1. Alfred Nu Steele was an American soft drink businessman who was the president and later chairman of the board of Pepsi-Cola Company from 1950 until his sudden death in 1959.
21 Facts About Alfred Steele
1. 2.
Alfred Nu Steele was born on April 24,1901, in Nashville, Tennessee.
3.
Alfred Steele was the son of Edgar Alfred Steele, a teacher, and his wife Fannie Bartrem.
4.
Alfred Steele's middle name "Nu" was an homage to his father's fraternity "Sigma Nu".
5.
Sally Steele married Lieutenant John D Comer on November 29,1955, at the MacArthur Chapel in Tokyo, Japan.
6.
Alfred Steele took on the father role for Crawford's four adopted children - Christina, Christopher, and twins Cathy and Cynthia.
7.
The twins grew closer to Alfred Steele; he was listed as Cathy Crawford's father in her 2020 obituary.
8.
Alfred Steele began as a geologist, and went on to work for the Chicago Tribune, Standard Oil of Indiana, and D'arcy Advertising Company.
9.
Later, Alfred Steele became vice president of marketing for The Coca-Cola Company on June 14,1945.
10.
In 1949, Alfred Steele took over as vice president of Pepsi-Cola, and as president later that year.
11.
Alfred Steele is credited with helping push the change of the old Pepsi slogan "twice as much for a nickel, too" stating it was a liability to the company, reducing Pepsi to the "poor man's Coca-Cola".
12.
Alfred Steele pushed for a focus on quality, not quantity.
13.
In 1957, Crawford and Alfred Steele toured Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for Pepsi-Cola's recent expansion.
14.
Alfred Steele introduced new cost accounting methods and helped bottlers purchase new trucks and equipment.
15.
Alfred Steele further reduced the sugar content and unsweetened the syrup of Pepsi products, and introduced Pepsi to developing countries.
16.
Alfred Steele refused, but Crawford said she was happy to assist if it would benefit her husband.
17.
Alfred Steele supplied accommodations for the family at the Waldorf Astoria.
18.
Alfred Steele was selected as chairman of the 1959 fund campaign of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on November 6,1958.
19.
Alfred Steele's death came as a shock to his colleagues, friends, and family, who praised him for his leadership and vision at Pepsi-Cola.
20.
Alfred Steele's funeral was held April 22,1959, at New York's Saint Thomas Episcopal Church.
21.
Alfred Steele's remains were interred in Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, Westchester, New York.