Cincinnati, Ohio
Grave of Fredric J. Baur
The inventor of the iconic Pringles can was so proud of his invention he was buried in one.
Fredric John Baur may not be a household name, but he did invent something almost universally recognizable: the Pringles can. Having secured the patent for the famous tubular container for the distinctively stacked potato chips, Baur left a rather unusual request in his will. He asked that his ashes be buried in a Pringles can.
Baur was a chemist who specialized in food storage research and development for Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati. In 1966, when almost every other potato chip came in bags, Baur developed the iconic tube, stating that, “the Pringles can was a revolution within the realm of snack food.”
He stipulated that upon his death, a portion of his cremated ashes would be sealed up in a Pringles tube. Passing away at the age of 89, it was left to his children to act out his peculiar final wish. In a 2008 interview with Time, eldest son Larry described how they stopped at a Walgreens on their way to the funeral home to buy a can of Pringles. They decided on the classic original flavor to send their father off in style.
Today in a peaceful cemetery in the Cincinnati Springfield Township, surrounded by much fancier coffins and graves, is the final resting place of Fredric Baur in his famous invention.
Contributed by
Luke J Spencer
Molly McBride Jacobson
