So when it came time to start planning her Christmas decor, Vivian knew she wanted to celebrate her hometown burger place, a Whataburger restaurant led by Operating Partner Philip Covos and his team.  Whether she was pulling up at the curb or walking in, Vivian said she always felt welcomed and connected. 

Way back in the summer, she started planning ahead for the holidays. 

No blue Christmas for Vivian: She was going orange.

“We were eating Whataburger for about two weeks straight, and I'm like 'you know what, I'm going to do a Whataburger Christmas tree'," Vivian said. 

“We always say Whataburger feels like home, and it's so great that she's taking a sense of Whataburger to her house on a bigger level than just burgers,” said Field Marketer Sarah Marston, who helped Vivian gather some extra Whata-swag for her masterpiece. “We loved Vivian's Christmas spirit and how it centered around Whataburger!”

When the Whataburger teams in Midland saw Vivian's epic tree, they knew she had to join them on their float in Midland's holiday parade. Dressed in her Whataburger sweater and flashing orange-and-white lights, she beamed and waved

“It's been awesome. I'm honored, my kids are excited,” she said. “This has brought a lot of excitement into our lives, and I want to tell them I do appreciate it. ”

For Noah Lozano and Alan Cruz, trumpet-playing rivals in the middle school band competition scene, not so much. 

“We didn’t like each other,” Alan said.

“At all,” Noah agreed.

But when Noah and Alan found themselves in the same mariachi group at PSJA North Early College High School in Pharr, Texas, rivalry became an alliance.

“He's like a brother to me,” Noah said.

“What made him different from everyone else for me is that I could rely on him for everything,” Alan agreed.

The friends bonded over their love for mariachi, the challenges of navigating high school in a pandemic, and then, their jobs at Whataburger.

Alan started as a Team Member at the restaurant down the street from their high school, and he talked Noah into joining him soon after.

“Nobody does it like Whataburger,” Alan said. “Whataburger is always there for me.”

"I have always had a passion to make this unit better, in every sense,” said Noah. “That is why I feel so prideful about this. I love all the opportunities they give me, I love all the people that work here… I love this job." 

Alan and Noah’s pride in their friendship, music and Whataburger all came together in harmony last summer when the mariachi team was returning home from a performance. 

The choice of Whataburger for lunch was unanimous. But for Alan and Noah, not just any Whataburger would do. It had to be *their* Whataburger. 

Once there, the group wasn’t about to just eat and run. Noah convinced the mariachi directors that an impromptu concert was in order. Soon, the dining room echoed with gritos. 

“It was crazy,” said Alan, who has become the group’s lead vocalist. “Everybody just started clapping and cheering. For weeks afterward, I was getting compliments.”

For Operating Partner Monica Esparza, the shared music was a natural outpouring of community – forged in teamwork, trust and a rivalry that now hits all the right notes.

“They challenge each other, which is the best part,” Esparza said. “Now, they are climbing the ladder together. You want to show off what you create every day – the environment, the culture, the people that you work with – and it starts with their pride.”

I joined the Whataburger family in September 2018 after five years of active duty in the U.S. Army and currently serve in the Army Reserves. While on active duty, I served as a human resources officer with combat and special operations units. Through my time with those units and my experiences on two deployments to the Middle East, I realized that I have a passion for building relationships, helping people and problem solving.

Once I transitioned out of active military service, I was able to bring my skills and experiences from the Army to Whataburger as part of the Field Talent Acquisition Team. Finding a company that I can call home was very important to me during my transition out of active duty, and I couldn’t have found a better fit than Whataburger. Ashley Vinson

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I joined the Whataburger family after serving 20 years in the Marines as an infantryman before retiring in 2017. After retirement, I served as an operations manager for an auto sales company, but never really felt at home there. My uncle, who is also a veteran, had previously worked for Whataburger and loved it, so I decided to give it a shot and apply.

I believe my skills and experiences from my time in the military helped make the transition to Whataburger really easy. My time spent running a dining facility overseas gave me a basic knowledge of the food service industry, and my experience maintaining a supply and arms room gave me a great understanding of inventory, supply management, cleanliness and organization. Holding leadership positions within the military, including years spent as a First Sergeant, have prepared me to lead and manage teams.

I’m really excited to learn and grown with Whataburger, and I’m honored to be part of the family. Jake Singleton

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As a Battle Captain in the U.S. Army, I was responsible for the oversight of all operations in my area, actively gathering information to help Company Commanders in the field. In this role, I addressed enemy activity, coordinated resources and support for all forces, and was responsible for communicating and overseeing major operations. Now, I serve on the Incident Management Team at Whataburger as a Command Center Professional, where I’m tasked with assisting in the resolution of incidents, supporting our Business Continuity Plan and developing plans and courses of action for re-opening restaurants after the resolution of a business disruption.

There are several similarities in the responsibilities within my current role within Incident Management for Whataburger and my previous role as a Battle Captain in the Army. Through my day-to-day work, I’m able to use the skills I honed through military service to provide recommendations to prevent major incidents and identify the root causes of problems to better mitigate issues in the future. Rudy Saenz

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I joined Whataburger in 2016 after retiring from the Air Force with 20 years of service. During that time, I learned things that I've been able to use and share in my current role as a Field Organization and Talent Development Manager.

While assigned to the Air Force Honor Guard, I learned that perfection is the standard and there's always room to grow. My next role was as a 4-Star General's IT support where I inspired and empowered my team and depended on them to develop solutions. I then transitioned into an instructor role, where I taught advanced leadership concepts and learned to ask probing questions. My final position in the military was as First Sergeant. In this role, I coordinated with various departments around our base to ensure that our military and families were taken care of, and that our performance management system was efficient.

