John Korelc, the founder of what became the Launching Pad Drive-In on Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill., died at age 87 on Friday in nearby Joliet, reports the Joliet Herald-News.
The Launching Pad originally was called the Dari Delite when it opened in 1960. That change the restaurant’s name to its current moniker in 1965.
The restaurant became famous across the country after they found something to make it distinctive. That was a 28-foot tall, 500-pound fiberglass green giant with a space helmet.
“The Launching Pad was his life,” said his daughter, Sharon Gatties. She worked at the restaurant and later she and her husband, Jerry, became the owners, until they sold this spring.
Korelc retired in 1986. But an article five years later said he was still making occasional deliveries for the restaurant and helping in its kitchen.
Morey Szczecin bought the restaurant a few months ago.