This Date In Coca-Cola Company History

It’s May 5th and that means Cinco de Mayo, but did you know that 40 years ago today is the also when a former Olympic athlete became the Chairman of the Board at The Coca-Cola Company?   As a young Harvard undergraduate, Paul Austin, competed in the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin as a member of the U.S. Rowing Team.  

Austin went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, with a Motor Torpedo Squadron in the Pacific, and eventually came back to the U.S. after his adventures to become the President of Coca-Cola (1962), Chief Executive Officer (1966) and Chairman of the Board (1970). 

The Coca-Cola Company grew dramatically under Austin’s leadership following his belief that The Company, “…should be a good citizen wherever we are.”  Austin retired in 1981, after 30 years with the Company.