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Posted on Thu, Jul. 05, 2007
Carmike co-founder dies at 88
BY MICHAEL OWEN
Carl Lloyd Patrick, patriarch of one of the largest motion picture theater companies in the nation, died Wednesday at the age of 88.

His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at St. Luke United Methodist Church with interment following at Park Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends today from

6 to 8 p.m. at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary.

Patrick grew up in Virginia and Maryland. His father died when he was 10, so he went straight to work after graduating from high school at age 16, supporting his mother, sister and two brothers.

Patrick entered the Army in 1941 as a private but graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning in 1942, the same year he completed paratrooper training.

The war took him to Italy, where he was seriously wounded in Sicily in 1943. He returned to Fort Benning to recover and left the Army in 1945 at the rank of major.

His uniform, complete with bullet holes, is among the collection of the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.

Patrick married Frances Wynn of Columbus in 1943. The couple had two sons, Carl Jr. and Michael, who would later join their father in the family business.

In 1945, Patrick joined Martin Theatres, a Columbus-based company, and in just three years was promoted to general manager in charge of all operations.

He was named president of Martin Theatres in 1969, the same year Martin was sold to Fuqua Industries, which later named Patrick as its president and chief operating officer. Under his leadership, from 1970-78, Fuqua's annual sales rose from $300 million to more than $2 billion.

In 1973, while still with Fuqua, Patrick helped form a motion picture production company that produced movies such as "Walking Tall" and "The Great Santini."

In 1982, Patrick and his sons bought Martin Theatres back from Fuqua and created Carmike Cinemas, which would become of the industry's leaders.

In addition to his work in motion pictures, Patrick also served on the boards of directors of CB&T, Burnham Service Corp. and Callaway Chemical.

Away from the boardroom, Patrick and his family have been long known for philanthropy and public service. Last year, former first lady Rosalyn Carter came to Columbus to recognize the Patricks for their giving. The Carl and Frances Patrick Heart Institute at St. Francis Hospital and Carl Patrick Hall at Columbus Technical Institute are two examples of their generosity.

Patrick also served as chairman of the city's Board of Public Safety in the 1960s and on the boards of Columbus Tech and as a trustee of Columbus State University.

Patrick is survived by his wife, two sons, two grandsons and a brother.

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-07-2007, 09:22 PM:
 
Oh, wow... I didn't realize he was that old. He lived to see his legacy lead the way into the digital age.

I have sure had fun working in his theatres over the years, and met many wonderful people there. Some enduring friendships that continue to this day.

RIP
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 07-07-2007, 11:54 PM:
 
Sad news indeed.

I spent nearly 20 years with the company and I learned more about the founder in the obituary than in the years in their employ..

I think that's even sadder.
 

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Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 07-08-2007, 12:03 AM:
 
I would have to agree with Jason.

Mr. Patrick's rags to riches story goes to show hard work is sometimes rewarded.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-08-2007, 02:26 AM:
 
...my condolences to Mr. Patrick as well. I only worked for Carmike for a short while in the early 90's, so I can't really give a valid report of my tenure with the company. Yet, from the story that was attached of the beginnings, he rightfully deserved that merit im whole.

But as Dustin mentions of hard work from an individual eventually having it's rewards, brings to mind of a Mr. James E. EDWARDS, founder and owner of EDWARDS CINEMAS - starting out as a doorman in the silent era and eventually becoming one of the prominent cinema owners in the So. California area...and I worked for EDWS until shortly after the merger with UA and REGAL under the REG banner.

And that was a very sad day to see that company fall as it did from the glory and successful operation days of what Mr. Edwards had built up from the beginning until the merger.
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 07-08-2007, 01:22 PM:
 
I met Mr. Patrick when he was still with Martin Theaters in the early 1970's. I was in exhibition at the time and one of my partners was based in Colombus, Georgia. He stopped by our office to chat on business and later invited us to lunch....which we did not have time to do since my partner had a deadline....I was willing
Mr. Edwards, I talked on the phone and had some correspondence in the early 1980's since he was looking for someone to work on some future multiplex projects. I received another more concrete offer which evolved into 130+ auditoriums. The worst / best part of every journey is the first step.
 

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