I use these skills and many others which I learned in the military when coaching and developing restaurant leaders at Whataburger. I can't believe I found another organization as focused on people's development and with such a caring culture. I am proud to be part of the Orange family! Stephen Sunstrom

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As an Air Force Veteran with experience in Aircraft Mechanics, I never thought that I would be able to transfer my skills to a corporate environment. To my surprise, my military experience helped me develop leadership skills which transferred easily to my current role as an Organization and Talent Development Manager at Whataburger.

Helping others develop themselves to not only to meet the needs of Whataburger, but to meet their personal needs as well, springs from solid coaching in the Air Force. My experience working on A-10 Warthog Aircrafts, and constantly turning wrenches for the cause was just the beginning of learning the importance of PRIDE in my work, CARE for my fellow Airmen, and the LOVE for my country.

Pride, Care, and Love are fundamental at Whataburger, which has made it possible for me to seamlessly transfer my skills, attitudes, and values from Air Force Blue to Whataburger Orange. I was inspired to be my best self by my military leaders, and I enjoy the opportunity to inspire Family Members to reach for what makes them their best in my current role. At Whataburger, I feel valued as a veteran and I continue to connect the past with the present while looking forward to what the company has to offer for veterans like me. Vaundee Arnold

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I joined Whataburger in 2012 as a Business Manager. The environment and culture of Whataburger matched my passion for learning, and my desire to apply those learnings to being of maximum service to individuals and teams here at our corporate office.

As an Officer in the U.S. Navy, my positions varied widely, but all of them required me to learn quickly so I could help those who relied on me. I worked for my superiors, but I served those in my charge. It was the passion for learning and the desire to serve, along with understanding who my customers really were, that I applied to all my positions in the military and still applies to my work today.

Here at Whataburger, we take Pride in our work, we Care about each other and we LOVE serving our customers. This is personally meaningful to me. The military set the foundations of learning and service for me, and I’m able to build on it here at Whataburger. Mark Kreipe

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He proposed a trade with a bride-to-be who asked him to officiate her wedding: You fill the student section with 4,500 Red Raiders at the season opener on Nov. 5, and I’ll bring Whataburger for your wedding guests.

Good mental game there, Coach.

Update: They did it! All 4,500 seats of the Red Raiders student section at the United Supermarkets Arena were filled for the November 5 season opener against Eastern Illinois, where the Raiders won 85-60. Thanks to 1,500 custom Texas Tech Whataburger table tents, 4,500 taquito coupons, and all of you – Rylee and Justin will have Coach Beard at their dream wedding!

Even when he’s not trying to drum up support for his team, Beard is all about loving Whataburger.

He’s shared his taste for shakes and taquitos (extra cheese when no one’s watching), and we know he likes a #1 with mustard, pickles, and cheese only. With an unsweet tea to wash it down. And maybe a milkshake.

He riffed about all the orders in a media interview last year.

He digs the 24/7.

Especially the people-watching.

Because we have the best guests – all the time. And Beard has watched it all from his corner booth at 3 a.m.

With his milkshake.

If the 4,500 seats in the Red Raiders student section are full for the season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Tech basketball coach Chris Beard says he will be at the couple’s wedding in May. Even better: He’ll bring Whataburger for all the guests.

Update: They did it! All 4,500 seats of the Red Raiders student section at the United Supermarkets Arena were filled for the November 5 season opener against Eastern Illinois, where the Raiders won 85-60. Thanks to 1,500 custom Texas Tech Whataburger table tents, 4,500 taquito coupons, and all of you – Rylee and Justin will have Coach Beard at their dream wedding!

Guns up! These diehard fans cheered Beard and his team on their Final Four journey last year in Minneapolis.

“We’ve invested a lot in that team,” Albracht says. “We’ve loved seeing Coach Beard transform this program.”

So just a few days after getting engaged to her high school sweetheart, Albracht was joking/not joking when she tweeted her request to have the charismatic Beard officiate their wedding.

“Hey @CoachBeardTTU, how many retweets for you to officiate my wedding?” she asked.

The Whataburger-loving coach wrote back with some conditions. “Our first game of the season is Tues November 5. If the student section is 100% filled with 4500 students, I will be at your wedding and will provide Whataburger for everyone there.”

“When he responded, I was blown away,” says Albracht, a junior kinesiology major. She and Joyce, a senior kinesiology major, are rolling with the twist in wedding planning and their sudden celebrity status.

"I’ve learned to say, ‘yes, Honey,’ ” Joyce told Beard in the coach’s fireside chat this week when the coach asked about wedding planning.

He also told the coach he’s confident the student section will fill up with 4,500 Red Raiders.

Dust off your wedding duds for May 2020, Coach Beard! We can help with the Whataburger for the 450 guests on the list.

And no matter who officiates the ceremony, Albracht and Joyce are looking forward to tying the knot. The two, who met through friends at their rival high schools in the Texas Panhandle, have dated since Albracht was a freshman in high school.

By her junior year in high school, she knew they would say “I do.” Now she’s hoping their nuptials will have a special Red Raider and Whataburger Orange twist.

Melanie Britten Photography

Whataburger will host a month-long fundraiser from Sept 1-30 to raise money for the Food Bank.

Here’s how the fundraiser works: Customers who visit any San Antonio or New Braunfels area Whataburger restaurant during the month of September and donate at least $1 to the San Antonio Food Bank will receive a thank-you coupon for a free Whataburger with purchase of a medium fry and 32-ounce drink for their next visit.

Through cash donations and past fundraiser events, the company has raised more than $355K for the Food Bank over the past 10 years.

Volunteer Days at the Food Bank, Sept 14 and Sept 28:

In addition to the fundraiser, Whataburger is also activating its employees, called Family Members, to volunteer at the Food Bank on September 14 and September 28 to sort and pack donations for families and raise awareness for SA Goes Orange.

