Marion William Isbell (August 12, 1905 – October 20, 1988) was an American

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

and founder of Ramada Inns, Inc.

Biography

Isbell was born to Benjamin Franklin Isbell in

Whitehaven, Tennessee Whitehaven, informally known as "Blackhaven", is a predominantly African-American community in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was first organized in the late 19th century as a neighborhood for upper-class white families. Its current popul ...

upon his passing in 1905 he was orphaned with his two brothers Howard James and Leon (?) before he was 5. The brothers were placed in an orphanage briefly and then resided with relatives in Memphis. He worked throughout his childhood, first in the Isbell rice fields in England, Arkansas, after dropping out of school he worked as an errand boy. At 16, he moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to work as a dishwasher, cook and soda jerk. He first got into the restaurant business in 1934, opening the first Isbell's Restaurant. In 1929, Isbell took a cross-country trip with his wife, Ingrid, when he had the idea of building comfortable roadside inns. In 1954, he made the dream a reality with a group of Phoenix investors and began buying motels. He became chairman of Ramada Inns Inc., a 63-motel chain in 1962. He was chairman until 1973 before retiring in 1979. Isbell was president of the

National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associa ...

from 1942 to 1944. In 1955, he ran for

city clerk on the same ticket as Mayor Martin Kennelly. He died on October 20, 1988, at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

. On the day of his death, Ramada released their restructuring plan to focus on gambling casinos and selling off its hotel and restaurant businesses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isbell, Marion William 1905 births 1988 deaths Ramada People from Whitehaven American hoteliers