I like to write, listen to music, and read about fashion. Dobson faced financial challenges. . This attention to detail likely led to Whataburger receiving $50 in purchases on their first day.5. However, the oil business would prove to be about as profitable for Dobson as the diamond business. In 1955, Harmon married Grace Williamson. 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. And a new building design, which retained the spirit of the original A-frame, was unveiled. The burgers sold back then are the same as the original Whataburger that many Texans still love to today. The main reason for the move was for oil. Try again later. However, Dobson found success to be lonely. Verify and try again. The University of Houstons Barth says such changes arent unusual in a company that has grown to Whataburgers size. So, he brought along Johnny Sneed, who was working with a Whataburger franchise in Victoria, Texas. [5] In 1963, Whataburger opened its first location in Arizona totaling the number of stores 26. So, he brought along Johnny Sneed, who was working with a Whataburger franchise in Victoria, Texas. 1967 Press Photo Plane Crash Kill Harmon Dobson & Luther Sneed Restaurant Owners Condition: -- Price: US $10.00 Buy It Now Add to cart Add to Watchlist Returns accepted Ships from United States Shipping: US $4.99Standard Shipping | See details Located in: Memphis, Tennessee, United States Delivery: Months later, Harmon raised the prices for burgers to 35 cents. 9 Intense Plane Crashes Caused By Stalls Smithsonian Channel Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation 3.2M views 2 years ago 8 Bad Weather Plane Crashes Smithsonian Channel Smithsonian. Whataburger moved its Home Office to San Antonio from Corpus Christi in 2009. The entire crew bailed out, with Harmon parachuting into a jungle. Harmon Dobson founded this famous Texas hot spot in 1950. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. Tom officially took over Whataburger in 1993 and is still company chairman today. Tragedy struck the Whataburger family in 1967 when a plane crash took the life of Harmon Dobson. Whats the beef between Texass most iconic burger chain and its most loyal franchisee? H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. Burton wanted to cut back on the product, convinced that customers would not pay that much. Be the first to post a memory or condolences. The Harmon Rocket two-seat sport plane . Dobson, an Arkansas native, married Harmon Dobson in 1955, five years after he opened the first Whataburger near Del Mar College. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. His mother, Louise, and his sister, Kathy Reese, ran the business until Louise died, in 2005, leaving Reese in charge. During Hurricane Harvey, Whataburger rallied around the Corpus Christi community and quickly began rebuilding and fundraising efforts. Try again later. Eventually, Jim Peterson became the new CEO, but he left a negative impact on the company. A brief period of military camels in Texas became lost to even most history books. Please reset your password. cemeteries found in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The beloved Nickel Mugnow a classic piece of Americanadebuted as a promotion which was supposed to last 1-year but ended up running for 14. However, everything changed when Dobson was put in charge of the refinerys mess hall, and it was here that his education in large-scale food service began. 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. They were finally recovered earlier this month after five months of rescue attempts. 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. Eventually, Jim Peterson became the new CEO, but he left a negative impact on the company. The case went to trial in 1993, but the two sides settled before the jury reached a verdict. However, early on Burton and Dobson found that their differing business philosophies were undeniable. So proud & so tired.17. 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. Everyone expected Grace, now twice widowed, to crumble, and they encouraged her to sell Whataburger. It is crazy that he died in a plane crash. In 1953 , Joe Andrews received the first Whataburger franchise, and business was booming. Despite the leadership turmoil, the two companies continued operating under the 1993 agreement for more than twenty years, and tensions seemed to have eased. I am an English & Communication Arts major at St. Marys University. . Really great article. (Dobson family members also may be ready to cash out.) And by the end of 1989, Whataburger was serving hot and fresh food at 440 different locations. January 1, 1950- I think this will be an eventful year for me.1. New specialty items included the Whataburger Patty Melt and the Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich. Its so interesting that he aimed to create a burger that would require hands to hold it. A few weeks after the funeral, Grace visited Dobson in Corpus Christi, and they had their first date at Whataburger. This event coincided with the mass unemployment and hysteria that lasted throughout the following decade. My name is Courtney Pena and I am from McAllen, Texas. Also on the board were Sam W. Main who was vice president, Laneil Andert who was secretary, Ray F. Miller who was treasurer, and Roscoe Smith and Tom E. Dobson as board members.13 During this time, Grace usually avoided the spotlight, but she attended almost every company event. So proud & so tired.17. 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. Harmon never lived to see his shack become a regional burger empire; he died in a plane crash in 1967. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. August 20, 1989. Private burial will be in Seaside Memorial Park. Later, he went to Egypt and worked on the Suez Canal. I never knew that Dobsons initial intent was to try and strike oil here in Texas. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. 