SAGO BY THE NUMBERS:

• $1 provides 7 meals
• Raised more than $355K in 10 years of partnership
• Contributed $63K to the Food Bank and more than 441,000 meals to the community last year

Can't get enought Fiesta? Check out this video about the making of the 2018 Whataburger Battle of Flowers Parade float! And check out the 2019 float in person at this year's Battle of Flowers parade on April 26. 

Clyde Watts has been making over-the-top, one-of-a-kind parade floats for 50 years, first as part of his family’s business and then running his own company, Lone Star Parade Floats.

This spring, he’s been at work on a Whataburger float, which will debut at the 2018 Battle of Flowers Parade during Fiesta San Antonio. Crafted around a circus theme, it features Whataburger’s signature orange-and-white stripes, circus animals, and – of course – lots and lots of glitter.

It’s one of many floats that Watts and his team at Lone Star created for the April 23  event. The Battle of Flowers parade honors both the fallen heroes of the Battle of the Alamo and celebrates the Texan triumph at the Battle of San Jacinto, an 1836 battle which is hailed as perhaps the most significant victory of the Texas Revolution.

The parade, which lasts almost four hours, is one of the biggest celebrations of the two-week-long citywide party that is Fiesta San Antonio.

“We’re doing 31 floats for Battle of Flowers,” Watts says. “We’ve been working on them since August of last year. It’s a nine- or 10-month ordeal getting ready for this one parade.”

Here’s a glimpse into the mind of the man behind all that (fabulous! festive! glittery!) magic.

What makes working on floats for the Battle of Flowers fun?

There are two parades where we can be really creative and enjoy designing and construction, and those are Battle of Flowers and the Parade of Lights in Ft. Worth. It’s a lot of fun coming up with ideas. My company does a lot of foam carvings that are all glittered, not just painted. That’s quite unique and real spectacular.

What makes this job challenging?

Trying to get people to realize there are some limitations, no matter how much money they can throw at it. Some want the foam props to move, which means it would need to be carved, disassembled to insert mechanics, reassembled and that one piece would end up costing $35,000 to $40,000.

How many pounds of glitter do you use?

No less than a couple thousand pounds a year. It’s not only on the carvings, but the logo that goes on the float that identifies the sponsor, even that lettering is cut out, hand painted and hand glittered. It’s stunning. It really looks great.

Wow, you must have glitter everywhere.

It’s on my dogs. The grout in the shower sparkles. The steering wheel, it doesn’t come out of that. I go get a haircut and they look at me funny. I’m 67 years old. People don’t associate someone my age with having glitter on them.

Viva Fiesta! Pick up your 2019 Whataburger Fiesta Medal in our Whatastore: https://shop.whataburger.com/gifts/2019-fiesta-medal/ 

And don't forget to get extras to trade!

Rogers first became involved with the tournament in 1974 when he joined the Lions Club and began volunteering at the then-16-year-old tournament. When the tournament needed someone to take it over seven years later, he volunteered to step up.

“Our goal that first year and each year after has been to go after one national high school to bring in teams to the tournament that don’t normally get to play each other.”

Though this raised the costs and prompted the need for corporate sponsorships, expanding the playing field was a game-changer and ushered in the next season of the tournament. Whataburger began sponsoring the tournament in 1985.

Thirty-eight years brings with it a lot of memories. Rogers recalled the 1987 tournament, when Los Angeles Crenshaw was playing Fort Worth Dunbar in the heated finals match. Ten players signed Division I scholarships that year.

“It was standing-room only. The aisles were filled because there were 7,000 people packed into a 5,800-person arena,” he noted. “Someone told us the fire marshal was going to shut us down, but we just said, ‘If you want to talk to him, be our guest because he’s right there in the front row.’”

With the tournament taking place every year right after the holidays, and all of Rogers’ children involved with the tournament, one could only presume it’s had an effect on his family’s holiday traditions. However, he says it totally “goes as normal” – the family just stays in their hometown of Fort Worth for the holidays.

Each tournament takes well over a year to coordinate, and it’s a family affair for the Rogers Clan. Daughter Robyn coordinates the activities at the W.G. Thomas Coliseum, son Rusty covers social media, and youngest son, Randy, who’s in the military, helps out wherever he can when he’s home for the holidays. Sarah Rogers (Tom’s wife) heads up the hospitality room to make sure all the coaches and scouts are fed.

More than 20,000 spectators, including college scouts and coaches, are expected to take part in the action-packed three-day tournament which kicks off Thursday, Dec. 26 through Saturday, Dec. 28, where 3,000 Whataburgers are consumed each year. For more information, check out the details here. Brackets, rankings and specific player statistics can also be found at WhataburgerTournament.com. 

As for Rogers, you’ll be able to find him enjoying the tournament with his favorite Whataburger in hand – the No. 1 with cheese – “because nothing beats the original.”

In his work as a construction company foreman in Pharr, Texas, Santiago Paredes travels throughout the Lone Star State - which means he eats a lot of Whataburger.  

So his wife, Loida, knew just what to do when she planned his birthday surprise. With the help of the couple’s five children and extended family, they created a celebration that was over-the-top – and included an orange-and-white vehicle the family dubbed the “WhataChariot.” Hey, you only turn 58 once!

It all began with a surprise party at the family home. Santiago may have gotten a little teary. "It was so emotional for all of us to see how much he loved everything,” says his daughter, Lee Walls.

The team at the Pharr Whataburger, where Santiago is a regular, provided bags, cups, placemats and stickers to make the party extra festive.

A friend of the family made the cake and topped it with a table tent.

That’s when the photo shoot began.

Then, the family took this show on the road in the WhataChariot.

"We had to special order the orange tape for the van because we couldn't find it anywhere locally," Lee says. "This was two months’ worth of planning, but it was all so worth it.”

“Our neighbors got a big kick out of the decorated van,” Lee says. Santiago rode all the way to Whataburger with the windows down, waving at people on the street. “He thought he was part of the Presidential motorcade," Lee says.

