S. Prestley Blake

Blake was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on November 26, 1914. He had two brothers (Curtis Blake and Hollis, who died at the age of two) and one sister (Betsy Melvin). Their father, Herbert Prestley Blake, was employed by Standard Electric Time Company; their mother, Ethel (Stewart) Blake, was a car enthusiast who inspired her sons' interest in vehicles.{{cite news|title=S. Prestley Blake, a Founder of Friendly's, Dies at 106|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/business/s-prestley-blake-a-founder-of-friendlys-dies-at-106.html|first=Daniel E.|last=Slotnik|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021|newspaper=The New York Times}} Blake was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, and attended Northfield Mount Hermon School. He went on to study at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.{{cite news|title=Friendly's Co-Founder, S. Prestley Blake, Dies At 106|url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/2021/02/12/friendlys-co-founder-s-prestley-blake-dies-at-106/|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021|publisher=WBZ-TV}} However, he dropped out after one year and moved back to Springfield in order to start Friendly's with his brother Curtis.

Blake and Curtis founded the Friendly's national restaurant chain in the summer of 1935, during the Great Depression. They worked closely together for 43 years. From making ice cream to scooping ice cream, the brothers shared in the hard work of getting the company off the ground; even their mother chipped in, helping to create the syrup for the coffee flavored ice cream. Blake was chairman of the company until 1979, when he sold it to The Hershey Company for approximately US$164 million. It was sold once more, in 1988 to entrepreneur Donald N. Smith for US$375 million.{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/08/28/friendly-and-its-founders-are-aging-well/8DcHv5OPkLeVUpplTWGbGJ/story.html|title=Friendly's and its founders are aging well|work=BostonGlobe.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2014/10/friendlys_springfield_community_celebrates_s_prestley_blake_100th_birthday.html|title=Friendly's co-founder S. Prestley Blake nears 100th birthday; Springfield to celebrate|work=masslive.com|date=2 October 2014 }} The company's name was shortened to simply "Friendly's". The signature beverage was the "Fribble", also known as the Awful Awful.{{Cite web |title=PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions |url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-boston-globe/20130825/283940290332243 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=www.pressreader.com}}

Blake continued to own shares in Friendly's, but took a hands-off approach with regard to its corporate affairs. However, the company's significant debt load at the end of the 1990s, coupled with what he regarded as poor management, led him to purchase shares in the company that resulted in his becoming the largest shareholder (with a 12% stake). He came into conflict with Smith about the direction of Friendly's and feuded with him publicly. At one point, Blake and his brother were not on speaking terms, and Curtis even blamed Blake for meddling in the company's affairs in an opinion piece in The Republican. The two brothers ultimately reconciled before Curtis' death in 2019.

In 1980, Blake earned a PhD at Western New England College, and one in 1982 at Springfield College. He held honorary PhD degrees from Bay Path College, Quinnipiac College, and Elms College.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVzhAAAAMAAJ&q=%22BLAKE,+Stewart+Prestley%22|title=Who's who in America 1996|date=February 16, 1995|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|isbn=9780837901701|via=Google Books}} In 2006, he was a minority shareholder in Friendly's.{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/12/19/unfriendly_maneuvers|title=Unfriendly maneuvers|newspaper=boston.com|accessdate=June 6, 2018}} On May 1, 2011, Brigantine Media{{cite web|url=http://www.brigantinemedia.com|title=Brigantine Media|work=brigantinemedia.com}} published Blake's autobiography, A Friendly Life,{{cite web|url=http://www.afriendlylife.com|title=A Friendly Life: The Autobiography of S. Prestley Blake|website=Afriendlylife.com|accessdate=April 30, 2017}} which describes the early years of Friendly Ice Cream Company as well as Blake's shareholder suit.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UFuyuAAACAAJ|title=A Friendly Life: The Autobiography of S. Prestley Blake Co-Founder of Friendly Ice Cream Corp.|publisher=Brigantine Media|year=2011|last1=Blake|first1=S. Prestley|last2=Farnham|first2=Alan|isbn=9780982664414}}

