R. H. Paschal, 88, Restaurateur Who Nurtured Rights Leadership
By KEVIN SACK MARCH 4, 1997 NY Times
Robert H. Paschal, the Atlanta restaurateur and entrepreneur whose perfectly seasoned fried chicken sustained the civil rights movement, died on Thursday at his home here. He was 88.
His younger brother, James, his partner for 50 years in a business that started as a lunch counter and grew to include a hotel, a restaurant, a nightclub and a lucrative airport concession, said the cause was cancer.
Because the restaurant Paschal's was one of the few black-owned eating and meeting establishments in Atlanta, it became a natural home for the civil rights struggle. Among its regular patrons were the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young, Representative John Lewis, Julian Bond, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Stokely Carmichael, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Maynard H. Jackson.
Mr. Lewis, who now represents the Congressional district that includes Paschal's, recalled today that he ate his first meal in Atlanta at Paschal's after arriving from Alabama to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also remembered that the last time he ever saw Dr. King was at Paschal's, about two weeks before Dr. King was assassinated.
''Some of the decisions that affected the direction of the country were made in that restaurant,'' Mr. Lewis said.
To some extent, civil rights strategists were drawn to Paschal's by necessity. Until the sit-ins of the early 1960's, many of which were planned at Paschal's, public accommodations in Atlanta were segregated and there were few other places that black Atlantans could gather to share thoughts and a meal.
But they also were drawn by ''Mister Robert's'' incomparable fried chicken, candied yams, early peas, collard greens and other Southern delicacies.
Even though the brothers sold the hotel and restaurant last year to Clark Atlanta University for about $3 million, Atlantans still salivate at the mere mention of Mr. Paschal's chicken. It was crispy, tender, spicy and always delivered to the table steaming hot by one of a coterie of friendly and gracious waitresses.
''If Robert had been a little bit lighter, and if capital had been available, we wouldn't know about Colonel Sanders,'' Mr. Lowery mused today. ''It would be Colonel Paschal's.''
Mr. Paschal was happy to leave the company's business dealings to his brother while he took charge of the kitchen.
The story of the Paschal brothers is, in many ways, the story of black entrepreneurship in the second half of the 20th century.
After moving to Atlanta as young adults from Thomson, Ga., the brothers opened their lunch counter in 1947 in west Atlanta near the campuses of the city's historically black colleges. After selling thousands of chicken sandwiches, they moved their business across Hunter Street -- now renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive -- to a larger building and eventually opened a hotel and a lounge called La Carousel.
As the city's first black-owned hotel, Paschal's was a source of immense pride in the black community. La Carousel drew integrated crowds to see headliners like Aretha Franklin and Ramsey Lewis.
During the civil rights movement, the Paschal brothers provided food and meeting space for free for planning sessions preceding the Atlanta sit-ins, the March on Washington, and Mississippi Freedom Summer. When Dr. King was killed, the restaurant drew so many mourners that the brothers had to close the doors.
As black Atlantans became the city's pre-eminent political force, Paschal's remained an important meeting place for power brokers and candidates, starting with Maynard H. Jackson's first mayoral campaign in 1973. Soon the place became a mandatory stop for white politicians, whether candidates for district attorney or President, seeking validation among blacks.
The Paschals benefited when Mr. Jackson, as Mayor, insisted on joint ventures between black and white businesses in city contracting. In 1980, they won part of a lucrative contract to manage concessions inside the city's newly constructed airport. Although they sold the original restaurant and hotel last year, the Paschals recently opened several outlets at the airport.
In an interview last year, Mr. Paschal, who was then in poor health, said he looked forward to passing along his trade secrets to the cooks at the airport restaurants.
''Just as soon as I'm feeling a little better, I'm sure enough going to go out to the airport and teach them how to cook that chicken,'' he said. ''They don't know quite how to do it.''
In addition to his brother, Mr. Paschal is survived by a daughter, Corliss Paschal Nordman of Atlanta; a son, Thaddeus Paschal of Atlanta; a sister, Gussie Grant of Bethlehem, Pa., and two grandchildren.
