William “Bill” Post – the man who invented the popular toaster Pop-Tarts – died on Saturday, his family announced. He is 96 years old.
Post, a Michigan native and the son of immigrants who worked his way up from truck washer to senior vice president, brightened millions of American mornings with the popular sweet pastry in 1964.
The great-grandfather is often credited with inventing the breakfast dish, though he always said it was a team effort, according to his obituary.
Post grew up in Grand Rapids as one of seven children of Dutch immigrants. He married his high school sweetheart, Florence Schut, and served in the Army Air Corps in occupied Japan.
At just 16, Post got a part-time gig washing trucks at the Hekman Biscuit Company — which would eventually become the Keebler Company.
Five years later he rose to the position of full-time personnel manager “but helped with sales, production, or anything else he could learn,” his loved ones wrote in his obit.
About 20 years later when Post became the Hekman plant manager, he welcomed an executive from Kellogg who asked Hekman/Keebler to develop a product they had in mind.
William “Bill” Post — the man who invented the beloved toaster Pop-Tarts — died on Saturday at the age of 96.
This product would be a Pop-Tart — which can be found in almost every grocery store and supermarket in the US today.
Post did many interviews about his invention during his lifetime and each time he said the credit was shared.
“Bill would say, ‘I assembled a great team that developed Kellogg’s concept of a stable bakery pastry into a good product that we could bring to market in just four months,'” his obituary stated.
He often shares his Pop-Tart story with the younger generation, hoping to inspire them while always giving away samples of his creations.
“Over the years, Bill has been interviewed by newspaper reporters (including the New York Times), TV reporters (History Channel, CBS, etc.), and by radio hosts in this country and abroad,” his obit said. “He was asked to tell the Pop Tart story to the young people in countless classrooms and always enjoyed fulfilling the request, bearing his testimony of God’s goodness to the ‘son of an immigrant,’ and bringing an endless supply of Pop Tarts with him. .”
Eventually, Post was promoted to senior vice president after moving to Elmhurst, Illinois to work in the corporate office of the Keebler Company in 1967.
While manager of the Hekman factory, Post developed a product that later became known as “Pop-Tarts.” AFP via Getty Images
He later retired at age 56 and moved to Glen Arbor, Michigan, although he remained a consultant for the company for another 20 years.
Post is a religious man who praises God for his success and has served his local community on the school board and as a member of Gideons International for 60 years.
“Despite his extraordinary life and legendary accomplishments, Bill remained a humble servant of God with a servant’s heart that seemed to overflow with generosity… He was the first to bring comfort, read the scriptures and pray with any friend or member family is needed. He continued to fill that role until the end of his life and left a great void among his most precious friends,” shared his loved ones.
Post’s wife of 72 years and his “best friend,” Florence, died in 2020.
But she is survived by her two children and their spouses and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were “the light of her life.”
Post often shares the story of Pop-Tart with the younger generation, hoping to inspire them while always giving away samples of his creations. Getty Images
“He was such a positive force that after a conversation with Bill, you would walk away with a lighter heart and a brighter smile,” his loved ones wrote.
Post’s story of a four-month challenge to create a Pop-Tart has inspired a Netflix movie slated for release in May.
The movie “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story” was written and directed by Jerry Seinfeld, who starred in it along with several famous comedians.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