After cruising through town, the WhataChariot headed to Whataburger, where the birthday boy ordered his favorite meal: a #5 Bacon and Cheese Whataburger with the bacon extra crispy, cut in half, on Texas toast, with no onions.

Why Whataburger? "They see him there several times a week, know what he likes to order and even where he likes to sit,” Lee says. “They are part of the family to him."

Manager Maria Alvarez, who helped the family with the surprise party, says Santiago is one of her favorite customers.

"I'm so happy he's gotten all this attention for his birthday," Lee says.  "He is the hardest working man I've ever known and he deserves nothing but the best."

Note: The Rev. Arnold Moede passed away Aug. 24, 2018, one month after the passing of his wife of 69 years, Beth Louise Moede. Independent, insightful and forthright to the end, he was 92.

When Arnold Moede turned 88, he set his driver’s license on fire.

Yes, he acknowledges, he could have just thrown his license away when he decided to quit driving.

“But I wanted to protest getting old,” he says. Moede and his friends, who meet at Whataburger every week for coffee, devised the plan. “We talked about how we wanted it to be dramatic, so we said, ‘Let’s burn this!’”

And, together, they did just that.

Moede turned 92 in September, and while he hasn’t driven in the past four years, the retired Lutheran pastor is still getting around just fine, thank you very much. He walks tall, using a cane to take laps around the assisted living home he moved to when he was 90. His wife of 68 years, Beth, is in a nearby facility, and he goes to visit her each day. He also keeps busy through weekly gatherings with a group of friends, and regular conversations with his four children and others near and far.

You married your wife, Beth, in 1949. What’s the secret to a good marriage?

“It’s very essential that you choose correctly,” Moede says. “I was going to Nebraska Wesleyan for college, and Beth’s older sister was a student there. When I met her, I asked, ‘Hey, you got any more at home like you?’ And she said, ‘As a matter of fact, I do.’ “Beth had just graduated high school at the top of her class. Beautiful. Red hair. We got married four or five years later,” he says. “She’s the best speller on the face of the earth. And just witty, funny. I see her every day, and it’s a pleasure.”

As a pastor, you worked all over – including 10 years in Monrovia, Liberia. And you remained active in the church even after you retired?

“Sometime after I retired, I happened to be in a church office, and … man, they were all running around like they didn’t know which end was up. I asked if they needed any help, and told them, ‘I can empty wastebaskets or whatever you need.’ I ended up doing interim work filling in as a pastor where they needed me. So even after I retired, I worked with 26 different congregations that were searching for a minister. I enjoyed that. I really did.”

What are you reading right now?

“’The Wit and Wisdom of Winston Churchill.’ It’s a slow read, but very interesting.”

Retired Col. Don Hilkemeier and his future wife, Adana, both found making the phone call for a first date nerve-racking. Now, after 11 years of marriage, they always kiss goodnight.

Looking back, it seems like they were destined to meet.

The couple attended the same church and, thanks to the Air Force, had many of the same friends and experiences.

But they didn’t connect until they were in their 70s.

“We put it as a God thing,” Adana says.

Adana was married to her first husband, retired Air Force Col. George Hull, for 50 years. Don and his first wife, Grace, were married 47 years. After their spouses died in 2004, Adana and Don went through grief counseling. That’s where they discovered their common ground.

In 2006, after a whirlwind romance that was sparked on a seniors' bus trip to Palo Duro Canyon, they wed, and, from boisterous family gatherings to quiet nights at home watching ‘Jeopardy!’, they’re enjoying every minute together.

How did you start dating?

Don: “It wasn’t until nearly a year (after Grace died) that I did my teenage bit, and I thought I could call Adana. I was so glad when I called because I got an answering machine.”

Adana: “I called him back, and I was relieved to get the answering machine.”

What was your first date?

Don: “We danced, and we had dinner and chatted with the ladies next to us.”

Adana: “They were having a really good time. ‘How long have you been married?’ they asked. And he said, ‘We’re not married.’”

When did you propose?

Don: “I was taking my son and his wife on a cruise for their 35th anniversary, and I was trying to get her to go along, but she didn’t think it would be appropriate. I was on the way to the airport, and I pulled in and rang the doorbell. I said, ‘Will you marry me?’”

Adana: “I was surprised, to say the least. I said, ‘Of course.’ But I think I said it was too soon.”

Don: “We were acting like a young couple, but we were 73 years old.”

Adana: “We were married March 18, 2006. The kids said, ‘If you’re happy, that’s all we care about.’”

What’s the first thing you do each morning?

Don: “Thank God for another day. And we make the bed together. We play a little game. We throw the pillows into place and declare a winner.”

What’s the last thing you do each night?

Adana: “We give each other a little kiss and say, ‘I love you’ and ‘sleep well.’”

Don: “And I say, ‘Good night, my sweetheart.’”

What do you wish for your grandchildren?

Adana: “A better world. You look at a new baby and try to think in 20 years what will be going on.”

Don: “I would wish for the peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s unlikely the world is going to get better. They need to create some kind of inner peace that gets them through it.”

Bogner Stubbs, 92, took a chance on football and a girl. Both changed his life.

The year was 1948. Stubbs, a high school coach, was supervising his team at a county tournament. When referees at the event introduced him to Willidean Ayers, a coach for one of the women’s teams, she caught his eye.

That tournament was in February, but Stubbs didn’t find time between teaching and a summer camp to take her out until seven months later, in August.

And once he decided to get to know her, he didn’t waste any time. “I asked her to marry me on the first date,” Stubbs says.

The couple was married for 62 years and -- amid their many adventures and travels -- had two sons, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Willidean died in 2010.