By KEVIN SACK MARCH 4, 1997 NY Times
Robert H. Paschal, the Atlanta restaurateur and entrepreneur whose perfectly seasoned fried chicken sustained the civil rights movement, died on Thursday at his home here. He was 88.
His younger brother, James, his partner for 50 years in a business that started as a lunch counter and grew to include a hotel, a restaurant, a nightclub and a lucrative airport concession, said the cause was cancer.
Because the restaurant Paschal's was one of the few black-owned eating and meeting establishments in Atlanta, it became a natural home for the civil rights struggle. Among its regular patrons were the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young, Representative John Lewis, Julian Bond, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Stokely Carmichael, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Maynard H. Jackson.
Mr. Lewis, who now represents the Congressional district that includes Paschal's, recalled today that he ate his first meal in Atlanta at Paschal's after arriving from Alabama to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also remembered that the last time he ever saw Dr. King was at Paschal's, about two weeks before Dr. King was assassinated.
''Some of the decisions that affected the direction of the country were made in that restaurant,'' Mr. Lewis said.
To some extent, civil rights strategists were drawn to Paschal's by necessity. Until the sit-ins of the early 1960's, many of which were planned at Paschal's, public accommodations in Atlanta were segregated and there were few other places that black Atlantans could gather to share thoughts and a meal.
But they also were drawn by ''Mister Robert's'' incomparable fried chicken, candied yams, early peas, collard greens and other Southern delicacies.
Even though the brothers sold the hotel and restaurant last year to Clark Atlanta University for about $3 million, Atlantans still salivate at the mere mention of Mr. Paschal's chicken. It was crispy, tender, spicy and always delivered to the table steaming hot by one of a coterie of friendly and gracious waitresses.
''If Robert had been a little bit lighter, and if capital had been available, we wouldn't know about Colonel Sanders,'' Mr. Lowery mused today. ''It would be Colonel Paschal's.''
Mr. Paschal was happy to leave the company's business dealings to his brother while he took charge of the kitchen.
The story of the Paschal brothers is, in many ways, the story of black entrepreneurship in the second half of the 20th century.
After moving to Atlanta as young adults from Thomson, Ga., the brothers opened their lunch counter in 1947 in west Atlanta near the campuses of the city's historically black colleges. After selling thousands of chicken sandwiches, they moved their business across Hunter Street -- now renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive -- to a larger building and eventually opened a hotel and a lounge called La Carousel.
As the city's first black-owned hotel, Paschal's was a source of immense pride in the black community. La Carousel drew integrated crowds to see headliners like Aretha Franklin and Ramsey Lewis.
During the civil rights movement, the Paschal brothers provided food and meeting space for free for planning sessions preceding the Atlanta sit-ins, the March on Washington, and Mississippi Freedom Summer. When Dr. King was killed, the restaurant drew so many mourners that the brothers had to close the doors.
As black Atlantans became the city's pre-eminent political force, Paschal's remained an important meeting place for power brokers and candidates, starting with Maynard H. Jackson's first mayoral campaign in 1973. Soon the place became a mandatory stop for white politicians, whether candidates for district attorney or President, seeking validation among blacks.
The Paschals benefited when Mr. Jackson, as Mayor, insisted on joint ventures between black and white businesses in city contracting. In 1980, they won part of a lucrative contract to manage concessions inside the city's newly constructed airport. Although they sold the original restaurant and hotel last year, the Paschals recently opened several outlets at the airport.
In an interview last year, Mr. Paschal, who was then in poor health, said he looked forward to passing along his trade secrets to the cooks at the airport restaurants.
''Just as soon as I'm feeling a little better, I'm sure enough going to go out to the airport and teach them how to cook that chicken,'' he said. ''They don't know quite how to do it.''
In addition to his brother, Mr. Paschal is survived by a daughter, Corliss Paschal Nordman of Atlanta; a son, Thaddeus Paschal of Atlanta; a sister, Gussie Grant of Bethlehem, Pa., and two grandchildren.
