First, in all of the many roles, Charlie is the Owner/Operator of a chain of McDonald’s restaurants. He was a pioneer of the drive thru window concept and opened the first McDonald’s with a drive thru window in the state of Texas and the third in the world. He was also one of the pioneers of the playland concept and has been a McDonald’s owner for 24 years. His restaurants have won numerous awards, and he twice won the prestigious “Ronald McDonald Award,” in 1977 and 1991. Charlie was also “Rookie of the Year” his first year in business. He has served as State Chairman of McDonald’s Personnel Committee and a member of McDonald’s National Political Action Steering Committee. He also served on the founding Board of Directors of the Dallas Rondal McDonald House, and has been an officer of the DFW Advertising Coop.
Charlie was Plano’s “Small Businessman of the Year” in 1987. In 1988 he was chosen “Rodeo Man of the Year” by the Lone Star Circuit of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He has served for 8 years as Chairman of the “Lane Frost Award” Selection Committee of Professional Rodeo and serves as Chairman again in 1998. Charlie is past President of the Plano Economic Development Board; a Director of the Organization of Latin Americans; a Director of the Plano Salvation Army; a past Director of the Plano Chamber of Commerce; a member and past director of the Rotary Club; and received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International in 1990. He served as a Director of Canyon Creek National Bank and was Chairman of the Audit Committee and on the Loan and Discount Committee. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Law Enforcement TV Network and was 1993-94 President of the Plan Futures Foundation. He served from 1990-1993 as a member of the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas, including two years as a member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar.
Charlie is active in National, State, and Local Politics and was a Regional Co-Chairman for George Bush for President in 1987-88; elected Delegate for George Bush to the District, State and National Conventions in 1988 and 1992 and was a Surrogate Speaker representing President Bush in the 1988 and 1992 Presidential Campaign, and a Finance Chairman of the George W. Bush campaign for Governor in 1994 and will also serve in that capacity again in 1998. He is a member of the ongoing Governor Bush Committee. Charlie was a Founding Member of the “Gramm 96” Executive Committee, and was Co-Chairman of the 1996 Lincoln Day dinner, “An Evening with Governor Bush.”
The O’Reily’s are founding members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church, serving as far West Plano. In 1968 Charlie was a founding charter member of the Knights of Columbus in the Plano/Richardson area. He is also a founding member of both Stonebriar and Gleneagles Country Clubs and is a member of the Board of Governors of Benedictine College.
The list goes on but let it be known that Charlie O’Reily is a friend to many charities and organizations and he is a fine humanitarian.
