Herman Warden Lay

1. Herman Warden Lay Chairman of PepsiCo, Inc. Greenville High School Hall of Fame

2. A Brief History • Herman Warden Lay was born in Charlotte, NC in 1909. He and his family then moved to Greenville, SC. When Lay was 11 years old, he began selling Pepsi-Colas in his front yard. • He attended Greenville High School where he excelled in both academics and athletics, so much that he was offered a full athletic scholarship to Furman University. He played baseball and basketball before dropping out after two years in order to follow a career in sales’. He had a variety of jobs, from working in a novelty store to working for a farm machinery company. Despite the Great Depression, Lay was determined to be successful and in deed he was.

3. A Brief History • He was hired by Barrett Potato Chips Co. in Atlanta and was soon made Barrett’s distributor in Nashville. Not long after, he got territories in northern Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, along with his old Nashville area. • In 1938, a representative from the Barrett Co. offered Lay the company’s plants in Memphis and Atlanta. Lay accepted the offer and the H.W. Lay & Co. was started. In 1956, H.W. Lay & Co. was the largest producer of potato chips and snack foods in the United States. • In 1961, Lay’s company merged with Frito Company and Lay was named CEO of Frito-Lay, Inc. His desire to expand finally led him to merge with Pepsi-Cola where he became the chairman of the board. The new company became known as PepsiCo, Inc. • Lay retired from Pepsi in 1980 and two years later died of cancer.

4. Family • Herman was born the son of Jesse N. and Bertha Erma Lay. • He married Amilia “Mimi” Harper in 1935. • Herman and his wife had four children: -Linda Lay Chambless -Susan Lay Atwell -Herman Warden Lay Jr. -Dorothy Lay • His first daughter, Linda Lay Chambless, died of Hodgkin’s Disease at the age of 21.

5. Contributions Lay’s Contributions made possible the… • Herman W. Lay Professor of Marketing (SMU) • Herman W. Lay Chair of Private Enterprise (Baylor) • Lay Science Building (Drury College) • Herman W. Lay Activities Center (Furman) • Herman Warden Lay Scholarship (Furman) • Lay’s contributions to Furman University totaled close to $3.8 million.

6. And the award goes to… • In 1972, Lay was named Entrepreneur of the Year by SMU. • The Greenville Society for the Advancement of Management honored him as Person of the Year in 1974. • He also received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1975. • Baylor University honored him with the special award of Alumnus Horis Causa in 1980. • In 1969, Lay received the Horatio Alger Award from the American Schools and Colleges Association.

7. Interesting Facts • The Herman W. and Amelia Lay Family Concert Organ was given to the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas by Lay’s wife. The organ is worth $1.8 million and is one of the largest mechanical-action organs ever built for a concert hall. • The 2.2-acre Lay Ornamental Garden at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens was designed for Mimi Lay Hodges in honor of her late husband.

8. Memorable Quotes • “I wanted to be a salesman, all right, but the idea of driving a truck from store to store selling potato chips wasn’t my idea of a job.” • “There is no future in potato chips.” • “The sense of independence is what kept me working. Out in the morning and on the road, all day, half the night, sleep where I was, and go again.” • What my family and I have accumulated has come about through the exercise of free enterprise. I feel I owe a lot to the community and as a result, I try to be as generous as I can.

9. Pictures

10. Interview This interview was done with Jonathon Stallsmith, a student at Furman University, and a recipient of the Herman Warden Lay Scholarship. • Before you received the Herman Warden Lay Scholarship, what did you know about the man behind the name? • “Absolutely nothing.” • What do you know now? • “I still don’t know much. I mean everyone knows the name but no one really knows Herman Warden Lay, if you know what I mean.”

11. Interview • What does this scholarship mean to you? • “I liked Furman a lot and it wouldn’t have been possible for me to come without substantial financial aide. • Lay gave over $3.8 million to the University. Is his influence evident around campus? • “His influence is definitely felt. You said he was the owner of Pepsi and we are a straight Pepsi campus. We always joke that if you want Coke or some other kind of cola that you have to smuggle it in. I never really thought about the reasons behind that until you told me more about him.”

12. Analysis Herman Warden Lay was a man with strong morals and an incredible work ethic. This work ethic was rewarded with many years of success and recognition. He started a company whose products are respected and recognized world-wide as delicious, quality snack foods and beverages. So good that, “I bet you can’t eat just one.”

13. Works Cited • “Herman Warden Lay, 1969.” 2001. 22 October 2003. http://www.horatioalger.com/members/lay69.htm (This article discusses Lay’s history of his business life) • “Herman W. Lay: 1909-1982” 2002. 22 October 2003. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vrsn=2.0&Op=co (This source talks about awards Lay received) • Lunan, Bert. “Herman Warden Lay: 1909-1982.” 2000. 22 October 2003. http://www.scetv.org/legacy/laureates/Herman%20Warden%20Lay.html (This essay talks about his life, contributions, family, and business journey.)

14. Members in our Group • Produced and coordinated by Kent & Will