Harmon Archibald Dobson (October 8, 1913 – April 11, 1967)[1] was an American entrepreneur best known as one of the founders of the fast food chain Whataburger.

Dobson then held numerous jobs, including work on the Suez Canal in Egypt, and then in Bahrain where he was in charge of construction of a mess hall.

[2] Dobson moved to Texas, where he co-founded the first Whataburger with Paul Burton, who was looking to open a hamburger restaurant.

Dobson, an avid pilot who was inspired by his time in the sky, designed the orange and white striped A-frame store in Odessa, Texas in 1961.

[6] According to witnesses, Dobson was apparently taking off in a steep climb when both engines on the plane failed at around 75 to 100 feet (23 to 30 m) in the sky and then plummeted back into the ground.

[7] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) summary classifies the accident type as a stall.

[2] She ultimately refused to sell the company, wanting it to be kept in the family, and became chairwoman of the board of Whataburger until her death in 2005.