Ada —
Pat Stone and his wife Jennie Stone have owned the Ada Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise for 40 years.
Today, they celebrate their 40th anniversary with the Colonel.
“Wednesday will be exactly 40 years,” Pat Stone said. “The store was originally built in 1969. After about a year, we bought it and took over on Sept. 1, 1970.”
He said meeting Colonel Sanders was one of the highlights of his past four decades with KFC.
“I met him in Miami Beach, Fla. the first time,” Pat Stone said. “He was at the conventions in Las Vegas and Dallas.”
Pat and Jennie have won several awards with their store, including highest sales in the state for several years.
Originally a Stonewall resident, Pat said he graduated from East Central University and spent some time in Los Alamos, N.M. working with atomic energy at the site of the original atom bomb’s creation.
He bought the Ada store as a way to return home.
“This restaurant was an opportunity to make it back,” he said.
Pat, 83, and Jennie, 81, will be celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary this month, as well. Pat said it’s about time to retire from the chicken business.
“I’m tapering off. It’s time to turn it over to the kids,” he said. “I’m not that involved, anymore. I’ve been out of the kitchen for a while.”
He said he and his wife will be staying in Ada when they retire.
“We’re anchored here. We have children and grandchildren and this is it,” he said.
Pat said he has fond memories of the 40 years he’s spent running Ada’s KFC.
“It’s been good for us,” he said.
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