Chicken magnate Frank Perdue, 84
Posted: Friday, April 1st, 2005 9:34 amSALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Frank Perdue, who transformed a backyard egg business into one of the nation’s largest poultry processors using the folksy slogan, “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken,” has died. He was 84.
Perdue died Thursday after a brief illness, Perdue Farms said Friday.
At the time of his death, Perdue was chairman of the executive committee of the board of directors of Perdue Farms, based in Salisbury, one of the nation’s largest poultry producers.
Perdue turned the reins over to his son, Jim, in 1991.
In 1971, Perdue was credited with being the first to advertise chickens by brand, and he was his company’s television pitchman. His tough, folksy TV persona helped boost sales from $56 million in 1970 to more than $1.2 billion by 1991. … Read full obituary
