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How Tragedy Led to a Tall Turtle Tribute in Cow Territory
August 08, 2024
Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach honors late community member with an iconic turtle statue for Guests and others to admire.
Michael Kelley began serving as a Chick-fil-A® local Owner-Operator in Vero Beach, Florida, in 2013. After settling into Vero Beach as his family’s new home, Michael’s brother-in-law introduced him to one of his fishing buddies, Carl Herndon, who recently relocated with his family to Vero. Michael connected Carl with a great local church and soon learned that he had a long, unique history with Chick-fil-A.
Although incredibly humble and never mentioning it in their conversations, Carl was the founder of WH Bass, a general contracting company that has worked on over 1,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants, including the first Chick-fil-A restaurant and now two of Michael’s restaurants, since the 1980s.
A decade later in 2024 when Michael’s second restaurant, Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach, was under construction, Michael got a call from Carl’s colleagues at WH Bass. They informed him that Carl had passed away that year in a tragic bike accident in Montana and asked Michael if he would put a memorial plaque for Carl in his new restaurant. As Michael reflected on the man he knew and the town where they met, he decided there was a much more fitting way to honor Carl’s legacy.
Six-foot painted turtles dot the landscape in Vero Beach, Florida. Twenty years ago, the Mental Health Association in Indian River County (MHA) auctioned over 50 of the fiberglass turtles, uniquely painted by talented local artists, as a fundraiser for the nonprofit. Today, many of the original turtles can be found throughout the community. What if Michael could commission an artist to paint a turtle depicting Carl’s life as a more noticeable tribute outside the restaurant his company built?
In pursuit of the perfect turtle to honor Carl, Michael and Bert, Carl’s widow, met with Amy Wagner, MHA Director of Philanthropy & Marketing. As Bert looked through pictures of the original 50 painted turtles, tears began to flow.
With quiet strength, she shared that she had taken up painting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m going to paint the turtle,” she said.
Bert spent the next few months planning and painting her masterpiece. Each section of the turtle’s top shell depicts a different part of Carl’s life. The underside of the turtle reveals a menagerie of words collected from Carl’s friends that best describe Carl and a landscape scene of Carl and Bert’s home in Montana. Representing Indian River County’s citrus history and former site of the historic Poinsettia Grove shop, oranges adorn the top of the turtle’s flippers while the underside of each flipper has cow spots as a nod to Chick-fil-A’s popular bovine friends. The base supporting the turtle includes the core values and guiding principles for WH Bass, a daily inspiration for Chick-fil-A Team Members walking by on their way into work.
Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach honors late community member with an iconic turtle statue for Guests and others to admire.
Michael Kelley began serving as a Chick-fil-A® local Owner-Operator in Vero Beach, Florida, in 2013. After settling into Vero Beach as his family’s new home, Michael’s brother-in-law introduced him to one of his fishing buddies, Carl Herndon, who recently relocated with his family to Vero. Michael connected Carl with a great local church and soon learned that he had a long, unique history with Chick-fil-A.
Although incredibly humble and never mentioning it in their conversations, Carl was the founder of WH Bass, a general contracting company that has worked on over 1,000 Chick-fil-A restaurants, including the first Chick-fil-A restaurant and now two of Michael’s restaurants, since the 1980s.
A decade later in 2024 when Michael’s second restaurant, Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach, was under construction, Michael got a call from Carl’s colleagues at WH Bass. They informed him that Carl had passed away that year in a tragic bike accident in Montana and asked Michael if he would put a memorial plaque for Carl in his new restaurant. As Michael reflected on the man he knew and the town where they met, he decided there was a much more fitting way to honor Carl’s legacy.
Six-foot painted turtles dot the landscape in Vero Beach, Florida. Twenty years ago, the Mental Health Association in Indian River County (MHA) auctioned over 50 of the fiberglass turtles, uniquely painted by talented local artists, as a fundraiser for the nonprofit. Today, many of the original turtles can be found throughout the community. What if Michael could commission an artist to paint a turtle depicting Carl’s life as a more noticeable tribute outside the restaurant his company built?
In pursuit of the perfect turtle to honor Carl, Michael and Bert, Carl’s widow, met with Amy Wagner, MHA Director of Philanthropy & Marketing. As Bert looked through pictures of the original 50 painted turtles, tears began to flow.
With quiet strength, she shared that she had taken up painting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m going to paint the turtle,” she said.
Bert spent the next few months planning and painting her masterpiece. Each section of the turtle’s top shell depicts a different part of Carl’s life. The underside of the turtle reveals a menagerie of words collected from Carl’s friends that best describe Carl and a landscape scene of Carl and Bert’s home in Montana. Representing Indian River County’s citrus history and former site of the historic Poinsettia Grove shop, oranges adorn the top of the turtle’s flippers while the underside of each flipper has cow spots as a nod to Chick-fil-A’s popular bovine friends. The base supporting the turtle includes the core values and guiding principles for WH Bass, a daily inspiration for Chick-fil-A Team Members walking by on their way into work.
“Carl meant so much to so many different people,” Michael shared. “When you see the fifty different words shared describing Carl, Bert only received the same word twice when friends responded to her email request. What a special soul!”
Carl’s turtle will be unveiled to Carl’s friends, former business associates and community leaders in early August at Michael’s new restaurant. It’s the first new turtle to be placed in the Vero Beach community since the original fundraiser 20 years ago. It is securely mounted at the front of the
Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach for Chick-fil-A Guests and others to admire.
“There has never been a turtle made like this one,” said Amy with MHA. “I was absolutely blown away when I saw the finished piece. I have never seen a labor of love to another human like this.”
In addition to their partnership bringing the turtle to life, Chick-fil-A, Inc. was honored to join WH Bass in contributing to the Mental Health Association in Indian River County for the turtle that honors the memory of Carl Herndon. Carl’s legacy and his charge to “live life large” will be remembered for years to come.
“Carl meant so much to so many different people,” Michael shared. “When you see the fifty different words shared describing Carl, Bert only received the same word twice when friends responded to her email request. What a special soul!”
Carl’s turtle will be unveiled to Carl’s friends, former business associates and community leaders in early August at Michael’s new restaurant. It’s the first new turtle to be placed in the Vero Beach community since the original fundraiser 20 years ago. It is securely mounted at the front of the
Chick-fil-A East Vero Beach for Chick-fil-A Guests and others to admire.
“There has never been a turtle made like this one,” said Amy with MHA. “I was absolutely blown away when I saw the finished piece. I have never seen a labor of love to another human like this.”
In addition to their partnership bringing the turtle to life, Chick-fil-A, Inc. was honored to join WH Bass in contributing to the Mental Health Association in Indian River County for the turtle that honors the memory of Carl Herndon. Carl’s legacy and his charge to “live life large” will be remembered for years to come.
