Robert E. "Bob" Farrell (December 10, 1927 – August 14, 2015) was an American

motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

, author, and founder of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant.

Early life

Farrell was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. His grandfather, Patrick Farrell, owned an auto parts company which his father later ran. Following the stock market crash in 1929 Farrell's father committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. His mother placed 4-year-old Bob and his sister in an orphanage for five years, taking them back when she remarried in 1934.Robert E. Farrell
, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. website, accessed May 5, 2010 In 1945 he dropped out of high school to join the Air Force, remaining in the service for a year after the war. He met and married Ramona in 1946; they later had three daughters. He earned a business degree and took a job with Heinz Foods. After a year he became a salesman for Libby Foods.

Ice cream

On September 13, 1963, he and his friend Ken McCarthy created Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, an 1890s-themed ice cream parlor in Portland, Oregon. Farrell later bought out McCarthy's interest. Within five years he had six Farrell's locations, then began franchising. Among other publicity stunts, he built the ''World's Largest Sundae'' () for the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. He built up a franchise chain of 55 restaurants, which he sold to the Marriott Corporation in 1972. He remained with the chain as spokesman until 1985. The chain expanded to 120 locations by 1975, but then sales began declining; by 1990 almost all Farrell's locations had closed. In 2008 the chain was revived, with Farrell serving as an advisor to the new owners.

Motivational speaker

While at Farrell's he developed a speech for new employees called ''Give 'em the Pickle!'', based on a letter he received from a disappointed customer. He expanded this speech into a career as a speaker at motivational and employee-training events. In 2002, he put his ''Pickle'' speech to video, followed by ''The Leadership Pickles!''

Personal

Farrell was active for decades in Young Life. He resided in Vancouver, Washington until his death due to Alzheimer’s disease on August 14, 2015.

Recognition

In 1976 he received the

Horatio Alger Award The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Bob American motivational speakers 1927 births 2015 deaths People from Brooklyn Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon Businesspeople from Vancouver, Washington 20th-century American businesspeople