Herman Warden Lay

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Herman Warden Lay

• Chairman of PepsiCo, Inc.
• Greenville High School Hall of Fame

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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.

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A Brief History

• He was hired by Barrett Potato Chips Co. in
  Atlanta and was soon made Barretts 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 companys 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, Lays 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.

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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
  Hodgkins Disease at the age of 21.

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Contributions

• Lays 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)
• Lays contributions to Furman University totaled
  close to 3.8 million.

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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.

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Interesting Facts

• The Herman W. and Amelia Lay Family Concert Organ
  was given to the Meyerson Symphony Center in
  Dallas by Lays 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.

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Memorable Quotes

• I wanted to be a salesman, all right, but the
  idea of driving a truck from store to store
  selling potato chips wasnt 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.

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Pictures
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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 dont know much. I mean everyone knows
  the name but no one really knows Herman Warden
  Lay, if you know what I mean.

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Interview

• What does this scholarship mean to you?
• I liked Furman a lot and it wouldnt 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.

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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 cant eat just one.

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Works Cited

• Herman Warden Lay, 1969. 2001. 22 October
  2003.
• http//www.horatioalger.com/members/lay69.htm
• (This article discusses Lays history of
  his business life)
• Herman W. Lay 1909-1982 2002. 22 October
  2003.
• http//galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vr
  sn2.0Opco
• (This source talks about awards Lay received)
• Lunan, Bert. Herman Warden Lay 1909-1982.
  2000. 22 October 2003.
• http//www.scetv.org/legacy/laureates/Herman20Wa
  rden20Lay.html
• (This essay talks about his life,
  contributions, family, and business
  journey.)

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Members in our Group

• Produced and coordinated by Kent Will