Born in Corsicana, Texas, Stubbs quit his grocery store job and moved to Oklahoma with a hope – but no certainty – of playing college football. He landed a spot on the University of Tulsa team, playing center and guard.

First job?

“My first professional job was as a high school coach in Checotah, Oklahoma. A boy who played quarterback for me in 1954 called me the other day from Oklahoma. Gosh, that’s a long time ago,” Stubbs says.

“I coached there 12 years and then at Tuloso-Midway High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, for 25 years.”

Was it in Corpus Christi that you discovered Whataburger?

“Near the H-E-B, there was this Whataburger stand that looked like a teepee. My two boys and my wife and I wanted to know what in the world was a Whataburger, so we tried it, and we became addicted. We hadn’t had a hamburger that good. We’ve been Whataburger fans ever since.”

Now 92, Stubbs enjoys 7 a.m. tee times with pals after they enjoy breakfast at Whataburger.

What was one of your favorite stages in life?

“We traveled after we retired. We went to a lot of square dances in different parts of the United States, and we went to Europe, Hawaii and Alaska, places we didn’t get to go as kids or as a young family,” Stubbs says.

“We were driving along in Corpus Christi one day, and my wife reminded me I had said I would take her to Hawaii. Then she said I was waiting until she passed away, and I was planning to take my next (wife). Boy, that made me mad! I made a U-turn and went to a travel agent. We went to Hawaii and stayed on a boat at night and toured in the day.”

Any regrets?

“No. If I had it to do over, I would make the same trail.”

Dorris McCoy isn’t taking retirement sitting down.

Nearly 90, she works out at a San Antonio YMCA almost every day, and she’s set her sights on walking her third 5K race.

“I exercise to make me feel good,” she says.

McCoy believes in forging her own path. As a teenager, she left her parents’ home in the country to continue her education in San Antonio. Then, degree in hand, she built a career in education, including becoming the first black teacher at Travis Elementary in San Antonio in the 1970s – something she says really wasn’t that big of a deal. “I got along with everyone, and I just took care of those kids,” she says.

She continues to take care of those close to her: her daughters, grandsons and great-granddaughters, as well as herself.

“Most people have this retirement thing mixed up,” she says. “They want to go home and sit in a chair and watch television all day. That is damaging. I want to keep moving.”

What do you remember most about growing up?

“Daddy worked day and night for the family to be comfortable. He taught us to do the same, to work hard. But it made some people mad because they didn’t want to work, and they could see him always working, always taking jobs to support us,” McCoy says.

“One year, just after Easter, some people burned down our house because of it. My sister Lydia had to run back in there and get me out. I was 9 years old.”

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your 89 years?

“Mama and Daddy would preach all the time: Watch what people do. You have to watch what people say and watch what they do. Do they match? Some people will tell you the sun is shining, and you might need to go outside and look for yourself.”

What drew you to the YMCA?

“I’ve always been fairly active, but what brought me to the YMCA was a case of depression. My sister passed, and she had been living with me. I wasn’t feeling good after that, and the doctors wanted to put me on a lot of medicine. Well, I am really not a medicine taker. I just prayed and prayed, and my daughter said, ‘Mom, why don’t we go to the Y?’ I signed up the 27th of July 2003, and I’ve been coming consistently,” she says.

“You can’t do it halfway and get results. I’m here every day, for about two hours. I walked my first 5K a few years ago, and people were going so slow. I was like, ‘Hurry up, people!’ I want to do this!” she says.

After his service in the U.S. Navy, Herb Gray missed the application deadline for Texas Tech University in Lubbock and instead enrolled at Trinity University in his hometown. He figured he’d transfer the following year.

“But then I fell in love with Trinity, and I fell in love with a girl at Trinity,” Gray says. “We’ve been married now for 65 years and counting.”

Two graduate degrees, two careers, four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren later, Herb and Carolyn Gray have a philosophical take on their journey together.

“Our paths through life have been as good as you can get,” Herb says. “It’s been in the hands of God.”

Their journey has been punctuated with plenty of visits to Whataburger, where both order a Whataburger Jr. and an apple pie, sometimes with a side of small French fries.

“We’ve been known to go three times per week,” Carolyn says.

Tell us about who you are:

Herb: “I was in the personnel office at Kelly Air Force Base for 40 years. I became chief of labor and employee relations, and I went to law school. Never got into being a lawyer, but certainly a member of the Texas Bar.”

Carolyn: “I taught elementary school for 31 years. I always enjoyed learning and pursuing education. Now, we like to go to movies with friends on Friday evenings and do things with our church.”

What do you want people to remember about you?

Carolyn: “That I was a mother who loved her children. We’re fortunate that our children don’t live far from us. I’m proud of them all. They work hard, and they are good people.”

Herb: “I have a high regard for accepting people as they are. And something I’ve stressed to our kids is to work at making good things happen.”

Would that be good advice for your younger self, too?

Herb: “I’ve definitely had it on my mind all my life. It could say on my grave marker, ‘He enjoyed trying to make good things happen.’”

Carolyn: “You should write that down.”

Hector Garza has met presidents and traveled the globe – all thanks to tamales.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Garza took what he learned as a child working in his mother's tamale business and applied it to building a successful career in marketing and sales at Anheuser-Busch.

That career took him all over the world – but his heart stayed puro San Antonio.

“I was born here, and my family’s here,” he says. “I just never thought I would end up somewhere else. I just love my city.”

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and member of VFW Post 76, Garza now uses his entrepreneurial spirit to help fellow vets wrangle support for VFW events.

He holds other Texas traditions close to his heart as well, visiting Whataburger about three times a week, where he and his wife each get a Whataburger Jr. “I love it,” he says.

Growing up in S.A.:

“We lived and worked on the West Side. There were five of us. My father worked as a meat cutter for a small store. My mother and her aunt made tamales at home. My brother and I would go around the neighborhood and take orders on Fridays, and we would deliver them Saturday mornings,” Garza says.

