Dave Thomas

My hero is Dave Thomas. He was the creator of the Wendy's fast-food restaurants and he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. He was born on July 2, 1932, and adopted at six weeks of age by Rex and Auvela Thomas from Kalamazoo, Michigan. When he was 15, he dropped out of high school. He joined the Army at age 18. He went back to school in 1992 and received his GED from Coconut Creek High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was named "Most Likely To Succeed."

Before Wendy's, Dave moved into a management position with Kentucky Fried Chicken, where he met one of the greatest influences in his life—Colonel Sanders, KFC's founder.

Dave opened the first Wendy's on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. He named his restaurant after one of his daughters. He began franchising in 1973. There are now more than 6,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada with system-wide sales of more than $7 billion. Dave is probably best known for his role as the affable spokesperson in more than 800 Wendy's commercials. Now Wendy's is one of the most famous fast food restaurants.

Dave Thomas

In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a not-for-profit organization that provides grants to national and regional adoption organizations for programs that raise awareness and make adoption easier and more affordable. His foundation raises awareness for the 134,000 foster children available for adoption. Dave also created the 33-cent stamp for adoption, which was available in May 2000. Dave was also a supporter of charities including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Columbus, Recreation Unlimited, The Ohio State University Cancer Research Institute and the Children's Home Society in Florida. Also, President Bush asked Dave to head the White House Initiative on Adoption.

Dave Thomas died on January 8, 2002. He was 69 years old when he died. He passed away after a long battle with liver cancer. He had a carcinoid tumor in his liver for more than 10 years, according to published reports. He died at his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He had a wife of 47 years, Lorraine, and five children: Pam, Ken, Molly, Wendy, and Lori, and 16 grandchildren.

Dave Thomas is my hero. He created very successful restaurants that are all over the United States and Canada. He did a lot for adoption and helped many children find good homes. Dave Thomas is my hero because he did a lot for adopted children. I know a lot of adopted people, such as my cousin, Alex. Dave Thomas helped many people in his life and was a great cook.