LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring distinguished business leader and
visionary Donald M. Kendall and commending him for his dedication to his
profession and his community

WHEREAS, In the course of the evolving development of this Empire State,
when the ingredients of shared concern and responsive endeavor combine
in commitment to community, there emerge among the distinguished citi-
zenry of the State of New York, certain individuals who warrant special
recognition; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to pay tribute to and
congratulate Donald M. Kendall, Co-Founder and former Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of PepsiCo Inc., upon the occasion of celebrating his
90th Birthday on March 16, 2011, an auspicious occasion which will be
joyously celebrated on Monday, March 21, 2011, at the PepsiCo world
headquarters in Purchase, New York; and
WHEREAS, A native of Sequim, Washington, Donald M. Kendall is a gradu-
ate of Western Kentucky State College; and
WHEREAS, Following his distinguished service as a Naval aviator in the
Second World War, he joined the Pepsi-Cola Company as a fountain syrup
sales representative and advanced from sales to managing a sales crew,
to managing sales for all company-operated plants; and
WHEREAS, In 1951 he became Assistant National Sales Manager, and a
year later was promoted to Vice President in charge of national sales;
in 1956 he became Vice President in charge of marketing for the United
States, with responsibility for all sales, advertising and promotion;
and
WHEREAS, in 1957, Donald M. Kendall became President of Pepsi-Cola's
overseas operations; under his leadership Pepsi-Cola's international
presence expanded dramatically and the number of countries in which
Pepsi-Cola was available more than doubled and sales tripled; and
WHEREAS, As he helped to grow the company internationally, he famously
introduced Pepsi-Cola to the USSR, where it was the first foreign
consumer product to be sold; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps his most renowned experience as head of the interna-
tional division was in 1959, during the height of the Cold War; at the
invitation of the U.S. State Department, Donald M. Kendall organized a
Pepsi booth to hand out product samples to Russians at the American
National Exhibition in Moscow; upon learning that Soviet Premier Nikita
Khrushchev would visit the fair, he asked then U.S. Vice President Rich-
ard Nixon to steer Premier Khrushchev to his exhibit; and
WHEREAS, The following day history was made when Premier Khrushchev
first drank a bottle of Pepsi produced in New York and brought over
especially for the fair; then he was offered a cup of Pepsi produced in
Russia from syrup brought from the U.S.; he immediately said the Russian
product was superior and ordered a second cup; and as Donald M. Kendall
recalls, "Predictably, he liked the local Pepsi better and performed for
the press with relish, downing seven Pepsis as the flashbulbs popped";
and
WHEREAS, Donald M. Kendall was named President and Chief Executive
Officer of Pepsi-Cola Company in 1963; he launched a series of marketing
and management innovations which accelerated the sales of Pepsi-Cola and
added new products, such as Diet Pepsi-Cola and Mountain Dew, to broaden
both the company's product line and its consumer base; and
WHEREAS, In September 1963 at age 42, Donald M. Kendall was named
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pepsi-Cola Company; just
two years into his term as CEO, he began discussions on a merger with
the Frito-Lay Company; and