R. H. Paschal, 88, Restaurateur Who Nurtured Rights Leadership
By KEVIN SACK MARCH 4, 1997 NY Times
Robert H. Paschal, the Atlanta restaurateur and entrepreneur whose perfectly seasoned fried chicken sustained the civil rights movement, died on Thursday at his home here. He was 88.
His younger brother, James, his partner for 50 years in a business that started as a lunch counter and grew to include a hotel, a restaurant, a nightclub and a lucrative airport concession, said the cause was cancer.
Because the restaurant Paschal's was one of the few black-owned eating and meeting establishments in Atlanta, it became a natural home for the civil rights struggle. Among its regular patrons were the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young, Representative John Lewis, Julian Bond, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Stokely Carmichael, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Maynard H. Jackson.
Mr. Lewis, who now represents the Congressional district that includes Paschal's, recalled today that he ate his first meal in Atlanta at Paschal's after arriving from Alabama to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also remembered that the last time he ever saw Dr. King was at Paschal's, about two weeks before Dr. King was assassinated.
''Some of the decisions that affected the direction of the country were made in that restaurant,'' Mr. Lewis said.
To some extent, civil rights strategists were drawn to Paschal's by necessity. Until the sit-ins of the early 1960's, many of which were planned at Paschal's, public accommodations in Atlanta were segregated and there were few other places that black Atlantans could gather to share thoughts and a meal.
But they also were drawn by ''Mister Robert's'' incomparable fried chicken, candied yams, early peas, collard greens and other Southern delicacies.
Even though the brothers sold the hotel and restaurant last year to Clark Atlanta University for about $3 million, Atlantans still salivate at the mere mention of Mr. Paschal's chicken. It was crispy, tender, spicy and always delivered to the table steaming hot by one of a coterie of friendly and gracious waitresses.
''If Robert had been a little bit lighter, and if capital had been available, we wouldn't know about Colonel Sanders,'' Mr. Lowery mused today. ''It would be Colonel Paschal's.''
Mr. Paschal was happy to leave the company's business dealings to his brother while he took charge of the kitchen.
The story of the Paschal brothers is, in many ways, the story of black entrepreneurship in the second half of the 20th century.
After moving to Atlanta as young adults from Thomson, Ga., the brothers opened their lunch counter in 1947 in west Atlanta near the campuses of the city's historically black colleges. After selling thousands of chicken sandwiches, they moved their business across Hunter Street -- now renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive -- to a larger building and eventually opened a hotel and a lounge called La Carousel.
As the city's first black-owned hotel, Paschal's was a source of immense pride in the black community. La Carousel drew integrated crowds to see headliners like Aretha Franklin and Ramsey Lewis.
During the civil rights movement, the Paschal brothers provided food and meeting space for free for planning sessions preceding the Atlanta sit-ins, the March on Washington, and Mississippi Freedom Summer. When Dr. King was killed, the restaurant drew so many mourners that the brothers had to close the doors.
As black Atlantans became the city's pre-eminent political force, Paschal's remained an important meeting place for power brokers and candidates, starting with Maynard H. Jackson's first mayoral campaign in 1973. Soon the place became a mandatory stop for white politicians, whether candidates for district attorney or President, seeking validation among blacks.
The Paschals benefited when Mr. Jackson, as Mayor, insisted on joint ventures between black and white businesses in city contracting. In 1980, they won part of a lucrative contract to manage concessions inside the city's newly constructed airport. Although they sold the original restaurant and hotel last year, the Paschals recently opened several outlets at the airport.
In an interview last year, Mr. Paschal, who was then in poor health, said he looked forward to passing along his trade secrets to the cooks at the airport restaurants.
''Just as soon as I'm feeling a little better, I'm sure enough going to go out to the airport and teach them how to cook that chicken,'' he said. ''They don't know quite how to do it.''
In addition to his brother, Mr. Paschal is survived by a daughter, Corliss Paschal Nordman of Atlanta; a son, Thaddeus Paschal of Atlanta; a sister, Gussie Grant of Bethlehem, Pa., and two grandchildren.
