howeenterprise.com
Monday, February 8, 2016
Page #18
Texas History Minute "Dandy" Dr. Pepper Pepper.”
Dr. Ken Bridges
Where the name of the drink originated, no one is entirely certain. Several stories have circulated, but some individuals have suggested it was named after a former girlfriend or even a friend of Alderton or Wade. However, many colas across the nation were being created at that time in small drugstores. A number of these local colas, including future rival CocaCola, were marketed as health drinks.
Hundreds of brands of soft drinks By 1891, so many requests and have been produced and sold around orders for the drink had come into the world. One of the most popular the pharmacy that they could no longer keep up with demand. is a Texas original, Dr. Pepper. Morrison was excited by the possibilities and wanted to expand, Dr. Pepper was the creation of a but Alderton decided to pursue young pharmacist names Charles medicine instead and sold the rights Alderton. Alderton was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1857 and to Morrison. Alderton died in 1941. traveled extensively as a youth. He received much of his education in Morrison brought in another partner, Robert Lazenby, and formed the Great Britain, but he eventually Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling made his way to Texas where he attended medical school. Afterward, Co. in Waco to produce the soft drink. The popularity of Dr. Pepper he worked as a pharmacist with business partner Wade Morrison at grew rapidly. By the turn of the Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store century, the company began selling franchise arrangements with bottlers in Waco. across the state to produce and distribute Dr. Pepper in their area. According to one story, Alderton day, people needed the energy boost in 2008, in a massive reorganization experimented with several different As a result, the success of the company grew even more rapidly. that the sugar rush would bring. As of the company, Dr. Pepper was drinks to try to attract customers a result, the logo on all the bottles spun off into a new company, the before perfecting the Dr. Pepper featured the numbers 10, 2, and 4 for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which After Morrison’s death, Lazenby formula. The drink was first decades and was included on all and his son-in-law, J. B. O’Hara, includes more than 50 brands of introduced in Waco in 1885, making advertising into the 1960s. took the drink to the 1904 World’s drinks. Dr. Pepper itself now has it one of the oldest continuously Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It was ten different varieties. In 2010, the bottled soft drinks in the United By 1988, Dr. Pepper fans organized such a success that Dr. Pepper began company reported more than $5.3 States. and opened the Dr. Pepper Museum billion in sales worldwide. being sold across the country, in the original bottling plant in The drink quickly became a hit with marketed as the “King of Waco. people all across Waco. Within a Beverages.” few years, it became synonymous The company continued to perform By the 1920s, the “Drink a Dr. with the city, and Alderton and well in spite of being outpaced by Pepper at 10, 2, and 4” became a Morrison were receiving requests Coca-Cola and Pepsi. But Dr. popular slogan. The slogan from customers well outside the city Pepper itself was swallowed in 1995 connected with the cola’s origins as asking for a “Waco” or “Doc by Cadbury Schweppes, a a health drink and was now being Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, Alderton’s Drink.” Eventually, it conglomerate of candymakers and pushed as an energy drink from the writer, and history professor. He came simply to be known as “Dr. idea that at 10, 2, and 4 each work soft drink manufacturers. However, can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com. http://www.salvagejunky.com/
