Voting Station

Jeannette Cathy

Please vote to return to collections.

Philanthropist

The Resume

    (1922-July 22, 2015)
    Birth name was Jeannette McNeil
    Raised in Atlanta, Georgia
    Wife of Chick-fil-A founder, S. Truett Cathy (m. 1948)
    Key factor in helping her husband establish the popular restaurant chain, starting in the late 1940s with the 'Dwarf Grill'
    Mother of Dan Truett Cathy and Donald 'Bubba' Cathy (Chick-fil-A President and Vice-Presidents, respectively)
    Grandmother of 12, and great-grandmother to 20
    Founded the long-term foster care program, the WinShape Foundation, with her husband, in 1984
    WinShape Homes program serves more than 500 foster children in 13 homes in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama
    Patron, and namesake, for The Jeannette Cathy Children's Center, a child care facility for employees located on the Atlanta corporate campus, 'dedicated to the woman whose love for children inspired its creation' (founded July 2001)

Why she might be annoying:

    She was called 'the Matriarch of Chick-fil-A.'
    She didn't allow her future husband to officially 'court her' until after he established his first restaurant.
    Through the WinShape Foundation, she and her husband donated $5 million to anti-gay-rights groups.
    She is probably responsible for the restaurant's 'closed on Sundays' policy nation-wide. (Lord, what's a frantic Eat More Chikin Cow to do on the Sabbath?)
    She is credited with establishing the quasi-evangelical atmosphere of the family-based Chick-fil-A company, rearing her husband and children with beliefs they would impose on their franchisee workers.
    Ordinarily, this probably wouldn't be construed as a negative, but considering how much trouble it ended up causing her family, and her husband's company, in 2012, the side affects weren't entirely positive, to say the least...

Why she might not be annoying:

    She was famous for her 'southern hospitality' towards guests.
    She was a gifted dancer, singer and musician, who received numerous invitations to perform at various churches and events.
    Her husband was her ‘childhood sweetheart,’ whom she first met when he was only 8 years old, and she was 7.
    Truett later said of their first meeting, 'I immediately had a crush on her that I have never gotten over.'
    She taught Bible study classes to 13-year-old girls for more than 30 years.
    She attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary at a time when not many women were afforded the opportunity.
    She enjoyed a long and healthy marriage with S. Truett Cathy which lasted for 65 years.
    She and her husband took in more than 150 foster children over a twenty-five year period.
    She helped her husband nurture the Dwarf Grill (later the Dwarf House), which eventually launched the Chick-fil-A brand in 1967.
    Her husband credited her with strengthening his faith, also crediting her for inspiring many of the philanthropic efforts the restaurant chain is known for.
    She and her husband received the Norman Vincent Peale and Ruth Stafford Peale Humanitarian Award in honor of their 'positive difference in the quality of life in our society' (2003).
    Her eldest son, Dan Cathy, said 'Our mother has always been the spiritual nucleus and encourager of our family. I can't remember a day when she was not in full support of Dad in his work and vision for the Chick-fil-A business.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 22.22% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 12 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 117 Votes: 67.52% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 63 Votes: 46.03% Annoying