David "Dave" Thomas (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 2002) was an American restaurant owner and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. He is also known for appearing in more than 800 commercial advertisements for the chain from 1989 to 2002–more than any other person in television history.
Dave Thomas was born on July 2, 1932 in Atl...
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David "Dave" Thomas (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 2002) was an American restaurant owner and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. He is also known for appearing in more than 800 commercial advertisements for the chain from 1989 to 2002–more than any other person in television history.
Dave Thomas was born on July 2, 1932 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was raised by two adoptive parents, Rex and Auleva Thomas, who were from Lebanon and never knew or met either of his birth parents who were of Greek descent. He would become a well-known advocate for adoption, founding the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992. At a young age, he spent much time with his grandmother Minnie Sinclair, whom he credited with teaching him the importance of service and treating others well and with respect, lessons that helped him in his future business life Thomas did not graduate...
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