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. Oops, something didn't work. His friend and associate, Andrew Sneed was also killed. In June 1950, Dobson was granted the Whataburger name trademark. The burgers were always cooked exactly how the customer wanted them to be. Harmon Dobson was sixteen years old on Black Friday, but this first Black Friday was no shopping extravaganza: it marked the most devastating stock market crash in United States history. Oops, we were unable to send the email. We still use 100% pure, never-frozen beef and serve it on a big, toasted five-inch bun. Thats what made me mad, made me want to fight, Grace told biographers. It was such a smart marketing move to drop flyers, coupons, and carry a Whataburger banner in the air. There was an error deleting this problem. Insiders still refer to this time in the companys history as the dead zone. Profits fell as the company overreached by opening stores in saturated markets like Las Vegas and adding menu items, like popcorn shrimp salad, that customers didnt want. As a devout Whataburger customer this article was fascinating. Its a brand built on pride, care, and love. Dobsons journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. By the end of 1936, he had a net worth of $35,000. Also, Whataburger expanded to places such as Las Vegas and Memphis, where the company was unknown, leading to a lack of customers purchasing food. On April 10, 1967, Dobson needed to fly to Beaumont, Texas for business and wanted someone to come along with him. 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. Other franchisees settled their disputes in a separate agreement as part of Whataburgers efforts to repair its strained relations with them. Dobsons journey started when he left Arkansas for Texas in 1950. An opportunity arose when Harmon discovered a niche in the auto industry. Today Whataburger has over 800 stores in ten states serving up Harmon Dobsons original Whataburger. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Lawrence Jagmin, of . This time, however, it indicated that it wasnt inclined to do so. I had no idea that the founder of Whataburger started in the oil business! 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. The Andrews family has been very special to Whataburger through the years, said Whataburgers corporate chief, Preston Atkinson, during the ceremony. It has expanded in the Southwest United States with about 800 locations in ten states. What disappointed Harmon most about this era was the news that although he was accepted to the University of Missouri to study journalism, he would never graduate. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? This was interesting article especially since it was about a burger that is highly famous here in Texas. The pragmatic Lady Grace rolled up her sleeves and got to work, teaching her children the family business along the way. [4] Burton and Harmon decided that Burton would own the Whataburger franchises in San Antonio, Texas, while Harmon would own the rest of the company and its franchises. He was able to please his customers with a five-inch burger by making special arrangements with the Rainbo Bread Company to develop five-inch buns, which were an inch larger than the standard bun. In 1969, Grace became chairman of the board. Whataburger was doing well after its grand opening. Beechcraft Model 18. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? In my personal opinion, I am glad he did not succeed in striking oil because I would not have been able to enjoy Whataburger. Always thinking bigger, the moment Whataburger began, Dobson and Burton were already seeking a possible second location in Houston. Dobson revealed that in Fast Food magazine in 1957 that flying over a Whataburger in Bryan, Texas led to more customers buying burgers. In part because of its regional statusof the nearly 800 current Whataburger locations, more than 600 are in Texasthe chain inspires a combination of pride and loyalty among many Texans. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Mr. Harmon Dobson, the co-Founder of Whataburger Co., died on April 11, 1967, which left his wife and widow, Grace, to take control over the of the business. He realized that he needed some creative marketing strategies to obtain new customers. 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. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. In addition to that, Dobson sold chips and a cold drink with the burger. 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. I like to write, listen to music, and read about fashion. The struggles that Dobson endured building such an important food chain are inspiring. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. It was an instant success, and Harmon began to expand the business to other markets. Whataburgers Facebook page reached 1 million fans in 2013, just over a year after its launch. The golden age of drive-ins and American automobiles was just getting started back on August 8, 1950, when Harmon Dobson opened Whataburger #1. The two-seat aircraft crashed into a field north of Thorsby around 1:40 p.m., RCMP said in a Saturday evening news release. After hearing from a friend in Houston that Texas was teeming with both cars and oil, Dobson, whose business ventures now had him traveling halfway across the U.S., purchased a private plane and learned to fly it. 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. Once it was averted, Harmon began searching for a new path to success. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Dobson, who was an avid pilot, was inspired by his time in sky, designed the orange and white striped A-frame store in Odessa, Texas, in 1961. Most people thought Grace Dobson would sell her rapidly growing hamburger business after her husband died in a private plane crash in 1967. . To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer.