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Couples Celebrating 40^th Wedding Anniversary
Reveal Secrets to Marriage
in ‘KFC’s Buckets of Love’ Contest
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‘Selectively Poor Memory,’ Other Secrets Ingredients Cited
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Contest receives over 400 entries from across the country

LOUISVILLE, KY., December 3, 1997 -- What does it take to make a marriage last? That’s the question KFC posed to couples celebrating their 40^th anniversary this year. "KFC’s Buckets of Love" contest, marking the 40^th anniversary of the KFC bucket, asked folks who tied the knot in 1957 to share the secret ingredients of their successful marriage. Couples entered to win a Grand-Prize second honeymoon cruise or one of 40 First-Prize anniversary parties for 40 people.

Grand-prize Winner Selected by Inventor of the Bucket
The Grand-prize winner was chosen by Pete Harman of San Francisco, KFC’s first franchisee who conceived the idea of the bucket of chicken and sold it "to go" at a restaurant in Salt Lake City. "Forty years of marriage is a wonderful accomplishment. We’ve enjoyed saluting those couples who have reached this milestone," says Harman, 78. "I never dreamed the bucket would have this kind of longevity. We’re thrilled that it has become such an institution in America and has achieved a milestone of its own."

Revealing the 11 Secret Ingredients
While KFC will never reveal the famous 11 secret herbs and spices in its chicken, the contest judges zeroed in on these 11 ingredients for a successful marriage. The 11 best pieces of marital advice include:

• Selectively poor memory -- Grand-prize winners, Judy and Marv Rifkin of Agoura Hills, Calif., write, "I can’t remember what he looked like with all his hair and teeth, and he can’t remember what I looked like when I could fit into my wedding gown. We don’t remember how small our first apartment was, but we do remember how much fun we had there." For all that they do remember and don’t remember, the Rifkins boast, "We sure remember why we got married 40 years ago in the first place!"
• Give-and-take -- Don and Netta Prosise, of Phoenix advise "doing what the other one wants to do part of the time, even if it’s not your cup of tea."
• Sense of humor -- For Cliff and Peggy Duck of Hacienda Heights, Calif., humor is an essential ingredient in marriage.
• Good communications -- Lee and Joyce Gassert from Placentia, Calif., set aside a night each week for a date where the two of them can talk.
• Hugs and kisses -- Roland Schnabel, of Tampa always gives his wife Jean a kiss when he comes home from work.
• Trust -- Gleon and Connie O’Kane from Princeville, Ill., share trust "in each other’s thoughts, words plans, commitments, and actions."
• Loving children -- John and Peggy LaMure of Madisonville, Ky., have five children. And they joke that "whoever left the marriage had to take all five of them."
• Plenty of romance -- For Walter and Ann Warren of Dorchester, Mass., the romance remains as strong as when they met while dancing many years ago.
• Faith -- "Our marriage is based on our love for God and for each other," according to Paul and Mary Goin of Galion, Ohio.
• Patience-- Wayne and Ruth Neilson from West Jordan, Utah, say "if you have patience, everything else will come together."
• Teamwork -- "We share every decision from child rearing to picking out carpet," admit Bill and Becky Sharp from Hilton Head, S.C.

Prizes Include Second Honeymoon Cruise, 40 Anniversary Parties
The contest drew over 400 entries from all across the country. Entries were judged on the basis of creativity and originality. The Grand-prize winner receives a second honeymoon cruise either on the Mississippi or in the Caribbean. And the 40 first-prize winners receive enough KFC food for an anniversary party for 40 people. The 41 winning couples hail from 28 states.

Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been "America's Leading Kitchen for Convenient Meals," serving customers delicious, already-prepared complete family meals, snacks and sandwiches at affordable prices. There are more than 9,900 KFC outlets in 76 countries around the world serving nearly seven million customers each day. Kentucky Fried Chicken Corp. (KFC), based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in both fried and roasted chicken pieces and homestyle sides.

Editor's Note:

• To arrange an interview with any winner, please call Jenifer Shockley or Jay Stilwell at (202) 452-9476.

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