A Toast to Tom Roeser from Dan Kelley

A Toast to Thomas F. Roeser
By Daniel J. Kelley

I am finding it hard to mourn Thomas F. Roeser.

Yes, I am saddened by his recent demise and I will certainly miss his company and his op-ed columns and radio programs. I also feel for his many friends and family members who will miss him so much. I am not ashamed to say that I have wept for other persons who have left us, especially those who to have been taken at an early age, but not for Tom.

I am finding it hard to feel empty. I do regret the conversations that we did not have time to hold when the game was called, but my strongest reaction to Tom’s death is a sense of gratitude. I feel that Tom’s life is the subject for a celebration. I am confident that he is in the presence of the Risen Lord.

The Requiem Mass held for Tom at St. John Cantius was beautiful and moving. It was eloquent in its simplicity. The selected Gospel reading related the familiar account of Jesus comforting Martha and Mary following the death of their brother Lazarus in which Christ reveals himself as “the Resurrection and the Life.” The choice of this reading was perfectly appropriate, but, when I reflect upon Tom’s life, I am also reminded of the Parable of the Talents. I truly believe that Tom merited commendation as “a good and faithful servant.”

Tom Roeser lived a full life and remained amazingly active and engaged up until the last. His last broadcast aired on WLS 890 AM on May 15th; his final column was posted on May 16th. His radio retirement was announced only a few short days before his death. The truth of the matter is that Tom maintained a vigorous schedule up until the time of his last hospitalization. I hope and pray that I may still be so vital and engaged as I grow older. It was wonderful to see how many of Tom’s many friends were decades younger than he was.

In recent years, Tom had to make some adjustments due to a variety of medical complaints associated with his age, but I somehow thought that it was quite possible that he would spring back into action as soon as his doctors released him from the hospital as he had done so many times before. While this was not to be, I can say without hesitation, aches and pains aside, Tom would be the first to admit that he had been enjoying himself and having plenty of fun during his “retirement.” In addition to his radio appearances, he published his first full length book, “Father Mac,” a marvelous biography of Father Ignatius McDermott, the founder of the Haymarket Center which provides services to recovering addicts and alcoholics.

For many years, Tom Roeser and I were like the proverbial ships that passed in the night. We occasionally interacted with some of the same people, sometimes attended the same series of luncheon talks, supported the same charities and not for profit organizations, but otherwise did not associate frequently. Like many Chicagoans, I knew of Tom Roeser primarily through his appearances on panel discussion programs such as “Chicago Tonight.”

Initially, I was confused as to why Tom was regularly asked to speak on behalf of the Republican Party on Channel 11 inasmuch as he was not an elected official or a party officeholder. Later, having heard a few of the official spokesmen of the Illinois Republican Party, most whom were entirely clueless as to why they were Republicans apart from legislative district geography or regular paychecks, I came to appreciate why John Calloway preferred to have Roeser on his live broadcasts. Some of the official flacks could not articulate coherent opinions or begin to defend the Reagan Revolution or the Republican platform.

While I was familiar with Tom through these television appearances and his weekly columns in either the Chicago Sun-Times or the Tribune, I did not know him personally. All of this changed due to the Internet. Tom had begun his own web log and I found myself reading his daily posts and responding with occasional comments. Eventually, I sent him a complimentary letter and this resulted in my being invited to join Tom for lunch at the Chicago Athletic Association. I was surprised and delighted when Tom encouraged me to begin writing for “The Chicago Daily Observer” while we were dining in the Cherry Circle lounge. The next few years were such great fun!

I do think that Tom showed me a trifling amount of partiality once we became better acquainted solely on account of the fact that we were both educated in Minnesota; Tom attended St. John’s under the Benedictines; I studied with the Christian Brothers at St. Mary’s. While I was an undergraduate, former US Representative Albert H. Quie served as the Governor of Minnesota. I was to learn later that Tom had worked for Quie at the start of the Republican politician’s congressional career.

I am grateful to Lillian Roeser and the entire Roeser family for patiently sharing Tom with all of us for so many years. For a man who never held an elected office, Tom led a very public life. My hope is that someday in the not too distant future, Tom’s autobiographical essays are gathered together and edited into a full length book.

As a final observation, I am most thankful to the anonymous registrar who slated Tom Roeser for the Theology class taught by the Reverend Ernest Kilzer, O.S.B. This simple act may have made all of the difference for those of us who had the privilege of coming to know and love Tom and his manifold works.

Daniel J. Kelley is a regular contributor to “The Chicago Daily Observer” who was recruited by Tom Roeser.

So, I Go into the Smart Bar . . . Tales of Rep. Mike Quigley Redux!

Smart Bar is located at:
3730 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60613
(Two blocks North of Wrigley Field)
Phone: 773-549-0203


SMART BAR CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Smart Bar began in 1982 as a way to bring new and exciting dance music and DJs to Chicago. Since then, Smart Bar has accomplished this goal repeatedly and established itself as one of the country's premier cutting edge nightclubs. At the cusp of a quarter century of bringing new music to Chicago, it's time to take a look back at how we've come so far...

I'm up in Wrigleyville on Sunday after Mass and breakie with the kids, because the elegant, but thrifty woman who deigns to be seen publicly with me is checking the shops for haute couture items in the smart and thrifty shoppes.


I am eternally eight years old and after the third visit among the haute glad rags for really swell dames, the swell-egant woman has lost patience with my fingering of garments and fidgeting and " Hey, How's this look on me?"

