Robert E. Farrell*

Robert Farrell was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1927. His father operated an automobile dealership that was in Brooklyn and was owned by his grandfather. During the Great Depression, however, the business suffered greatly. Farrell's father committed suicide in 1931, leaving Farrell's mother penniless. She did the best she could, but within a year, four-year-old Farrell and his sister were put into a home for children. When their mother remarried three years later, the family reunited and moved to Long Island.

Following his high school graduation in 1946, Farrell joined the U.S. Air Force. When his tour of duty ended, he attended Packard Junior College in New York. He had never been a star student, and when he was younger, Farrell often played hooky so that he could caddy or do other chores around a local golf course. In college, however, he earned good grades because the subjects motivated him.

Farrell joined the sales force of Libby, McNeil & Libby in 1951. He loved selling and remained there for 12 years, eventually becoming a sales manager. But Farrell wanted to pursue his intuition that there was a real need for the return of the ice cream parlor. Because he was from New York, he also thought the West Coast, where he was currently living, needed a place to get good delicatessen sandwiches. His dream did not become a reality, however, until he met Ken McCarthy, a Carnation Milk Company representative. Enthusiastic about Farrell's idea, McCarthy signed on as a partner.

The first Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant opened in 1963 in Portland, Oregon. By 1972, his chain boasted 65 restaurants. Farrell proved that it was possible to run a successful business employing young people. His restaurants hired mostly high school and college students, whom he trained to be enthusiastic and service-oriented. Eventually, the chain was merged with Marriott, for whom Farrell served as a vice president for five years. In 1982, Farrell became chairman of Pacific Coast Restaurant Merchants Ltd., which owns several restaurants throughout the Northwest.

Farrell made it a point to always mention his Horatio Alger Award in the introduction of his speeches. "I'm very proud of it," he said, "It is a symbol that anyone can make a dream come true."