It's no secret that around here we take our Pop-Tarts pretty seriously:
So it's only fitting that we pay tribute to the great American man who started it all decades ago:
William "Bill" Post, who was 96, died on Saturday, leaving behind two children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Take a minute, friends.
No joke: Bill Post wasn't just the creator of the legendary breakfast pastry, he led an astonishingly varied and fully American life throughout his 96 years on this earth.
Born one of seven children of Dutch immigrants, he first began washing trucks at what was then known as Hekman Biscuit Company (Keebler today). After that he served in the Army Air Corps in Occupied Japan before coming back to work at Hekman:
At the age of 21, Bill worked at Hekman full time as the personnel manager, but assisted with sales, production, or anything else that he could learn. Fast forward 20 years, and Bill as the plant manager of Hekman (later known as the Keebler Company) welcomed some executives from Kellogg's who asked if he thought it would be possible for Keebler to create a new product they had in mind.
I don't think you need me to tell you what that "new product" was.
Mr. Post went ahead and did it; he created the Pop-Tart, fixture of American breakfasts for decades. But the man wasn't just an industrial-culinary genius, he was also very humble; rather than take credit for the pastry, he would reportedly say:
I assembled an amazing team that developed Kellogg's concept of a shelf-stable toaster pastry into a fine product that we could bring to market in the span of just four months.
It's not every day a man invents an iconic consumer product and declines to take full credit for it. What a guy!
Post would go on to work for Keebler and then as a consultant for Kellogg's. In addition to his work, his obituary identified him as "a humble man of God with a servant's heart that seemed to overflow with generosity," a fellow who served on school boards and church boards, who always had Scripture close at hand for those in need, and who gave credit for his life to "Christ who gives me strength."
Here's footage of this larger-than-life American legend visiting the Grand Rapids Pop-Tart plant just a few weeks before his death:
Rest in peace, Mr. Post.
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