Always thinking bigger, the moment Whataburger began, Dobson and Burton were already seeking a possible second location in Houston. A Montana family is mourning the loss of their husband, father and grandfather this week after the 50-year-old man crashed in an airplane in Summit County while flying solo along a route he knew well. This event coincided with the mass unemployment and hysteria that lasted throughout the following decade. However, over the years, Whataburger has become a legend in its own right. Along the way she made lifelong friends, including Bill Sheka Sr., 83, who knew her for 50 years. The story begins in 1950, when Harmon Dobson, an Arkansas native, came to Texas with dreams of making it big in the oil business, but instead prospered in big burgers, opening the first Whataburger stand in Corpus Christi in August of that year. 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. Contents 1 Early life 2 Whataburger 3 Death 4 References Early life 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. Dobson and Burton's goal was to make a burger that took two hands to hold and that tasted good. For the Andrews family, this shift in corporate culture first became apparent two years ago, when it told the company headquarters, which had moved from Corpus to San Antonio in 2009, that it wanted to open a new store in Laredo. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. August 10, 1950- I came to Corpus Wed. Paul finally opened Tuesday [August 8] $50 first day, $79 yesterday & $62 today. Their family complete, the Dobsons embarked on the happy, golden age of Whataburger. The men were killed instantly.12, About two years after Harmon Dobsons death, on July 10, 1969, Grace Dobson, the wife of Harmon Dobson, was officially elected chairwoman of the board with George W. Garrison named as the president. An opportunity arose when Harmon discovered a niche in the auto industry. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Whataburger moved its Home Office to San Antonio from Corpus Christi in 2009. However, news broke out in June 2019 that Whataburger sold a controlling interest in the company to Chicago- based investment banking firm BDT Capital. On August 8, 1950, the first Whataburger opened at 2609 Ayers Street. On August 8, 2000, Whataburger proudly celebrated its 50th anniversary with 575 restaurants in operation and millions of fans all over the country. We still greet our customers with a smile 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, if one thinks about it, if it were not for this incident, Dobson would not have gone down the road that he did to finance Whataburger. Please try again later. Harmon Archibald Dobson (October 8, 1913 - April 11, 1967) [1] was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. On April 10, 1967, Dobson needed to fly to Beaumont, Texas for business and wanted someone to come along with him. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. . The Dobson family and their extended Whataburger family rallied around and supported Grace as she took over the business. 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. 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. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Thats when they look at me through squinted eyes and really say, Yeah, Right!! [2], Dobson moved to Texas, where he co-founded the first Whataburger with Paul Burton, who was looking to open a hamburger restaurant. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. [5] In 1963, Whataburger opened its first location in Arizona totaling the number of stores 26. A Douglas C-124C Globemaster II plane, serial 52-1062, was damaged beyond repair in an accident 10 km from Stephenville-Harmon AFB, NL (YJT), Canada. The Harmon Rocket two-seat sport plane . At 4:28 p.m, the plane took off, but, unfortunately, something went wrong. Today, Whataburger is a big part of Texas culture, and families all over the Lone Star State can say thank you to Harmon Dobson for helping them to celebrate some of the best moments of their lives. BDT Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in Whataburger and Ed Nelson was promoted to President in 2019. Dobson wrote about this difficulty in his journal: Late May, 1950- Landed back in Midland April 21 to find that Henry Mode, my oil partner, had begun drinking again. Try again. It consists of a grilled quarter-pound beef patty, fresh lettuce, four dill pickles, three slices of tomatoes, chopped onions, mustard and ketchup. By 1960, Whataburger had 17 restaurants. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. 1 Colonization and Settlement (1500-1763), 2 Revolution and Early Republic (1754-1801), 4 Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877), 5 Emergence of Modern America (1877-1929), 4 Late Middle Ages-Renaissance-Reformation Europe (1300-1648), 3 Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE), HS 1302 United States History since 1877, SP 3392 Language Variation and Dialectology of Spanish, Dom DiFurio and Oria McCaffrey, Whataburgers founding family sells controlling stake in iconic Texas chain,, College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences. However, before he found his landing place, he took a detour to Africa where he partnered with friend JimmyAngel, who insisted that there was a lucrative diamond business there. During Hurricane Harvey, Whataburger rallied around the Corpus Christi community and quickly began rebuilding and fundraising efforts. The purpose of this is to explore expansion plans in the northern area of the United States while staying true to the brands message.15 Some of the brand messages can be found in The Whataburger Difference. The Whataburger Difference is what separates the company from every other competitor that they have and one of the five points of focus is to protect and serve the best products in the industry.16 With this said, hopefully Texans will stay true to the family brand as changes occur, which would surely make Dobson proud of how his company has grown. Really great article. It consists of a grilled quarter-pound beef patty, fresh lettuce, four dill pickles, three slices of tomatoes, chopped onions, mustard and ketchup. