By Marilyn Turk
Atlanta, 1929
Samuel pulled his wooden wagon behind him, hurrying to fetch all the things Mother needed
back home at the boarding house. His
mother had too much to do already, taking care of six children and the
boarders. Soon as he loaded up the groceries at the corner store, he’d rush
home to help her get dinner ready. There’d be beans to snap, corn to shuck,
then dishes to wash afterwards.
While he was at the store, he noticed he could buy six Coca-Colas
for a quarter. His eight-year-old mind had an idea. What if he bought those six
bottles and sold them each for a nickel? He’d make a nickel for himself! Sam
bought the Cokes and added them to the other things in the wagon. Soon as he finished up with the dinner chores, he’d take the drinks around the neighborhood and try to sell them. His idea worked, and soon he was going back to the store again and again for
more Cokes.
When one of his customers suggested he ice the bottles down, he
borrowed some chips of ice from his mother’s icebox, and sales picked up. Eventually, he set up a stand in his yard and sold even more drinks when he added Orange Crush
and NuGrape. As the heat of summer ebbed, Sam turned to magazine sales until
at the age of twelve, he was old enough to have his own newspaper route.
Times were tough in the Depression, but Sam learned how
hard work paid off. The lessons he learned as a child would carry throughout his
life as he persevered through hardships to become one of the world’s most
successful businessmen.
You see, Sam was the first name of S. Truett Cathy, but
because of a speech impediment he had as a child, the name Truett was easier
for him to pronounce. Eventually, the impediment disappeared and so did his
first name.
Truett Cathy died on September 8, 2014 at the age of 93, leaving a legacy in the business he founded in 1946, Chick Fil-A. He also left a legacy of sound work ethic, moral character and generosity exemplified in the thousands of lives he touched.
In addition to his work, Truett Cathy served his community by establishing scholarships, children's homes, and Christian summer camps. One of his mottoes was "You can't outgive God." Mr. Cathy said the more he gave to God, the more God gave him.
Mr. Cathy taught a Sunday school class for 13-year-old
boys more than forty years, believing this age group to be critical in the
development of young men. Another of his famous sayings was “It’s Better to
Build Boys than Mend Men.”
A pioneer in the food business, Mr. Cathy is credited
with inventing the chicken sandwich. He was also one of the first
restaurants to open a fast-food concept in a shopping mall. However, when his
policy to stay closed on Sundays ran into opposition from shopping malls wanting him to stay open seven days a week, he decided to build more free-standing
restaurant.
Many people told him he’d lose revenue from his decision, but he
stayed firm to his belief that Sundays should be days of worship for himself
and his employees. And loss of revenue? The Chick Fil-A Corporation posted over
six billion dollars in sales in its 1800 locations in 2013.
Space doesn’t permit all the stories about Truett Cathy
and how he impacted others – from giving them jobs to helping them out
financially, not to mention lessons he taught about character. A Bible
verse he lived and taught was “A good name is more desirable than great riches,”
from Proverbs 22:1.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Cathy when I worked in
the restaurant business and my sons had the blessing of going to his Camp
Winshape for boys (so named for “shaping winners”) at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He was one of my heroes.
The world
lost a good man when Mr. Cathy died, but his legacy will live on in the lives
of his children (who are at the helm of the company now), his descendants, and in
the lives of others he touched for years to come.
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| S. Truett Cathy 1921-2014 |
