Sam McDonald, Wendy's of Montana founder, dies

 BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Standout athlete, successful businessman and
philanthropist Sam McDonald of Billings has died. He was 76.
   Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary said McDonald died Monday.
   The Billings Gazette  reports McDonald and his wife, Judy, became Wendy’s
franchisees in 1976. Their company, Wendy's of Montana, has 23 restaurants
 in several states.
   In 2000, the McDonald family established the Wendy's Foundation, which
donated millions of dollars to causes and organizations, including $1.4 million to the
 College of Business at Montana State University Billings in 2002. In 2006, the
foundation donated $400,000 to put turf on the field at Daylis Stadium in Billings.
   McDonald grew up in Billings, played basketball at Oklahoma State, worked in
the oil industry in Texas and Kansas and in real estate in Denver and Billings
before getting into the restaurant business.
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   AP-WF-02-21-12 1710GMT