Story highlights Don Perry was the vice president of public relations for the fast-food chain

He started at the company in 1983

Don Perry, the vice president of public relations for Chick-fil-A, has died, according to a statement from the University of Georgia, where he served on the board of the journalism school.

Perry, originally from Valdosta, Georgia, started at the fast-food chain in 1983, helping launch the public relations arm of the company, he told Georgia Magazine in an alumni profile published last month.

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The Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A had annual sales of more than $4.1 billion last year and has more than 1,615 locations in 39 states and Washington, D.C., with the strongest concentration in the Southeast.