IN MEMORIAM

DAVE THOMAS ― Founder and Key Spokesman of Wendy's

Our condolences to the friends and family of Dave Thomas. Dave was a good role model for Dull Men. Although we didn't know him personally ― we do not know whether he considered himself to be a dull man ― he was a man we truly admired. He was ordinary.

We liked watching him in Wendy's commercials on TV. We liked what he said about his square hamburgers, "We don't cut corners." You could likewise say that about us in the DMC ― we don't cut corners. We do things right. We don't mind if doing things right takes longer.

Dave was sometimes described as being square, like his hamburgers. This reminds us that people sometimes ask us whether being dull is the same as being square. The two are not the same if being square means being out of it. We think we are with it, in our own way. We think we are well-rounded. Our circles are usually different than circles in-and-trendy people are chasing around.

He exhibited that persistence and stick-to-itiveness, which Dull Men admire. His greatest regret was not finishing high school. So in 1993 he took some tutoring and passed the GED exam. Coconut Creek High School in Fort Lauderdale made him a member of its senior class. He was awarded a high school diploma. He and his wife were King and Queen of the Senior Prom. He was voted Most Likely to Succeed.

When he was recovering from heart surgery a few years ago, he said to a reporter, "It's important not be a big shot. ― each of us are fragile human beings. We don't know when we're going. Or where. But in the end, we all have to go." As we in the DMC say, no matter where you do, there you are.