Bob Evans (restaurateur)

Robert Lewis Evans (May 30, 1918 – June 21, 2007) was an American restaurateur and marketer of pork sausage products.

In 1953, the business was incorporated as Bob Evans Farms Inc. By 1957, the company opened four sausage plants to keep up with demand.

He also planted seeds for the future of the agricultural industry through his support of youth organizations such as 4-H and FFA and his involvement in higher education.

He also supported many community organizations, including the Heart Fund, Ohio Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Arthritis Foundation, and Easter Seals.

In 2005, Evans was honored by FAO as an inaugural "I'm a Child of Appalachia" honoree for his philanthropic efforts, entrepreneurial success, and support of improved access to higher education in the region.

The "I'm a Child of Appalachia" campaign uses individual success stories to promote greater investment in the region to increase student access to postsecondary education.

[1] Upon learning of his death, Ohio governor Ted Strickland remarked: "Bob Evans was a true original.

His life's work was bringing the warmth, hospitality, and good food of Ohio to rest of the nation.

Now the old homestead is called Bob Evans Farm and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.