“My dad’s friend owned a little property at Zarzamora and Texas streets. He rented the space to my father for $25 a month. My brother and I painted it and got it ready for the first summer. Believe it or not, in three months my father was able to quit his job. And my brother and I were able to go back to school in September so that was fortunate.”

You turned your business instincts into quite a career.

“I became director of Hispanic sales and marketing for a seven-state region for Anheuser Busch. I flew all over the place and met a lot of people. I met with the president of Mexico and George H.W. Bush one time. I remember sitting there at the table, looking around and saying, “How did I get here?’” Garza adds: “I didn't go to college. It was all street knowledge.”

Any advice to share?

“Always be looking for opportunities. Tell people what your plans are and what you’d like to do. You never know who will say, ‘Hey, I can help you.’ You gotta tell your story. And you have to be willing to work hard. Success is not going to come working just eight hours a day, five days a week.”

Note: Thelma Holland, a woman who lived life with confidence, flair and passion, passed away in May 2018 at the age of 93. “Our fun, beautiful, shining matriarch has gone to be with God,” says her granddaughter Anya J. Holland. “She was a fashionista full of wisdom and grace. Please enjoy her story, as will we. Thank you to the Whataburger Family for taking an interest in her and sharing her thoughts.”

When it comes to advice, Thelma Holland doesn’t hold back.

“Girls, you listen to what that man says. Then, you make your decision,” Holland says. “If you’re going to make a decision to be with him, you need to know what he’s all about. And you won’t find that out running your mouth.”

Holland knows about the value of listening. She’s worked since she was a child, always listening to people and building relationships based on that skill.

“People will tell you everything you need to know about them just by talking about themselves,” she says. “Think about what Miss Thelma told you. You want to know what you’re getting before you get it.”

Where did you grow up?

“We had a farm, outside Seguin, Texas. I was the oldest of six, and we all worked. We had to chop the weeds out of the corn as it grew, pick the cotton, and pull the watermelons and the corn and put them on the wagon. We hated picking cotton, but we liked all the rest of it,” she says.

“After they ate, my mother and father would go to rest for a bit at 12. They’d say, ‘Thelma, sell the vegetables for us.’ So I’d sit out by the road and sell to everybody. Cars were always passing by. Bonnie and Clyde came by all the time. They were just as nice as they could be. I couldn’t believe it when I heard about what they had done.”

What brought you to San Antonio?

“It was 1945. When I was 19, my daddy made me and my sister move to San Antonio to get work. I went to work in a cafeteria. Then, when the stores integrated blacks and whites, I got a job selling clothes. I was one of the first black ladies that sold clothes at Joske’s,” she says.

“But I retired from Kelly Field. That was 1987. I worked there for 22 years. I was good at math. They would give me budgets, and I had to see how much money I could save for the government. I always liked math. A lot of people don’t, but it was easy for me.”

And you modeled for local department stores and events, too?

“Oh yes, that was fun, fun, fun. They taught me how to walk, how to look right. I loved it. I got a chance to go everywhere and see all those pretty clothes,” Holland says.

“I always did love to sew. I didn’t need a pattern, either. I’d go into Frost Bros., and look at a new suit. They would be asking $125 for it, and I would look at it and could go home and make it just perfect for $11. That’s all it would cost me. They didn’t like that at the store. It got to be that I would walk in, and they would say, ‘Here she comes! Get her out of here!’”

On Aug. 8, 1950, Whataburger started with a single road-side stand in Corpus Christi, Texas. Now, 68 years later, with more than 820 restaurants in 10 states, we’re proud to celebrate our birthday with our community. 

That’s why we’re kicking off Orange Spirit Week, a week-long initiative celebrating 68 years of service. In the spirit of serving others, hundreds of Whataburger employees, known as Family Members, will be volunteering in the San Antonio community. Whataburger is proud to be your hometown favorite, and we look forward to 68 more.

August 6, 2018 - The DoSeum

To kick off the week, we unveiled the Whataburger Truck, a “play” food truck in the “Little Town” area of the DoSeum, where 50+ Whataburger volunteers helped prepare materials for kids art activities.

August 7, 2018 - The Brighton Center

Whataburger Family Members continued to volunteer in the San Antonio community today in celebration of our 68th birthday at the newly announced Whataburger Literacy Center at the Brighton Center.

August 8, 2018 - Communities in Schools

Today, on Whataburger’s 68^th birthday, we’re proud to partner with Communities in Schools and support their mission of providing students with the tools they need to stay in school. Whataburger donated $60,000 to provide mental health coaching to CIS staff and partners while our Family Members sorted donated supplies to give students a fresh start to the new school year.

August 9, 2018 - Warriors Family Support Center

On Thursday of Orange Spirit Week, Whataburger Family Members helped serve those who serve our country. Family Members visited Fort Sam Houston to volunteer at the Warrior Family Support Center, updating walking paths and sprucing up gardens for military members and their families.

August 10, 2018 - Paloma Place

We capped off Orange Spirit Week with a very special trip to Paloma Place at the Sutherland Springs Support Center, an organization focused on assisting families impacted by tragedy. Our Family Members spent the day landscaping and painting their brand-new support center. 

And in that time, he’s made a lot of friends.

Not just because of the welcoming smile he offers. Not just because of the fries he takes pride in serving up hot and fresh.

But mostly because his favorite thing to do is come in 2 or 3 hours early every day to sit in the dining room and make origami animals for anyone who happens to be there.

Sometimes it’s for the young. “Kids get really excited,” he says. “They like to play with them, and sometimes they want to learn how. I try to get them started.”

Other times, it’s for the young at heart. “I think people like it because it’s not what they expect,” he says. “Who thinks someone is going to walk up to you while you’re eating your burger and drop an elephant on your table? I like to surprise people.”

