Dave Thomas must have been a nice guy. The founder of Wendy's Restaurant chain died this week at age 69. His 800 humorous television commercials for the hamburger chain made him a household name and face for many years. In many ways, his passing was like losing an old friend.
Dave Thomas too was a true American story. Adopted at an early age, he spent much of his time and fortune on expanding adoption reforms in this country. But it will always remain his folksy, quirky commercials that are his legacy.
Thousands of mourners waited in line this week to pay their final respects. Most of those waiting in line for hours never met or knew Thomas other than through his television commercials. "He just looked like a nice guy," one mourner told reporters. "You could tell the guy had personality to get up and do those goofy commercials."
Dave Thomas was one of those personalities who came on the American scene and left their mark. He did not find a cure for cancer nor work for world peace. He just made good hamburgers and, in the process, he made you smile. He was everyone's uncle or grandfather.
Thomas started his career with Col. Harland Sanders of fried chicken fame. He parlayed that association into ample wealth while still in his 30s. Then he struck out on his own and opened his first restaurant in 1969. Today there are 6,000 Wendy's across the world. And Thomas' smiling face can be seen in every one of those outlets.
It's rather funny that you can miss someone like Thomas who you never knew. But he had that personality. His name will likely be no more than a footnote in history and perhaps not even that. But I suspect we lost one of the "good guys" this week. Increasingly, the "good guys" are in short supply.