Colonel Sanders is the most beloved gentleman in Kentucky, and the only fast food franchiser honored with a bust in the state capitol. Washed-up and broke at 65, the Colonel turned his fortunes around through hard work, a tasty fried chicken recipe, and a face that was a marketer's dream.
Sanders was a fascinating, authentic character, before the extra-crispy forced formulations of later fast food celebrities. We got up close to him as kids at a public fair in 1974 -- in the summer heat, the octogenarian was only out of his air conditioned limo for five minutes. Long enough to ask "You boys like my chicken?" before being whisked away to his next public appearance.
When Colonel Sanders died in 1980 -- still possessing the arteries of a much younger man -- his body lay in state in the Kentucky capitol rotunda. A yellow line, specially painted, leads along the entrance road of Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville to the Colonel's grave. A bust sculpted by his daughter Margaret marks his final resting place.