Buddy Vargas and his family are some of the regulars who come in for their favorite meals -- and a chance to see Kris in action. "We love it," Vargas says. "It really makes the kids feel special."

Kris started making origami creations when he was in middle school. “A friend of mine got me interested, and then I got a book and started to learn,” he says. He quit for a few years, but now is creating constantly – both at home and at Whataburger, where he’s known for showing up hours before his shift to get in some folding time.

One month, he went through 800 sheets of paper.

One Christmas, his dad bought him 3,000 pieces of paper. Six weeks later, he’d already put a serious dent in it.

He’s made penguins, unicorns, dragons, and cranes. But his favorite is still the elephant, which was the first thing he ever made.

And all kinds of dinosaurs!

While he loves all colors and textures of paper, he specializes in making his designs out of Whataburger food wrappers. “It’s sturdy,” he says.

All of his experience has made him a pretty fast folder. That, coupled with the precision of his work and his ability to memorize each of the complex steps, means he creates about 25 unique pieces of art each hour.

Origami helps him focus, he says. “It keeps my mind quiet,” he says. “I put my headphones in, crank the heavy metal, and I can just get away from it all. And once I start, I can’t stop.”

His #1 goal? Make guests smile. “I like it when I can surprise people,” he says. “It’s awesome. It’s very awesome.”

Those people were wrong.

In May, the Stephensons celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary with a surprise party at “their Whataburger” in San Marcos, Texas. It’s the place they eat several times a week, so their family knew it was the perfect place to host a party for the couple.

Life has dished up plenty of surprises in the six decades since Steve and Ouida went to a justice of the peace in Dallas and became Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson, but they’ve focused on these four tips to help them through it all.

1. Trust your gut: Their courtship was brief, but why question unknowns? “You never really know anyone,” Ouida says. They do say they were old enough to understand the commitment. Ouida was 21 and working for Southwestern Bell in Dallas. Steve, 22, worked across the street at AT&T and already had served as a U.S. Navy Seabee in Korea.

2. Family first: Family is their pride and priority. Though their three daughters live in different Texas cities, the Stephensons talk to each one every day. The daily phone calls help them keep up with their children and great-grandchildren.

“They have always been the driving force behind our entire family and have always surrounded everyone with love and support. They have always taken care of each other,” says granddaughter Jamie Wilkinson, who arranged the surprise anniversary party.

3. Make memories together (and cherish them): After Steve retired as an insurance claims supervisor, the couple hit the road. Their travels have taken them throughout the Central and Western United States. Many wedding anniversaries included trips to Las Vegas. “It’s hard to imagine life without him,” Ouida says. “I wish everyone could have the life we’ve had.”

4. Stick with a good thing: Their generation, born at the end of the Great Depression, learned to accept tough times and keep moving. “It’s just how we were raised,” Steve says. Marriage is about respecting and standing by each other for the long haul.

They’re just as unwavering in their Whataburger orders. For her, it’s a Whataburger on a junior bun with tomatoes and mayo only. Steve can’t be tempted away from his Whataburger on Texas toast. “It’s the best thing they’ve got,” he says matter-of-factly.

“She is so hard to buy for. She never asks for anything,” Jasmine says.

But last fall, Cathy mentioned that she liked the new James Avery sterling-silver charms emblazoned with the Whataburger logo. Cathy had just started working at a Whataburger restaurant in Port Aransas, Texas, not far from the family’s home in Corpus Christi,

Jasmine took note and began a mission, which proved harder than she initially thought.

The $60 Whataburger charm went on sale Oct. 10, 2017, available only on Whataburger.com. It sold out in less than an hour.

For weeks, demand remained intense.

So Jasmine started a quest to get the charm through the Whataburger.com website, a commitment that involved checking the site daily – sometimes hourly.

One day, a single charm became available online, and Jasmine snagged it.

A Family Effort

On Cathy’s birthday, the family gathered to celebrate. Jasmine couldn’t be there in person, but she wrote her mom a heartfelt note to accompany the Whataburger charm.

For Cathy, the gift was symbolic of so much … the love of her family, her employer and the community. You see, barely a month after Cathy donned her Whataburger shirt for the first time, Hurricane Harvey rolled into Port Aransas and devastated the Whataburger restaurant.

She was reassigned to the Corpus Christi restaurant (much closer to her home) while Whataburger rebuilt damaged restaurants. 

But six weeks later, she chose to go back to work at the reopened restaurant in Port Aransas – a 45-minute drive from her home. The reason: She was close with her fellow Family Members, many of whom have played Guesstures and card games at Cathy’s house. Some even shared Thanksgiving dinner with Cathy and Todd.

“That store is my home,” she says. “Those people are family.”

"We’re about to bring back one of our fans’ favorite menu items – for a limited time – and we want to announce it in a completely new way. We'd like you to build something to help us with the big reveal."

The people on the other end of that request – physics and robotics students at Harlandale ISD STEM Early College High School in San Antonio, Texas – were happy to take on the challenge.

Using concepts ranging from gravitational mass to momentum to kinetic energy, the students created a 25-foot-long Rube Goldberg machine out of Whataburger-branded items, including cups, table tents, to-go bags—even a cape from the Whataguy mascot.

The machine starts with the motion of an orange toy airplane and ends by pulling back the orange-and-white striped curtains on Whataburger’s latest limited time offer: The Buffalo Ranch Chicken Strip Sandwich.

For the kids, the experience was about more than physics. “It really taught us valuable lessons,” says Esmeralda Castillo, one of the student project managers. “We learned about how to work in groups, how to complete a project on time, how to work under pressure … valuable skills you’re actually going to need in the real world.”

Check out the machine itself here, or watch the video above for a look at the students who made it all happen.

San Antonio-based artist Raul Gonzalez likes to stand back at exhibitions and watch how people react to his work.

