About George W. Jenkins
George Washington Jenkins Jr. (September 29, 1907 – April 8, 1996) was an American businessman who founded Publix Super Markets. As of 2016, the employee-owned, privately held corporation included 1,100 stores in the Southeastern United States with 170,000 employees and sales of $32 billion. Jenkins was known as "the state's largest commercial employer and head of a chain of stores that was a leader in introducing many innovations, including electric-eye doors and frozen food cases". == Early life == === Georgia === Jenkins was born in 1907 in Warm Springs, Georgia. His family owned a general store in the community of Harris City, Georgia, catering primarily to farmers. His father Jenkins, Sr., was a member of the first graduating class of Georgia Tech and taught there after retiring as a grocer. In the 1920s, the local cotton fields were decimated by the boll weevil, prompting Jenkins's father to move his business to Atlanta where people had money to buy groceries. Young Jenkins stayed behind to sell the remaining inventory and finish high school. In 1924, he also moved to Atlanta and enrolled at Georgia Tech, going to classes at night, and working days.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.