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Big Macs and Bigger Checks: The Surprising Life Of Joan Kroc

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published January 12, 2018 at 11:55 AM EST
Joan Kroc at a news conference in 1984.
Greg Vojtko
/
AP Photo
Joan Kroc at a news conference in 1984.

Ray Kroc is the man who transformed McDonald’s from a family restaurant in San Bernardino, California to one of the biggest corporations in the world. 

Host Frank Stasio speaks with author Lisa Napoli about her book, “Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald’s Fortune and the Woman who Gave It All Away”.

His life was a rags to riches story, and he was known to be tempestuous both in his business and personal life. The story that is not as well known is that of his wife Joan Kroc. She lived a lavish lifestyle, and used a private jet as others would a sedan. Yet she also became a formidable philanthropist. Writer and journalist Lisa Napoli profiles Joan Kroc in her book “Ray & Joan: The Man Who Made the McDonald’s Fortune and the Woman who Gave It All Away” (Dutton/2016).

Napoli speaks with host Frank Stasio about the enigmatic character and riffs on what the new Hollywood movie “The Founder” got right and wrong about Joan and Ray’s story. 

This segment originally aired Oct. 11, 2017.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio