George R. Bunn, Founder Of Bunn-O-Matic, 87
DGH
George Regan Bunn, founder and chairman of the Springfield-based
Bunn-O-Matic Corp., died Saturday, December 7, 2002, at St. John's
Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 87.
Bunn was also chairman of Bunn Capitol Corp. and served on numerous
boards over the years including the original Springfield Marine Bank,
St. John's Hospital Lay Advisory Board, MacMurray College Board of
Trustees and the board of the National Cutting Horse Association.
Among Bunn's many contributions to central Illinois include serving on
the committee to bring a medical school to Springfield and the
original committee for the formation of Sangamon State University, now
University of Illinois at Springfield.
He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the South Pacific in
World War II.
He supported numerous charities throughout his life and was a member
of numerous organizations, including Christ the King Parish, Illini
Country Club and the Sangamo Club.
The Bunn family's involvement in Springfield businesses dates back to
the 1840s when Jacob Bunn opened a wholesale retail grocery store in
the city.
In 1957, George Bunn founded Bunn-O-Matic.
Bunn-O-Matic claims credit for many firsts in the beverage industry,
including the first commercial paper coffee filter in 1957, the first
office coffee brewer in 1968, the first commercial brewer with water
level control in 1975 and the first complete coffee management system
in 1992.
In addition to his success in the corporate world and community
involvement, Bunn also had a lifetime involvement with horses.
In 1991, he agreed to talk to a State Journal-Register reporter about
his world-class thoroughbred, Farma Way. He said that both horses and
farming were in his blood.
"I pretty much grew up around horses," Bunn said at the time. "I've
loved horses as long as I can remember."
Bunn said his early interests centered on quarter horses and cutting
horses. He eventually decided to branch out into the thoroughbred
business.
"We used to go to a lot of contests and that sort of thing with the
cutting horses. We were looking for something the whole family could
enjoy," Bunn said.
In 1998, Bunn talked with The State Journal-Register about Buck's Boy,
a then-5-year-old gelding who had recently won the $2 million Breeders
Cup Turf Race at Churchill Downs.
As in the 1991 interview, Bunn was willing to talk at length about his
horse and racing, but shied away from talking about himself.
"All the accolades and that, it doesn't mean anything to me," Bunn
said in the 1998 interview. "It does to some people, and that's fine.
I just don't cotton to it myself. I love to have a horse that can run
like that. He's the one I'm glad to see."
State Journal-Register [Springfield, Illinois]
.
Bob Flaminio
> George Regan Bunn, founder and chairman of the Springfield-based
> Bunn-O-Matic Corp., died Saturday, December 7, 2002, at St. John's
> Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 87.
A sad day for us java-philes. I'll drink a cup for ya, George.
-Bob
Rich Clancey
+ DGH wrote:
+> George Regan Bunn, founder and chairman of the Springfield-based
+> Bunn-O-Matic Corp., died Saturday, December 7, 2002, at St. John's
+> Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 87.
+ A sad day for us java-philes. I'll drink a cup for ya, George.
Yeah. How many bleary-eyed mornings have I propped myself up at a
counter in front of a mug o' the Steaming and wondered stupidly
why the machines was called Bunn-O-Matic?
--
rich clancey r...@world.std.com
The Kentucky Wizard
"Rich Clancey" <r...@shell01.TheWorld.com> wrote in message
news:H6yEK...@world.std.com...
Just be glad his last name wasn't "Prick". No one would have needed the
coffee to wake up then.
--
The Wiz.....