Final Tribute For Cream Of Wheat Man

Gravestone Monument In Leslie, Michigan, 69 Years After His Death

(AP)  A man widely believed to be the model for the smiling chef on Cream of Wheat boxes finally has a grave marker bearing his name.

Frank L. White died in 1938, and until this week, his grave in Woodlawn Cemetery bore only a tiny concrete marker with no name.

On Wednesday, a granite gravestone was placed at his burial site. It bears his name and an etching taken from the man depicted on the Cream of Wheat box.

Jesse Lasorda, a family researcher from Lansing, started the campaign to put the marker and etching on White's grave.

"Everybody deserves a headstone," Lasorda told the Lansing State Journal. He discovered that White was born about 1867 in Barbados, came to the U.S. in 1875 and became a citizen in 1890.

When White died Feb. 15, 1938, the Leslie Local-Republican described him as a "famous chef" who "posed for an advertisement of a well-known breakfast food."

White lived in Leslie for about the last 20 years of his life, and the story of his posing for the Cream of Wheat picture was known in the city of 2,000 located between Jackson and Lansing and about 70 miles west of Detroit.

The chef was photographed about 1900 while working in a Chicago restaurant. His name was not recorded. White was a chef, traveled a lot, was about the right age and told neighbors that he was the Cream of Wheat model, the Jackson Citizen Patriot said.

Long owned by Kraft Foods Inc., the Cream of Wheat brand was sold this year to B&G Foods Inc.

[global_chick]

It's nice to have an interesting, fun story to read that doesn't lead to name-calling.

[thgdriver]

I forgot all about cream of wheat but after I saw the man on the box and this story it all came back.
I would have been glad to add to the donations if I knew at the time. My mom would make oatmeal also. Great in the middle of those cold winters we don't seem to have anymore.

[connapa]

Why didn't anybody, once they found out there was no headstone, approach the company and suggest that they honor the man with a proper headstone. In this day and age they could have written it off as a business expense, plus gotten a lot of free advertising as a result. Shame on them for exploiting someone for all those years. His family should sue to collect royalties for use of his image.

[ladyephesus1]

This is an awesome story! One of the best Ive read in a while. My mom only fed us hot cereal when we were growing up(1970's) and it was always Cream of Wheat! Its funny alot of us never asked who the guy really was. Kinda sad to know that I was eating that cereal all those years and didnt even think to ask. There should be a movie about him. ;)

[beadazzle]

Wow this is a cool story and as a baby boomer i grew up on creme of wheat and still love eating it today. I'm glad that this man finally got his due,but i agree with JetRanger7,Frank L. White should have a better grave stone in his memory. He's a part of history now and deserves the recongition.

[slim1h2o]

Cream of Wheat, with brown sugar on top, mm mm good! Oops wrong company, Sorry HaHaHahahaha

[susieq_13]

I'm glad they got him a headstone. He deserves it. I'm only 34 and that is what I fed my son when he was just 3 months old. He couldn't stand Gerber Rice Cereal...so when I started buying Cream of Wheat and he loved it, I thought this is awesome!
Great story CBS!

[konabike]

I used to love cream of wheat. It's a nice story!

[jetranger7]

OHH COME ON,,, I MEAN REALLY,,, COULDN'T THEY HAVE GIVIN HIM A 10-FOOT HIGH MEMORIAL, HEADSTONE, LIKE MAYBE SHAPED LIKE A CREAM OF WHEAT CAN WITH HIS NAME ON IT OR SOMETHING ??? HE DESERVED A BIGGER HEADSTONE THAN THAT,, GEESSHHHH !!! TALK ABOUT STINGY AND BEING TIGHT,, MANNNNN !!!!!

[michellem99-2009]

We use to eat it as kids. I knew there was a black man on the box but didn't know who. I loved Cream of wheat. In the 60s winters got awfully cold in Maine. So Foster Mum would fix it many morning with home made toast. Kids today don't know them winters as us older folk do. Back then it snowed and a hot bowl of cream of wheat top it off. This is cool. I am 52.

[mswolfestock]

What a great story . . . . CBS, please publish at least one positive story like this every day. I know that good stuff like this happens all the time, and I'd like to see more stories that do not cause people to argue and call each other names. I grew up eating Cream of Wheat and I'm happy to learn about the real man behind the picture on the box.

[usawarrior]

Thank you for the story! That was very nice and we love good news every now and then.

[dukeudevil]

You're a good person, Jesse Lasorda. Thanks for not allowing history to forget.

I do hope either Kraft and/or B&G contributed to the campaign like good (and grateful) capitalists should.

[ov442]

thats cool.
interesting that 1938 when he passed has same numbers as 1893 on the box of Cream of Wheat.

[drngray]

Thank you for this story. This was a good piece of news. Neal

[cbs_oliver]

What a nice story!

Good work!