Background
Pierce was born in Midway, Alabama and moved to Chicago in 1943 from Freemanville, Alabama to work as a chauffeur for Jack Stern, a furniture store owner.
Pierce was born in Midway, Alabama and moved to Chicago in 1943 from Freemanville, Alabama to work as a chauffeur for Jack Stern, a furniture store owner.
The H & H specialized in chicken feet and dumplings. The resultant recipe caused Pierce to open Harold"s Chicken Shack at 47th and Greenwood in 1950. One of Pierce"s stipulations was that they purchase their chickens from Rosen.
Otherwise, Pierce didn"t interfere with the management of the stores, which led to deviations in the techniques, flavors, and qualities of the product as well as variations in the menu from one restaurant to another.
After retiring in the early 1980s, he moved to Beaverville, Illinois, where he indulged in a passion for raising hunting dogs. Pierce died in Kankakee, Illinois of prostate cancer in 1988.
Willa died on January 21, 2003 in Beaverville.
