Truett Cathy, who passed away on September 8, 2014, is famous for founding the popular restaurant chain Chick-fil-A. Mr. Cathy was known for his strong work ethic and as a devoted Christian believer. While Cathy’s 2012 comments in opposition to homosexual marriage created outrage within the LGBT community and prompted a boycott of the privately held Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, the restaurant owner was known for so much more. Below is more about his life, his values, and his vision for Chick-fil-A.
1. The hard years during the depression
Born March 14, 1921 in Eatonton, Georgia, Cathy’s parents named him Samuel after a pastor friend, and Truett in honor of the well-known Baptist evangelist George W. Truett.
According to two autobiographies written in 1989 and 2002, Cathy’s father was a successful farmer. Due to a plague of boll weevil attacks on his cotton fields the farming business failed.
At three-years-old, the family moved to Atlanta where Cathy’s father pursued a career in insurance sales, but was unable to earn a living selling insurance.
During the depression years of the 1930s, the family struggled to survive, so they took in boarders in their one bathroom home to earn income. Renters slept two to three to a room and received two meals per day, all for only one dollar a day.
In his 1989 autobiography entitled It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail, explains that the hardships of his youth translated into blessings later in life.
“Growing up in a boarding house introduced me to hard work and taught me the value of diligent labor,” Cathy wrote. “I learned to shuck corn, shell peas, wash dirty dishes, set the table, shop for my mother at the corner grocery store and even flip eggs and pancakes on the grill.”
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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