Circle K Founder Fred Hervey Dies

Fred Hervey, founder of the Circle K convenience store chain and former mayor of his hometown of El Paso, Texas, died Sept. 1, 1999. He was 90.

Hervey began his career in retail as a teenager, setting up a curbside soda-pop stand in El Paso. When the weather was warm, he moved his stand to his father's open-air theater.

During the Depression, Hervey — who dropped out of high school to support his family — and his brother opened a drive-in root beer stand. They specialized in tamales, beans, pies and other food cooked by their mother. In 1936, he opened a second store.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Hervey returned home and opened three more restaurants, a supermarket and a radio station. After a failed run for Congress in 1951, he was elected mayor of El Paso and served two terms. He won a third term in 1973.

As early as 1952, Hervey's business acumen was nationally recognized. In a Fortune magazine article that year, he was included in a list of young men who had proved that America still offered great opportunities for financial success.

But it wasn't until 1957 — he expanded one group of three food stores in El Paso — that he planted the seeds of what would become the nation's second-largest c-store chain — Circle K Corp.

Tosco Marketing Co., a division of Tosco Corp., purchased Circle K Corp. in 1996. Hervey sold his Circle K interests in 1988.

He is survived by three children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Donations may be sent to the following organizations: El Paso Community Foundation, 201 E. Main, El Paso, TX 79901; Boy Scouts of America, 7601 Lockheed, El Paso, TX 79927; or The Hervey Foundation, P.O. Box 20000, El Paso, TX 79998.