Harland Rose is still just a baby, but she already has a pretty sizable college fund thanks to her namesake and KFC.
KFC announced in August it was offering $11,000 in college tuition to the first baby named Harland born on Sept. 9, in honor of the colonel — Col. Harland Sanders.
Sept. 9 would have been the 128th birthday for Sanders, KFC’s iconic founder. The $11,000 KFC offered was a nod to the famous 11 herbs and spices used in its fried chicken.
Kentucky-based KFC introduced the winner, Harland “Harley” Rose. She was born Sept. 9 at 8 pounds, 1 ounce to parents Anna Pilson and Decker Platt, of Southern Pines, N.C.,, according to KFC.
It’s been 70 years since the name Harland was in the top 1,000 names for American boys, according to Joe Pinsker of The Atlantic. KFC said Harland was ranked No. 3,257 on the list of most common baby names last year.
When KFC announced its deal in August, Andrea Zahumensky, the chief marketing officer for KFC, said “we couldn’t just stand idly by” and let their founder’s name dwindle in popularity.
In a social media post Tuesday, KFC said Harland Rose “will be ushering in an all-new generation of Harlands.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2018 8:25 AM.