John Alden Roschman

Family-Placed Obituary

JOHN ALDEN ROSCHMAN Roschman, John Alden of Fort Lauderdale, Florida passed away at 9:10 pm on Febuary 12, 2009 after a long battle with Alzheimers, he was 80. Jack was born on September 1, 1928 in Rockford, Illinois. He served as a Sergeant in the Atomic Armaments Unit during the Korean War and graduated from University of Illinois with a Business Administration Degree. While at University of Illinois, Jack studied and developed Frozen Food Technology for the Ice Cream Industry. He was attracted to Fort Lauderdale after visiting as a college student during spring break in the early 50's. Jack purchased a condominium on Galt Ocean Mile in the 1960's and permanently moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1971. As a teenager, Jack helped his Father sell equipment at the Chicago Restaurant show. It was at these shows that Jack met Ray Kroc who would later become the founder of McDonalds. Upon graduating from college Jack started his career as a salesman for Marathon Oil, but he always wanted to be in the fast food business. While working at Marathon Oil, Jack tried to get Ray Kroc to sell him the exclusive rights to operate McDonalds in Ohio, but Jack was only 25 and Ray thought he was just too young. After Ray turned him down, Roschman worked with General Equipment to create what would become the Burger Chef Restaurant chain. Jack marketed the Burger Chef Franchises tirelessly around the country, which lead to his collapse from exhaustion. Due to this dedication, he was able to secure the exclusive right to develop Burger Chef Restaurants in the state of Ohio. While he was developing Burger Chef Restaurants in the State of Ohio, he also founded a new chain which he named Jax Roast Beef Chain in Springfield, Ohio. By 1969, Jack had developed over 100 Burger Chefs and the newly founded Jax Roast Beef Chain. Jack was extremely talented, Ray Kroc once said " Jack is the best fast food man in the world" . He loved developing new ideas so he sold the Burger Chefs and the Jax Roast Beef Chain to General Foods. Jack continued to be involved in Jax Roast Beef which changed its name to Rax in 1978 and Jack was involved in the company until the mid 1980's. Jack earned his pilots license before he was eligible for his drivers license. After poor weather forced him to land in Kokomo, Indiana, he discovered the Ponderosa Steakhouse business that at the time had only 3 stores. He fell in love with Ponderosa, bought half of the company and moved its headquarters to Dayton, Ohio. For a time, he served as Ponderosa's Chairman of the Board. By the end of his career he had personally developed over 500 restaurants. Jack's South Florida Real Estate interests include Tierra Del Rey and Coral Gate projects. He also developed shopping centers and hotels in the Midwest as well as Florida. Jack was the Founder of Charter Bank in Palm Beach and served as its Chairman until its sale to Southtrust Corporation in 1997. He was an eternal optimist, he always thought anything was possible. Jack's success inspired his two sons to build and operate more than 200 restaurants. Jack believed in giving back to the community. He supported Autism, Alzheimers and Medical Diagnostics Research, 4Kids of South Florida, Hillsdale College, University of Illinios, Broward General Hospital, Mayo Clinic to name a few. Jack loved to fly small planes and was an avid car enthusiast. Jack is survived by his loving wife Betty; son Jeff and wife Kerry Anne; son Robert and wife Lorrie and his grandchildren Taylor, Logan, Caroline and Virginia. A church service will be held at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale in the South Chapel at 10:30 am on February 18. To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries