BCF Remembers Long Time Resident and Supporter Charlie Rath
In the Fall of 1963 Susie and Charlie Rath met at Wentz’s Pharmacy – now Graeter’s on the corner of Drexel and Main Streets in Bexley, Susie worked the soda fountain and Charlie – a sales representative for The Upjohn Company, a Kalamazoo based pharmaceutical manufacturer – called on Roy Wentz Jr., to assure his store’s inventory of Medicinals was adequately stocked. Charlie and Susie were married on October 31, 1964 after determining schedules for The Ohio State University Buckeyes and The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame would allow. Charlie and Susie settled on Brentwood Road and raised their family in Bexley. Charlie was instrumental in giving life to the indelible “Where’s the Beef?” campaign in the early 80’s and went on to be the Chief Marketing Officer for Wendy’s International.
In 2015, Susie and Charlie established the Susie and Charlie Rath Creative Arts Fund in memory of Susie’s father Leland S. McClelland, a highly regarded local artist and longtime Bexley resident. The Fund was established to promote the creative arts, including the visual and performing arts, vocal and instrumental music, writing and communication, design, and digital and other media, in the Bexley community. To date over $34,000 has been awarded to 11 grants from the Rath Fund. Projects include BexArts, a community arts group; the sculpture restoration project at Jeffrey Mansion; magic at Jeffrey Summer Camp; Capital’s NOW Music Festival; the grand piano at Jeffrey Mansion and Arts Builds Community programming at the Bexley Public Library.
In 2017, Susie and Charlie received the Foundation’s Cornerstone Award for Philanthropy and Service which honors current or former Bexley residents who inspire and challenge us by their examples of exceptional service and giving to Bexley and the greater community. Charlie was instrumental in the Foundation’s early days by directing our annual campaign videos.
According to Charlie, “Having the good fortune of proximity to our superior Bexley schools, our community amenities such as Jeffrey Mansion, the Drexel Theatre, Capital University, our fabulous library, the annual 4th of July celebration and the year-round good city management, brings to mind a Wendy’s commercial with Dave Thomas in which, after the hamburger superiority was detailed, the question is asked, ‘Given that, why would anyone go anywhere else?’ And, as with the commercial’s ungrammatical reply: There Ain’t No Reason,” said Charlie. The Bexley Community Foundation and our Bexley community will miss Charlie.
