A Friendly Life

the long version

S. Prestley ("Pres") Blake has lived the American dream. In partnership with his brother Curt and with the help of his parents, Pres started a small ice cream shop in Springfield, Massachusetts in the depths of the Great Depression. The brothers worked long hours, making ice cream at night and selling it during the day. From those humble beginnings, they created the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, a 500+ restaurant chain now known as Friendly's. After selling Friendly to the Hershey Corporation in 1979, Pres set off to enjoy his leisure time with adventures around the world. But his retirement was interrupted at age 86, when he felt obligated to file a shareholder's lawsuit against the new management team that owned Friendly's. Today, fourteen years and eleven million dollars later, Pres is pleased with conversations he's had with current Friendly's management about the future of the company. Pres Blake's life story is an inspiration to anyone who works hard, asks for advice, and gives back. If I could do it says Pres, so can you.