Wendy's founder Dave Thomas left school at 15. Decades later, he earned his high-school equivalency and created an award for students

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, dropped out of school to build the restaurant chain but he regretted the decision and finally finished his school when most think of retirement - at 60.

Thomas, who left school at 15 to work full time, received his high-school equivalency diploma in 1993 at Coconut Creek High School in Florida, 45 years after he had dropped out. The achievement was deeply personal for the Wendy’s founder, who had long said that leaving school was one of his biggest regrets.

Thomas had started working at a restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee, when he was 12. Three years later, after his family was preparing to move again, Thomas decided not to leave his job. He moved into a YMCA and continued working full time instead of staying in school. Thomas eventually served as an Army cook and later became involved with Kentucky Fried Chicken before founding Wendy’s Old-Fashioned Hamburgers in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. He was 36 when he opened the first Wendy’s restaurant, naming the chain after his daughter, Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas.


By the time he returned to education, Thomas was already a successful businessman and a familiar face to millions of Americans through Wendy’s television commercials. Thomas frequently spoke to young people about the importance of education. During a tour promoting his autobiography, *Dave’s Way*, high-school journalists questioned him about why he encouraged students to stay in school when he himself had never graduated.

In 1993, at about 60 years old, Thomas enrolled at Coconut Creek High School and completed the requirements for his General Educational Development, or GED, credential. He also had to study for the seven-hour examination. Thomas said his years in business had helped him with the test, but he still had to prepare for it.

The school's senior class embraced Thomas as an honorary classmate. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, students invited Thomas and his wife, Lorraine, to their senior prom and voted him “Most Likely to Succeed.”

Thomas then used the experience to reinforce a message he had already been giving young people: it was not too late to learn.

“I guess I always thought it was too late to get my diploma,” Thomas said after receiving it. “Now I know it's never too late and maybe this will inspire others to do the same.”

His own experience eventually became connected to a program designed to encourage students to take education seriously.

In December 1994, Wendy’s launched the Wendy’s High School Heisman, in partnership with the Heisman Trophy Trust. The program was created to recognize high-school seniors who combined achievement in athletics with academic performance, leadership and community involvement. Wendy’s says Thomas had told thousands of graduating seniors that he considered not finishing high school his biggest mistake.