Dr. Pepper Biography

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Randall Clawson
Ms. Grindle
Sarcasm 101
16 September 2008


Dr. Pepper was born in Brooklyn, New York to British Immigrants on June 21, 1857. He went to England after his early education where he attended Framlingham College in Stowmarket. He returned to the States during the westward expansion and attended medical school at the University of Texas in Galveston, Texas. Graduating with an M.D., he decided to work as a pharmacist, moving to Waco, Texas to join Charles Alderton in his Old Corner Drug Store. In 1886 Dr. Pepper mixed 23 different syrup flavors into what is now known as “Dr. Pepper”, a Soda-Pop drink.

The Early Years
It wasn’t easy for such an intelligent young boy to grow up in such an intelligence lacking community such as Brooklyn. Dr. Pepper began mixing things at an early age, as it began when he noticed the benefits of mixing 2 different flavors of shaved ice at the local Caribbean Bucks shop. Though it was looked down upon in the buck’s community, he dared to try as many combinations as he could. He was teased for this by the other kids in school, and vowed to never let his parents know, out of fear of being disowned. “They will just never understand with their limited mental capacities” he told himself. At


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age 12 Dr. Peppers life changed forever. He tried a mix of shaved ice that was part Cola and part Cherry. As he basked in the glory of his creation he vowed never to make another mix that didn’t involve cherry flavor.

The Collegiate Life
Dr. Pepper knew he was destined for something more and realized he wasn’t going to fulfill that unless he moved across seas. He located a college that would allow him to learn and would allow him enough time to “live on his own little island”, as the older folk back home called it. He Attended Framlingham College in Stowmarket for 4 years before moving back to the States to pursue his doctorate. He found peace in Galveston, Texas at the University of Texas where he was free to experiment, as, almost everything is legal in Texas. During his run at UT, he became known around campus for producing a drink that mixed Cola, Vanilla, and Cherry. Randolph Coca would later steal this recipe and use it in his own line of Soda-Pop. The first reactions to this mixture were of pure joy and gave hope to the young Dr. Pepper. “I wish it were winter so we could freeze it into ice blocks and skate on it and melt it in the spring time and drink it!” one tester exclaimed. Dr. Pepper would finish his schooling and graduate with his M.D. in 1884. He was eager to get out of the big city, and quickly receded to Waco, Texas.



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Dr. Pepper, the ultimate Soda-Pop.
Dr. Pepper soon found himself working with Charles Alderton, a friend from college who owned his own business. At the Old Corner Drug Store was where Dr. Pepper first created the drink we now call “Dr. Pepper”. In 1886, after working at the drug store for a year, Dr. Pepper soon realized that patrons of the soda fountain soon were tired of the standard fountain flavors. He confirmed this by his own taste experiments which led him to concoct a series of mixtures to find his “best soda-pop the world has ever experienced.” He made the decision that the only way he could live up to that claim was to mix not two flavors, not three flavors, not even four flavors, but 23 flavors! Carefully measuring the different syrups and fine tuning the product as he went, he eventually created a drink he called “Commix”. He invited Alderton to try his new drink, which Alderton loved. Alderton asked him the recipe and Dr. Pepper Replied with “It’s got cherry in it, I will tell you that. But the other 22 flavors will remain a mystery forever.” Alderton responded with the idea that they keep all 23 flavors secret as it will draw people to try and figure them all out. While Dr. Pepper was a bit hesitant as he wanted everyone to know that Cherry was the bread and butter of his many mixtures, he also understood the marketing behind the secret, and agreed. When the Product was offered to their fountain patrons, the reaction was overwhelming. Dr. Peppers drink caught on fast and there was no turning back. Soon customers were so crazed to have this new drink they would stand outside the store, shouting “Dr. Pepper! Dr. Pepper!” His name was soon folded into the description of the drink and until 1888 it was called “Dr.



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Pepper’s Commix.” In 1888 Dr. Pepper and Alderton started mass producing the drink and the name could not fit on the bottle between the cherry pictures on both sides. It was shortened to Dr. Pepper, which has been the name ever since.

The Death of Dr. Pepper.
The Facts of Dr. Peppers death remain a mystery but one story seems to be the most repeated by those who knew him or someone around him. It was said that on May 29, 1941 Dr. Pepper was at a local eatery grabbing some lunch. He sat down next to a
boy and girl, whom to his pleasant surprise were drinking Dr. Pepper. As he was eating a fry he heard the girl utter something horrible. “Andy, I don’t care what you and John say. There is no way that this Dr. Pepper has any cherry flavor in it whatsoever. I don’t like drinks with cherry flavor in them. I hate cherry flavor!” Dr. Pepper grasped his chest as a heart attack was set in motion. By the time a doctor arrived at the scene, he was dead. And thus ending the life of the worlds greatest drink creator.