When he was eight years old, Dave Thomas dreamed he'd run the best restaurant in the world. Dave Thomas, an orphan who went to work in restaurants at 12 and by dint of hard work, quality control and shrewd marketing made Wendy's the … Read his biography and the story of his legacy – from founding the first Wendy’s in Ohio in 1969 to establishing the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. He is a partner at the firm Moore, Taylor & Thomas, P.A. (formerly Wilson, Moore, Taylor & Thomas, P.A.) Dave Thomas as a young boy. The Early Years . David Lloyd Thomas (born September 10, 1949) is a Republican former member of the South Carolina Senate.He represented District 8 from 1984 to 2012, which included part of Greenville.. Wendy’s Founder Dave Thomas was born in New Jersey in 1932 and died in January 2002. https://kpfa.org/program/the-collision-sports-and-politics-etan-thomas-dave-zirin The Collision "Where Sports And Politics Collide" The Collision "Where Sports And Politics Collide" is a weekly radio show on WPFW FM 89.3 in Washington D.C. with Etan Thomas and Co-host Dave Zirin Part One.