On Saturday, July 30, 2016 John M. (Jack) Kilduff passed away in Hobe Sound, Florida. Jack was born in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1968 from Villanova University with a degree in political and military science. He served in the United States Marine Corp from 1968-1972 as an aviator and achieved the rank of captain.
Jack was a long-time supporter of the Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute, and served on the Board of Directors for over 15 years. He generously gave of his time and resources over the years in support of projects including the Dr Pepper Snapple Group matching grant, the courtyard renovation, the W. W. “Foots” Clements Free Enterprise Exhibit, and was lead donor for the Hail to the Dr Pepper Chief exhibit about Dr Pepper Company presidents.
One of our fondest memories of Jack is when he spent the day with us at the Museum booth at InterBev in Orlando, Florida in 2010. He greeted bottlers and other vendors, many of whom were long-time friends of his, and made sure they knew the positive impact the Dr Pepper Museum & Free Enterprise Institute was having on the preservation of soft drink history, as well as promoting Foots Clements’s message of entrepreneurship and imagination in business. This kind of support was typical from Jack, and we are saddened the industry has lost such a proud ally.
About Jack Kilduff
He worked for 10 years in sales management for Procter & Gamble before joining Dr Pepper/Seven-Up in 1982 as the New York Division Manager. In 1984 he was promoted to Vice President of the Eastern Region. In 1987, he was named vice president/general manager of Premier Beverages. Kilduff was promoted and retained the title of Senior Vice President Sales Bottles/Cans from 1988 to 1994. The following year, he was named Chief Operating Officer for Dr Pepper USA after the Cadbury Schweppes’s acquisition of Dr Pepper/Seven-Up. In 1997, he became President and COO of Dr Pepper until 2002. He oversaw the construction and move of the company into new headquarters located on Legacy in Plano, Texas. While President and COO, Kilduff played a significant role in the acquisition and development of new products and securing expanded routes to market. During his tenure, the company achieved record sales and profits while gaining market share. According to a Marketwired article, “At the time of his retirement, sales of the Dr Pepper Company were approximately $1 Billion with a retail value of approximately $6 Billion.”
In 2010 he was named to the board of Skinny Nutritional Corporation. He founded and served as CEO of the Kilduff Family Foundation and served on the board of Palm Beach Atlantic University where he was the chair of the Athletic Committee. Previously he served for eight years on the board of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation with the dual responsibility of treasurer.
About the Dr Pepper Museum
The Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute is located at 300 South 5th Street in downtown Waco. Currently the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am until 4:15 PM when the last ticket to the gallery is sold. The Museum opens at 12 pm on Sundays. Visitors can stop by the soda fountain and gift shop until 5 pm; no admission ticket required. For more information about the Museum, visit us at drpeppermuseum.com.
Jack Kilduff at the 2008 ribbon cutting ceremony for the W. W. “Foots” Clements: Mister Dr Pepper exhibit.
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