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. [6] According to witnesses, Dobson was apparently taking off in a steep climb when both engines on the plane failed at around 75 to 100 feet (23 to 30m) in the sky and then plummeted back into the ground. According to the lawsuit, Reese met with Atkinson, who told her that despite the agreement, Whataburger didnt believe it was obligated to approve new sites and that it could veto any sites that the franchisee selected. There were nine crew members on board. I'm going to miss her, too." Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. BDT Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in Whataburger and Ed Nelson was promoted to President in 2019. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. By the late eighties the company had begun to lose its way. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Harmon Archibald Dobson I found on Findagrave.com. His friend and associate, Andrew Sneed was also killed. This attention to detail likely led to Whataburger receiving $50 in purchases on their first day.5. By the mid-60s, there were over 40 stores in fifteen Texas cities and four states. Make sure that the file is a photo. Five of the crew died while waiting, and the remaining seven . Whataburger proposed breaking the stalemate by approving the Laredo location only if Reese agreed to relinquish its lower royalty rate and give Whataburger veto power over all site selections, the lawsuit claims. Franchisees also sued over a mandatory rebate plan, which WOA claims amounted to forcing vendors to pay illegal rebates, kickbacks, and bribes to Whataburger and its executives. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. The number of locations doubled to more than 200 restaurants. They are memories Sheka said he will treasure. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. (Dobson family members also may be ready to cash out.) He charged a pricy 25 cents since the burgers were better quality than the competitors burgers. By 1990 Whataburger had 475 locations across the southern United States; WOA was running more than 30 of them, in Bexar, Bee, Jim Wells, and Webb counties. This, I believe, will turn out to be a very profitable investment, which is something up until May 1, I was very unaccustomed.3, Dobson aimed to make a better burger a burger so good that it would require two hands to hold it. Through the years, she also served in numerous philanthropic capacities including working for the USO, Coastal Bend Youth City, the Kidney Foundation and the Texas State Aquarium. 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. Mary Lynne and Hugh are both members of the board of directors. I have so much fun talking to the young employees about the early Whataburger. January 1, 1950- I think this will be an eventful year for me.1. In 1942, Dobson went to North Africa to do work on pipefitting scrapyard work, and cable rigging for Bell Telephone Company. ), When most Whataburger customers walk into the restaurant, they have no idea if the place they are eating at is a franchise or a corporate-owned branch. Saturday, May 24, 2014 Plane Crash After I went to the library earlier this week, I found something Interesting as I was going through my notes. He realized that he needed some creative marketing strategies to obtain new customers. 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. Whataburger was doing well after its grand opening. Try again later. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. 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. The price of burgers was raised to 30 cents, and to Burtons chagrin, customers did not mind. To use this feature, use a newer browser. I didnt know the history of Whataburger was so interesting. I never knew that Dobsons initial intent was to try and strike oil here in Texas. Since post-war production had not yet returned, the U.S. had a great need for autos, particularly in rural areas. Charities like cancer research, childrens education, child abuse prevention, and hunger are still dear to the companys heart. By 1951, Dobson was an official Texan. Andrews developed a close relationship with Dobson; he even coined the companys popular slogan, We build a bigger, better burger., Today, those oversized burgers and the promise of fresh ingredients generate annual sales of $1.8 billion, making Whataburger the thirty-third-largest restaurant chain in the countryand the second-largest founded and based in Texas, after Chilis. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? A year later, the first of the familiar orange and white striped A-frames was built in Odessa, Texas. The prosperity lasted until 1967 when Dobson and his friend Gene Crane were killed in a plane crash in La Porte, where they had stopped to refuel. Dobsons journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. This plane was easy to spot as it towed a Whataburger banner in the air and blared its duck-like airhorn.9, After every flight, business would do well.
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