A man widely believed to be the model for the smiling chef on Cream of Wheat boxes finally has a grave marker bearing his name.
Frank L. White died in 1938, and until this week, his grave in Woodlawn Cemetery bore only a tiny concrete marker with no name.
On Wednesday, a granite gravestone was placed at his burial site. It bears his name and an etching taken from the man depicted on the Cream of Wheat box.
Jesse Lasorda, a family researcher from Lansing, started the campaign to put the marker and etching on White’s grave.
“Everybody deserves a headstone,” Lasorda told the Lansing State Journal. He discovered that White was born about 1867 in Barbados, came to the U.S. in 1875 and became a citizen in 1890.
When White died Feb. 15, 1938, the Leslie Local-Republican described him as a “famous chef” who “posed for an advertisement of a well-known breakfast food.”
White lived in Leslie for about the last 20 years of his life, and the story of his posing for the Cream of Wheat picture was known in the city of 2,000 located between Jackson and Lansing and about 70 miles west of Detroit.
The chef was photographed about 1900 while working in a Chicago restaurant. His name was not recorded. White was a chef, traveled a lot, was about the right age and told neighbors that he was the Cream of Wheat model, the Jackson Citizen Patriot said.
Long owned by Kraft Foods Inc., the Cream of Wheat brand was sold this year to B&G Foods Inc.
It is rumored that he was smuggled to the North with the aid of the gentleman depicted on this cannister:
After having been transported to the US by this able seaman:
Who somehow managed to slip away from the dread:
Comment by Tim P on 6/15 @ 9:17 pm #
Additionally. The fellow on the Quaker Oats can later grew a beard and was last seen playing for Lynyrd Skynyrd .
Comment by happyfeet on 6/15 @ 10:25 pm #
Not everybody deserves a headstone.
Comment by memomachine on 6/15 @ 10:54 pm #
Hmmmm.
True enough.
But it is the absolute truth to say that everybody deserves a solid kick to the ass.
And if it’s Trent Lott, have him turn around first.
Comment by Piraticalbob on 6/16 @ 5:47 am #
The original Cream of Wheat guy was known as Rastus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastus
Comment by poe me on 6/16 @ 6:35 am #
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/dec04.htm
Comment by McGehee on 6/16 @ 7:05 am #
But if Cap’n Crunch has one…
Comment by Casey Sheehan on 6/17 @ 9:06 am #
I think I deserved a headstone !
Comment by happyfeet on 6/17 @ 10:06 am #
this is me practicing the commenting
Comment by Dan Collins on 6/17 @ 10:09 am #
The post is crap, but the new look is cool.
Comment by happyfeet on 6/17 @ 10:13 am #
it’s similar, but different… I cannot WordPress on you enough how much I mourn the loss of the block-quotey thing
Comment by McGehee on 6/17 @ 10:24 am #
I liked being able to navigate directly from one post to the next. Of course, it’s still new, so the person in charge of installing all the bells and/or whistles must be given time to get it done.
I know I’ve seen Wordpress blogs with HTML buttons, so we may get them back. I’m sure our legendary patience is appreciated.
Comment by happyfeet on 6/17 @ 10:27 am #
That’s a different font. The old one wasn’t so squinchy.
I guess this means some adult ended up with a glass of apple juice…
I wonder if we can link to Google searches now?
Comment by happyfeet on 6/17 @ 10:30 am #
I am not complaining. I am adapting. This is good practice for teh climate change.
Comment by Dan Collins on 6/17 @ 10:52 am #
test :-P
Comment by CGHill on 6/17 @ 11:15 am #
Looks like Eddie Murphy, kind of.
“This stuff is gummy, dammit!”
Comment by Nerdie McSweatervest on 6/18 @ 7:43 am #
Some years ago, a local art museum had a display of paintings from Cream of Wheat advertisements. The odd thing about them was that the image of the chef had mostly just been pasted in. It was weird to see a printed chef stuck in the middle of a bunch of oil paintings.
Comment by triticale on 6/18 @ 8:26 am #
Everybody deserves to get stoned. Some prefer a bodystone to a headstone.
Comment by David on 6/18 @ 8:47 am #
I think this is long overdue but better late than never.
BTW, I wonder whether this has anything to do with Uncle Ben’s recent promotion to CEO.
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Trackback by Dandruff And Dreads on 11/16 @ 9:18 am #
Dandruff And Dreads
He had no notion of boundaries, couldn t seem to grasp the concept of rules. She also has some
Comment by login on 12/20 @ 9:56 pm #
Hi everyone A big thank you for this wonderful site, it has helped me immensely
Comment by kimberly trantham on 12/24 @ 6:39 pm #
NO THANX to you JESSE LASORDA your father will have a headstone. Why not practice what you preach… EVERYONE DESERVES A HEADSTONE, even your FATHER!!! We missed you at the funeral!!!!
Pingback by Cream of Wheat Dan Collins | Best Eye Cream on 6/7 @ 8:45 pm #
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