a small business anymore, and to keep ahead of the competition, it may have to start acting its size. Dobson was a notorious bachelor, but he had always liked a beautiful young widow he met at the C.I.T. Credit Corporation in Batesville during his auto dealing years. I was also unaware of its background nor founder Harmon Dobson. Drag images here or select from your computer for Harmon Archibald Dobson memorial. Today, Whataburger is a billion-dollar industry, all because of the efforts of Whataburgers saving Grace. Whataburger moved its Home Office to San Antonio from Corpus Christi in 2009. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. When he opened the first stand, on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, he envisioned selling a burger big enough that it would take two hands to hold it.

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