The S. Prestley Blake Law Center is the home of Western New England University's School of Law (he had donated $250,000 for it in 1979).{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aHraAAAAMAAJ&q=S.+Prestley+Blake|title=Fund Raiser's Guide to Private Fortunes|via=google.ca|year=1987|publisher=Taft |isbn=9780914756583|access-date=June 6, 2018}} The Blake Student Center at Northfield Mount Hermon School is also named after him.{{cite web|url=http://www.nmhschool.org/alumni-profile/s-prestley-blake-34|title=S. Prestley Blake '34|work=nmhschool.org|accessdate=June 6, 2018|archive-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808052817/http://www.nmhschool.org/alumni-profile/s-prestley-blake-34|url-status=dead}} He donated $2 million to Springfield College in 2006 and had Wilbraham Hall renamed as Herbert P. Blake Hall in honor of his father.{{cite web|url=http://www3.springfieldcollege.edu/homepage/designer.nsf/devdesign/$file/CampaignNews-BlakeAward2Mil.html|title=Untitled Document|work=springfieldcollege.edu|access-date=May 5, 2015|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518101122/http://www3.springfieldcollege.edu/homepage/designer.nsf/devdesign/$file/CampaignNews-BlakeAward2Mil.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2006/10/17/in-our-towns-2524/|title=In Our Towns|work=tribunedigital-thecourant|date=October 17, 2006|access-date=June 6, 2018}}

Blake celebrated his centenary in 2014 by constructing a copy of Monticello to modern-day standards in Somers, Connecticut. It was auctioned two years later for approximately US$2.1 million.{{cite news|title=Replica of Jefferson's Monticello sells at auction for $2.1M|url=https://apnews.com/article/168866d891f442899053d2b7138e0bda|date=June 1, 2016|accessdate=February 12, 2021|work=Associated Press}} He donated his other property in Somers to Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. The college in turn created the Blake Center for Freedom and Faith.{{cite news|title=S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of Friendly's, dead at 106|url=https://apnews.com/article/business-stuart-florida-united-states-c92e9c5088baabc2813d4ccdc5dc78be|date=February 12, 2021|accessdate=February 12, 2021|work=Associated Press}}

Blake's first marriage was to Della Deming. Together, they had two children: Benson P. Blake and Nancy Yanakakis.{{cite news|last=|first=|date=September 21, 2006|title=Della Blake Obituary (2006)|newspaper=The Republican|location=Springfield, Massachusetts|url=https://obits.masslive.com/obituaries/masslive/obituary.aspx?n=della-deming-blake&pid=19300183&fhid=4128|access-date=February 12, 2021}} They later divorced, and his subsequent marriage to Setsu Matsukata also ended in divorce. His third marriage was to Helen Davis, and they remained married until his death.{{cite news|title=S. Prestley Blake 'a giant of a man' remembered for drive, energy by wife, Helen|url=https://www.masslive.com/business/2021/02/s-prestley-blake-a-giant-of-a-man-remembered-for-drive-energy-by-wife-helen.html|first=Jim|last=Kinney|date=February 12, 2021|access-date=February 12, 2021|newspaper=The Republican|location=Springfield, Massachusetts}} He turned 100 in November 2014.{{cite news|last=MacQuarrie|first=Brian|title=A Jefferson follower's $7.5m declaration of admiration|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=December 25, 2014|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/24/monticello/n5jBDdPgvYGCekhYQSCUpI/story.html|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}

Blake died on February 11, 2021, of a gastric blockage at a hospital in Stuart, Florida.{{Cite news|last=Langer|first=Emily|title=S. Prestley Blake, a founder of Friendly's ice cream chain, dies at 106|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/s-prestley-blake-dead/2021/02/12/acbb76d0-6d4b-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html|access-date=2021-04-30|issn=0190-8286}} He was 106 and he suffered from respiratory failure prior to his death.

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Category:1914 births

Category:2021 deaths

Category:American men centenarians

Category:American restaurateurs

Category:Businesspeople from Connecticut

Category:Businesspeople from Massachusetts

Category:Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni

Category:Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni

Category:Western New England University alumni

Category:Quinnipiac University people

Category:Businesspeople from Springfield, Massachusetts

Category:Businesspeople from Jersey City, New Jersey