Tom Forkner

Biography

Born in Hawkinsville, Georgia, on June 14, 1918, Tom Forkner was the fifth of seven children of Ben and Bessie Forkner; his siblings include Louise, Lawrence, Catherine, Ben, John, and William. Forkner graduated Young Harris Junior College before getting a law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. The son of a real estate agent, he practiced law until called to serve in World War II as an intelligence officer for the Manhattan Project. After his return from the war, he took over his father's real estate firm, working in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

Waffle House

In 1949, Forkner sold a home to Joe Rogers Sr. Inspired by the emergence of fast food chains like McDonald's, Rogers, who was a regional manager of the Toddle House chain of diners in Memphis, Tennessee, proposed that he and Forkner go into business together for a quick-service, sit-down restaurant. still worked for the company occasionally, including on major holidays. In 2007, Forkner was still visiting his office daily.

Golf

Forkner started golfing as part of a lifestyle change after health problems put him in the hospital in 1959. He was widely successful as a senior golfer, and on January 6, 2007, was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. Among his achievements, he was on four occasions named the Georgia Senior Champion (1968, 1969, and 1986) and twice International Senior Champion (1974 and 1980). In 2003 and 2004, he was World Super Seniors Champion for ages 80 and Over. Forkner, who competed in the 1980 and 1981 U.S. Senior Opens, once placed second there, which in keeping in mind the competition he described to The Augusta Chronicle in 2007 as "probably the single best thing I ever did."

Personal life and death

In the 1940s, he married wife Martha, with whom he shares three children. Forkner died on April 27, 2017, at the age of 98, only one month after the death of Joe Rogers, his business partner.

References

References

1. Collier, Joe Guy. (February 5, 2009). "116 Waffle Houses to stay open under deal". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
2. Martin, Michael. (April 23, 2018). "How many Waffle Houses are there?". Metro.
3. "Tom Forkner". George Golf Hall of Fame.
4. Auchmutey, Jim. (September 2, 2008). "Waffle House history a recipe for museum success". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
5. Schemmel, William. (2007). "You Know You're in Georgia When...: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Peach State". Globe Pequot.
6. (August 12, 2005). "Waffle House turns 50, but goods still going like hotcakes". USA Today.
7. (November 2, 2005). "iMPACT Speaker Series: Joe W. Rogers Jr., CEO, Waffle House, Inc.".
8. Sharpe, Joshua. (April 27, 2017). "Waffle House co-founder dies a month after his business partner". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.