Cluthe Oliver was born as Agnes Cluthe to Edward and Laura Cluthe. The Cluthes owned and operated "The Salt Pool" in Evansville, Indiana, which was an extremely popular summer swimming and play area for area residents. It was a haven for the Cluthe family and was known as a community hot spot and "place to be seen." Cluthe, her three sisters, and her brother all worked as life guards and in the concession areas of this family business. Cluthe and her siblings were widely known and also had many friends. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she first met William (Bill) Oliver.
William Oliver graduated from Chateaugay High School in the class of 1929, then went on to earn his bachelors of science degree from Indiana University in 1934. He was married to Agnes Cluthe on Friday, September 28, 1934 in Albany New York at the home of Mrs. Addie Sharpe at 1:30 in the afternoon. This union marked the beginning of a partnership of love, achievement and philanthropy.
William's first job after graduation was with the New York State Agriculture Department. He went on to be an auditor for Haskins & Sells in both New York and Atlanta between 1935 and1939. He then served as secretary and treasurer at the H. W. Lay Co. in Atlanta from1939-1942. The Lay family and Oliver family forged a business partnership that lead to treasured friendship over the years. Cluthe and Mrs. Mimi Lay provided their husbands with much encouragement and marketing advice in the early days of the H. W. Lay Company development.
As our country faced World War II, William Oliver joined in the fight. During his tour of duty, he achieved the rank of major in the United States Air Force and was assigned to the secret war room underground in London. This area served as Winston Churchill's facilities for conducting the war and brought together specific ministers and members of the British armed forces and its allies. This assignment was no doubt one for the courageous and dedicated. The secret war room meetings could start and finish at any time of the day or night, and sometimes these meetings were held during bombings by the Germans.
Upon his discharge from the military and his return to the states William Oliver was named vice president of sales for H. W. Lay & Company in Atlanta. He was promoted to executive vice president of H.W. Lay & Co, a position held until 1961 when H. W. Lay became Frito-Lay, Inc. At this time the Olivers moved their permanent residence to Dallas, Texas. Mr. Oliver then served as both executive vice president and a member of the board of directors until being promoted to president of Frito Lay and director of PepsiCo. Later in life the Olivers also built a house in Honolulu, Hawaii, where they spent a good part of the winter and the warmer months of the Texas summer.
Community activities in Dallas and Atlanta included serving as director of First American Investment Corporation (Atlanta), The United Fund (Atlanta), and president of Junior Achievement of Georgia. William served as president of the Potato Chip Institute (PCI) in 1959. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and was a Mason. He was a member of Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta as well as Brook Hollow Country Club and Preston Trail Golf Club in Dallas.
William Oliver was an avid golfer and especially enjoyed frequent visits to the Masters with his good friend Bill Lane. He enjoyed the outdoors, photography, traveling and hunting. He had many friends and was always sporting a smile. He and his wife Cluthe enjoyed art and made many acquisitions in Texas, Hawaii and elsewhere.
A lifetime connection with the medical industry gave Cluthe an appreciation for the benefits of healthy life choices. She had uncles and a grandfather who were physicians, and her aunt was one of the first two women to graduate from the Indiana University College of Dentistry in 1901. This aunt's dental office is still on view at the Evansville, Indiana Museum.
Bill and Cluthe Oliver were no strangers to charitable causes and left their mark on all of the communities and areas in which they lived. In their passing, this continued philanthropy was carried out as they actively planned for and left the majority of their estate to multiple charitable foundations. The largest amount was earmarked for the Cluthe & William B. Oliver Foundation for Health & Aging. The Olivers' vision for the foundation was to create an organization that promotes a healthy life and aging process though education so that individuals can enjoy a more active, informed and balanced lifestyle. They were strong believers in prevention of disease over treatment.
Commemorating their own lifetime which was full and rich, the Olivers have left a living legacy for others through The Cluthe and William B. Oliver Foundation for Health & Aging -- Dedicated to the Prevention of Childhood Obesity.