By KEVIN SACK MARCH 4, 1997 NY Times
Robert H. Paschal, the Atlanta restaurateur and entrepreneur whose perfectly seasoned fried chicken sustained the civil rights movement, died on Thursday at his home here. He was 88.
His younger brother, James, his partner for 50 years in a business that started as a lunch counter and grew to include a hotel, a restaurant, a nightclub and a lucrative airport concession, said the cause was cancer.
Because the restaurant Paschal's was one of the few black-owned eating and meeting establishments in Atlanta, it became a natural home for the civil rights struggle. Among its regular patrons were the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young, Representative John Lewis, Julian Bond, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Stokely Carmichael, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Maynard H. Jackson.
Mr. Lewis, who now represents the Congressional district that includes Paschal's, recalled today that he ate his first meal in Atlanta at Paschal's after arriving from Alabama to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also remembered that the last time he ever saw Dr. King was at Paschal's, about two weeks before Dr. King was assassinated.
''Some of the decisions that affected the direction of the country were made in that restaurant,'' Mr. Lewis said.
To some extent, civil rights strategists were drawn to Paschal's by necessity. Until the sit-ins of the early 1960's, many of which were planned at Paschal's, public accommodations in Atlanta were segregated and there were few other places that black Atlantans could gather to share thoughts and a meal.
But they also were drawn by ''Mister Robert's'' incomparable fried chicken, candied yams, early peas, collard greens and other Southern delicacies.
Even though the brothers sold the hotel and restaurant last year to Clark Atlanta University for about $3 million, Atlantans still salivate at the mere mention of Mr. Paschal's chicken. It was crispy, tender, spicy and always delivered to the table steaming hot by one of a coterie of friendly and gracious waitresses.
''If Robert had been a little bit lighter, and if capital had been available, we wouldn't know about Colonel Sanders,'' Mr. Lowery mused today. ''It would be Colonel Paschal's.''
Mr. Paschal was happy to leave the company's business dealings to his brother while he took charge of the kitchen.
The story of the Paschal brothers is, in many ways, the story of black entrepreneurship in the second half of the 20th century.
After moving to Atlanta as young adults from Thomson, Ga., the brothers opened their lunch counter in 1947 in west Atlanta near the campuses of the city's historically black colleges. After selling thousands of chicken sandwiches, they moved their business across Hunter Street -- now renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive -- to a larger building and eventually opened a hotel and a lounge called La Carousel.
As the city's first black-owned hotel, Paschal's was a source of immense pride in the black community. La Carousel drew integrated crowds to see headliners like Aretha Franklin and Ramsey Lewis.
During the civil rights movement, the Paschal brothers provided food and meeting space for free for planning sessions preceding the Atlanta sit-ins, the March on Washington, and Mississippi Freedom Summer. When Dr. King was killed, the restaurant drew so many mourners that the brothers had to close the doors.
As black Atlantans became the city's pre-eminent political force, Paschal's remained an important meeting place for power brokers and candidates, starting with Maynard H. Jackson's first mayoral campaign in 1973. Soon the place became a mandatory stop for white politicians, whether candidates for district attorney or President, seeking validation among blacks.
The Paschals benefited when Mr. Jackson, as Mayor, insisted on joint ventures between black and white businesses in city contracting. In 1980, they won part of a lucrative contract to manage concessions inside the city's newly constructed airport. Although they sold the original restaurant and hotel last year, the Paschals recently opened several outlets at the airport.
In an interview last year, Mr. Paschal, who was then in poor health, said he looked forward to passing along his trade secrets to the cooks at the airport restaurants.
''Just as soon as I'm feeling a little better, I'm sure enough going to go out to the airport and teach them how to cook that chicken,'' he said. ''They don't know quite how to do it.''
In addition to his brother, Mr. Paschal is survived by a daughter, Corliss Paschal Nordman of Atlanta; a son, Thaddeus Paschal of Atlanta; a sister, Gussie Grant of Bethlehem, Pa., and two grandchildren.
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