CNN: Frank Perdue dead at 84

[Redstone]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Frank Perdue, the Maryland farmer who revolutionized the poultry industry and gave chicken a brand name, died Friday following a brief illness at the age of 84.

The hands-on CEO became well-known as a company spokesman, appearing in radio and print ads and some 200 television commercials. Among his memorable lines: "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken."

Damn if I'd feed his chicken to my kids, but you gotta admit the guy REALLY liked his chickens.

Redstone

[geomon666]

1. Damn it. I'm tired of everyone dying.

Stop it already. :)

[chelsea0011]

2. I thought he died years ago. That's why his son took over.

[demnan]

3. Well that's the famous third death of the week

So the Pope may not die until Sunday. (I know that's superstitious!)

[CO Liberal]

4. I Miss Purdue Chickens

We can't get them out here in Colorado. I used to buy them all the time when I lived in NJ.

Purdue's TV commercials used to end with the tag line "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken". My favorite Purdue commercial featured Frank Purdue's father, talking about all Frank did to produce his chickens. He then said, "You may ask yourself, 'What drives a man to do all that?' Well, I'll tell you. I do."

And it dissolved to the tag line, "It takes a tough man to make a tough man".

:-)

RIP Frank. And thanks for all the Sunday dinners.

[CO Liberal]

5. Something I Just Found Through Google

Chicken-man Frank Perdue's slogan, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," got terribly mangled in another Spanish translation. A photo of Perdue with one of his birds appeared on billboards all over Mexico with a caption that explained "It takes a hard man to make a chicken aroused."

http://www.anvari.org/shortjoke/How_Do_You_Translate_That/18.html

[CO Liberal]

6. From The Perdue Web Site

In memory of Franklin Parsons Perdue, May 9, 1920-March 31, 2005

Frank Perdue didn’t plan to grow up to become an innovative business leader and celebrity spokesperson for a brand bearing his name. Instead, he was a shy young man who dreamt of leaving the farm and becoming a baseball player.

Despite his success and fame, Frank Perdue remained a farm boy. Years after turning over to his son, Jim, the reins of what has become a multi-billion-dollar international food company, Frank continued to visit the company’s plants, and its poultry producers and grain farmers, and, during harvest, was often at the company’s grain elevators.

Honesty and hard work were among the values Frank learned from his father, “Mr. Arthur.” Even as his business grew, Frank never forgot the basics, and often reminded associates that consumers “buy chickens one at a time.”

Frank became known for his unwavering commitment to quality, expressed in the now-famous phrase, “it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.” But to Frank Perdue, quality of character was every bit as important as product quality. Those who worked with Frank knew him as a plainspoken business leader who expected hard work and results, but, above all, demanded integrity.

The greatest testament to Frank is that the associates of Perdue Farms will continue to be guided by the values he learned on his father’s farm.

http://www.perdue.com/corporate/news_detail.asp?lvl1=3&lvl2=0&release_id=1092

[BigMcLargehuge]

7. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrghhghhhh BRAAAAAAAAIIIIINSSSSSS

and legs and thighs...


Zombie Frank Perdue says "Ooooooo grrrrrrrr BRAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNNNSSSS!"

[madinmaryland]

17. Is that Ed Koch on the right? n/t

[nine30]

8. This is one death I will celebrate.

I only wish they plucked out each one of his hair, boiled him alive as was done to the billions of Chickens, packaged him in shrink wrap and dumped the piece of trash somewhere.

[Crankie Avalon]

9. You mean he was still alive???

:wtf:

[nine30]

10. I wish they had skinned him alive too..

Here is a website about a company not that much different.

http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/

[CO Liberal]

11. That's a PETA Site

For what it's worth.

[byronius]

12. Picking on PETA? What for? They're right on.

[CO Liberal]

13. They're Extremists

And many people in this country (myself included) don't automatically assume that everything they say is accurate or correct.

Besides, KFC gets its chickens from Pilgrim's Pride - NOT Purdue.

[AlCzervik]

14. Are kidding, Bo Pilgrim?? One more reason to not eat fast food

Molly Ivins has almost a whole chapter about him in "Bushwacked"

[CO Liberal]

15. Still...

...I'm wary of anything associated with PETA.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

16. Yeah...

I'm wary of eating chicken that has been abused (by being boiled alive or worse) and genetically mutated to have eight legs. But hey, to each his own, right?

[AlCzervik]

19. i agree, but Bo Pilgrim is reason enough to avoid KFC

[flvegan]

18. If you question what PETA puts out

And many folks do, look for yourself. Google "pilgrim's pride" abuse and see what you get. Oh, yeah, there's a video too, so you can watch the abuse if you want.

[CO Liberal]

22. Pilgrim's Pride Is A Sepatate Company

And has absolutely nothing to do with Frank Purdue.

[JVS]

20. Noooooooooooooooooooooo!

How can we go on living?

[hyphenate]

21. I thought he had already died

His son has taken over the commercials so I assumed he had already kicked the bucket. (Pun intended)

[CO Liberal]

23. I Wonder How They Plan to Prepare Frank for Burial.....

[Beware the Beast Man]

24. Now that is freaking funny!

:D