First black Chick-Fil-A executive dies

STONE MOUNTAIN - Costelle Walker, Chick-Fil-A&#39;s first black executive, died Friday of a heart attack at his home. He was 67. <br> <br> Walker, who was vice president of training and development, designed the company&#39;s program that prepares operators to run a Chick-Fil-A store. <br> <br> Walker turned down an offer to run a Chick-Fil-A in Texas in 1979, but founder Truett Cathy didn&#39;t want to let him go, said Phil Orazi, the company&#39;s director of training and development. So he was offered a corporate job on the spot. <br> <br> He retired from the Army on a Friday and started work at Chick-Fil-A the following Monday, Orazi said. <br> <br> ``He was the first black executive and one of the few to have an MBA at the time,&#39;&#39; said Orazi, who worked with him 22 years. <br> <br> Walker was a mentor to many employees, including Orazi. <br> <br> ``He was just a person who was always looking out for what was right for people, that they were capable of doing the job before being sent out to do it,&#39;&#39; Orazi said.

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