Sometimes, he’ll catch the moment when viewers make the connection with the familiar bright orange-and-white stripes in some of his paintings and drawings.

“They’re like, ‘This is totally Whataburger right here,’” Gonzalez says. “And they get so excited.”

Gonzalez began incorporating references to Whataburger into his art when he was working on the “Texas Series,” drawings and paintings in the shape of the state. The series partly was inspired by Texas’ landscape and its people, particularly construction workers like Gonzalez’s father and other laborers who build and maintain cities.

When the artist was working on the series’ concept, he read about a poll that named Whataburger the best burger in America. Gonzalez was impressed that Whataburger was “holding it down representing Texas.”

“I was like, ‘OK. Whataburger has to be part of my thing,’” he remembers.

His artist statement is simple: “My motto is Werk. Hustle. Sleep. Repeat.”

But maybe it could also be “Werk. Hustle. Sleep. Repeat. Whataburger.”

Getting Inspired, Inspiring Others

At 36, Gonzalez, who cares for his two young daughters while he works, is one of the busiest and most prolific artists in San Antonio.

He studied art at the University of Houston and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

In addition to drawing and painting, he delivers high energy performances. For one piece, he danced 4.3 miles from a downtown gallery to the McNay Art Museum where his work was on display, aggravating a torn knee ligament along the way.

Since moving to San Antonio, Gonzalez has established himself as an up and coming artist with solo and group shows in galleries and museums throughout Texas and beyond. His work is in private collections around the country and in the permanent collections of institutions such as the McNay, the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. In 2013 and 2014, he was a finalist for the prestigious Hunting Art Prize awarded in drawing and painting.

His inspirations and intentions are as varied as his platforms; work, fatherhood, identity, construction, labor, the working class, identity, and abstraction are all topics he wrestles with and explores, according to his Artist Statement.

And his “WhataPaintings” and “WhataDrawings” continue to connect with fans – and evolve on an artistic level. Recently, he decided to do a two-color screen print of one of the works – an image of a piece of heavy machinery displacing soil. Gonzalez draws or paints on the prints in the “WhataMachine Series” so each one is original.

Orange-and-white stripes appear in other more recent works, including drawings and paintings on pieces of concrete and paintings from his “Dad Series” inspired by his daily life caring for his daughters.

Through my art has been the best way that I’ve been able to communicate with people and have conversations,” he says. “I feel like, ‘OK. This is where I’m supposed to be and these are the dialogues I’m supposed to be having and let’s see where I can go from there.”

“They remind me about what we’re doing here,” Hartley says. “We’re helping people find home – just like Dorothy.”

Hartley is the executive director of Jardin de los Ninos, a non-profit school dedicated to helping families struggling with homelessness and near-homelessness.

Their goal? “Break the cycle,” Hartley says.

That means Jardin de los Ninos, which receives assistance from Whataburger and other area businesses, offers families a range of services to get on their feet.

“We not only care for the kids during the day so the parents can look for a job or get an education – but we also educate the parents,” Hartley says. “The ultimate goal is to give them the tools they need to break the cycle of homelessness.”

Adrian Pedroza, whose son and daughter are students at the center, says it has made all the difference for his family.

“We didn’t know where to go or what to do,” Pedroza says. “When we were sleeping in a van, the kids were crying, they were cranky. Then, we came to Jardin.”

And that’s when things started to change.

Knowing the kids were well cared for, Pedroza was able to focus on work. His wife, Adriana, went back to school. Now, the family of four is living in an apartment and building a future.

“You want a better life for your kids,” Pedroza says. “Right? That’s what everyone wants. And Jardin is helping us do that.”

Rogers first became involved with the tournament in 1974 when he joined the Lions Club and began volunteering at the then-16-year-old tournament. When the tournament needed someone to take it over seven years later, he volunteered to step up.

Whataburger Basketball Tournament Director Tom Rogers participating in a trophy presentation.

Though this raised the costs and prompted the need for corporate sponsorships, expanding the playing field was a game-changer and ushered in the next season of the tournament. Whataburger began sponsoring the tournament in 1985.

Thirty-six years brings with it a lot of memories. Rogers recalled the 1987 tournament, when Los Angeles Crenshaw was playing Fort Worth Dunbar in the heated finals match. Ten players signed Division I scholarships that year.

“It was standing-room only. The aisles were filled because there were 7,000 people packed into a 5,800-person arena,” he noted. “Someone told us the fire marshal was going to shut us down, but we just said, ‘If you want to talk to him, be our guest because he’s right there in the front row.’”

With the tournament taking place every year right after the holidays, and all of Rogers’ children involved with the tournament, one could only presume it’s had an effect on his family’s holiday traditions. However, he says it totally “goes as normal” – the family just stays in their hometown of Fort Worth for the holidays.

Each tournament takes well over a year to coordinate, and it’s a family affair for the Rogers clan. Daughter Robyn coordinates the activities at the W.G. Thomas Coliseum, son Rusty covers social media, and youngest son, Randy, who’s in the military, helps out wherever he can when he’s home for the holidays. In the early 80’s, Sarah Rogers (Tom’s wife) even headed up the hospitality room to make sure all the coaches and scouts were well fed - “she used to make finger sandwiches at home each night!” Now, she enjoys watching the tournament with grandson Aiden in tow, raising the next generation of the family with fond tournament memories.

Tom Rogers with the official Whataburger Basketball Tournament game balls.

More than 30,000 spectators, including college scouts and coaches, are expected to take part in the action-packed three-day tournament Dec. 28 through 30, where 3,000 Whataburgers are served each year. For more information, check out the details here. Brackets, rankings and specific player statistics can also be found at Whataburger-BBT.org.

As for Rogers, you’ll be able to find him enjoying the tournament with his favorite Whataburger in hand – the No. 1 with cheese – “because nothing beats the original.”