WHEREAS, In 1965 Donald M. Kendall engineered the merger that brought
Pepsi-Cola Company together with Frito-Lay to create PepsiCo, Inc.; he
was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the new company;
he then was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1971, a
position he held until his retirement; and
WHEREAS, In 1970 Donald M. Kendall relocated the company headquarters
from New York City to its current home in Purchase, New York; the 112
acre site is today home to the world renowned Donald M. Kendall Sculp-
ture Gardens, which, accessible to all members of the community, not
just PepsiCo's employees, at no charge, attracts more than 100,000 visi-
tors annually; and
WHEREAS, Donald M. Kendall's dedication also extends to the arts; he
set out to reflect the company's love of change and adventure in its
Purchase Headquarters; the PepsiCo World Headquarters Complex itself was
designed by Edward Durell Stone in 1967, a leading American architect,
while the original landscape design was created by his son, Edward
Durell Stone, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, As PepsiCo Inc. is very much a modern company which has
always admired and prized excellence, Donald M. Kendall wanted the art
at the company headquarters to reflect that noble spirit; he handpicked
and positioned the 45 sculptures that are set around the headquarters,
each one with its own story, and later, in 1981, he hired the English
landscape architect Russell Page to extend the gardens, incorporate new
features and position the sculptures in harmony with the landscape; and
although the complex reflects a solid foundation of modern masters,
Rodin, Calder, Moore, Miro, and Ernst, Donald M. Kendall also sought to
fill out the collection with the work of newer, lesser known artists,
who are nonetheless innovators in their own right; and
WHEREAS, Today, thanks to the efforts of Donald M. Kendall, PepsiCo
Inc. is the world's second largest food and beverage business, with
annual revenues of nearly $60 billion; its businesses include Frito-Lay,
Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Donald M. Kendall has been extremely
active in a wide variety of key cultural, economic and political organ-
izations, both domestically and internationally; his major appointments
include Chairman of the National Alliance of Businessmen in 1969, where
he also served as Director; first US Co-Chairman of the US-USSR Trade
and Economic Council from 1973 to 1977; Chairman of the Emergency
Committee for American Trade from 1969 to 1976; Chairman of the Board of
the Chamber of Commerce of the United States from 1981 to 1982; Chairman
of the National Center for Resource Recovery, Inc. from 1970 to 1976;
Chairman of the Grocery Manufacturers of America from 1969 to 1971; and
Chairman of the Board of the American Ballet Theatre from 1977 to 1983;
and
WHEREAS, Donald M. Kendall has been recognized as one of the giants of
American industry who exemplified the American tradition of business
leadership; upon his retirement in 1986, he was made a laureate of the
National Business Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, In 1987, the Board of Editors of FORTUNE magazine selected
Donald M. Kendall for induction into the National Business Hall of Fame,
where he joined such business legends as Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison,
Alfred Sloan and John D. Rockefeller; and
WHEREAS, Not only did Donald M. Kendall build one of the world's
premier consumer products companies; he also used his position in busi-
ness to serve his nation, to advance the cause of international under-
standing and to promote human equality and justice; in recognition of
his efforts, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund honored him

with the first Equal Justice Award in 1986, in recognition of his lead-
ership in public affairs and social responsibility; and
WHEREAS, Recognition of his leadership has extended beyond the busi-
ness world; in 1989, Donald M. Kendall was the recipient of the presti-
gious George F. Kennan Award for his outstanding contribution to improv-
ing U.S.-Soviet relations; and
WHEREAS, Donald M. Kendall is, in addition, the recipient of honorary
Doctor of Law degrees from Stetson University, DeLand, Florida; Babson
College, Wellesley, Massachusetts; and Gonzaga University in Spokane,
Washington; he also received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees
from Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, New York; Manhattanville College,
Purchase, New York; the State University of New York (SUNY), Purchase
and Long Island University, Brookville, New York; and
WHEREAS, By demonstrating throughout his career a genuine openness of
mind, a restless searching for fresh opportunity and a spaciousness of
vision often all too rare in the higher reaches of corporate life,
Donald M. Kendall has provided for future generations a model of
enlightened, progressive and authentic patriotism blended with true
citizenship of the world and a lifelong, unshakable dedication to the
cause of equal justice; and
WHEREAS, This beloved business visionary has enriched the lives of
those who have been privileged to know him through his joyous and
sincere love for others, and through the quiescent charm and wisdom
which come only from a fullness of years; and
WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to publicly recog-
nize those who have reached such a remarkable age and who have witnessed
and celebrated the innovations, cultural developments and awesome
achievements of this country during the last century, while themselves
contributing to the growth and excellence of this great Empire State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Donald M. Kendall's lifetime of distinction and to congratulate
him upon the occasion of celebrating his 90th Birthday; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Donald M. Kendall.