In hushed but stern tone, "Please, take off the Jan Ali fedora. There is a magazine."

"Sorry."

" Why don't you go to a nice tavern and have a red pop and chat up the locals?"

"Okay!" Gone in a ZIP!

I wandered the toney avenues of Sheffield, Waveland and Clark and thanked Christ that we south siders, have but a very few diagonal streets - South Chicago and Vincennes, but they are haute couture deserts!

There are any number of adult watering holes here abouts, but I happened upon the Smart Bar. It is a Way Hip club and did not open until 10pm. What would have happened were I to have planted my elbows on its zinc bar? ( dream waves/dream waves/dream waves of my bold imaginings)

I goes into this hip new wave bar and survey the scene. Always check your surroundings and mind your Peas and Cues, especially if there is a free pool table in the joint. To my surprise there is a robot serving as the bartender. I observe with empirical thirst.

The robot asks a Metrosexual gent with a European carry-all, "What will you have?"

The guy says, "Martini."

The robot quickly brings back the best martini ever and says to the man, "What's your IQ, Sir?"

The guy says, "168."

The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology, Loyola basketball and the 19th Ward.

The gent is amazed. He finishes his drink and leaves, but he is curious. He halts at the door and goes back into the bar.

The robot bartender says, "What will you have?"

The guy says, "Martini."

Again, the robot makes a great martini gives it to the man and says, "What's your IQ?"

The guy says, "100."

The robot then starts to talk about NASCAR, White Sox, Budweiser and John Deere tractors.

The Metro-sexual dandy starts to leave but then decides he will try it one more time. He goes back up to the bar and pops a Jackson out of his European Man Bag.

The robot says, "What will you have?"

The guy says, "Martini," and the robot brings him another great martini.

The robot then says, "What's your IQ?"

The guy says, "Uh, about 60."

The robot leans in real close and says,..............

"So, you still happy you voted for Congressman Mike Quigley?"

Smart Bar ? positively Mensa-eque!

I gotta drop in there after I get my worsteds and Oxford cloths back from Mr. Shifty's Cleaners over by Western at 110th- no Dockers or Sears Regular Fits in this place I imagine. Quel Dommage!

h/t - Barrister Dan Kelley

Get the Context from Dan Kelley in the Joe Berrios Brawl

Chicago Daily Observer columnist and attorney Dan Kelley presents the best analysis of the Cook County Assessor Race coming soon to voters near you!

Dan Kelley presents the context for this race being papered over by the dimwitted corporate media - especially the ever fatuous icon Carol Marin. I like Joe Berrios and Carol Marin does not. That is usually Okay by me.

For the real deal dig here and find the gold.

Thus:

Berrios might have been vulnerable to a primary challenge in 2008, but the only opponent to emerge was Jay Paul Deratany, a lawyer with ties to US Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) and her husband, the former felon, Robert Cremer. Deratany enjoyed financial support from the gay community, but his campaign money could not buy him love from the primary electors. A stronger opponent might have caused Berrios some sleepless nights, but the leftist Shakowsky endorsed a Board of Review candidate who could not play to the voters in the bungalow belt. Had a more conventional opponent filed against Berrios in 2008, he may have been retired already.

If Claypool qualifies for the November ballot, this may be the most interesting local contest in more than a decade. Claypool has a political resume that is enviable when contrasted with that of Berrios. For the time being, voters will have to wait and see what develops.

Click my post title for Dan Kelley's Chicago Daily Observer piece

Steve Reid - Leo Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame,

Position: Guard
School: Northwestern
High School: Chicago, IL (Leo HS)
Years: 1934-1936
Inducted: 1985
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Date of Birth: 12/16/1914
Jersey Number: 44
Height: 5-9
Weight: 192

Steve Reid played football at Leo High School in his hometown of Chicago before enrolling at Northwestern where he became a three-year letterman for the Wildcats. He was captain and Most Valuable Player for the 1936 Big Ten Champions and was also Northwestern's most widely-picked All-American since Pug Rentner. Reid stood proud in defeat as well as in victory throughout one of the most exciting schedules of the 1936 season. A 5-9, 192-pound guard whose forte was blocking, he was often called upon by Coach Pappy Waldorf to pull out of the line to lead the interference. Reid played in the East-West Shrine Game and, in 1961, was named to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S "Silver Anniversary" All-America football team. During World War II he served as a Major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was awarded the Presidential Citation with three battle stars. Reid became Vice-Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Evanston Hospital, and Professor of Surgery at Northwestern University. He has been a Wildcat team physician since 1950, and earned national recognition by conducting a football helmet study which measures intensities of impacts in order to reduce head and neck injuries.

God Bless All Leo Men!


H/T to Dan Kelley!

Leo High School welcomes everyone to honor our Veterans at Leo High School on Friday November 6th at 11A.M.

Leo High School
7901 S. Sanagamon Street
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 224-9600

Chicago Daily Observer Connects the Allison Davis Dots Found By Sun Times' Tim Novak

Tim Novak of Chicago Sun Times has done more to put ’some’ light on the Progressive Machine; however, Mr. Novak’s great work scatters heaps of Dots that remain Unconnected on the political table.

His labors are Augean, but also like those of Sisyphus - much uphill groaning and heaving only to have the stone roll back.

Dan Kelley's timely piece might just prod the Lap Dogs to connect the piles of Dots:

If nothing else exposing Davis would serve a higher purpose: publicizing the blatant hypocrisy of the phony activists who are really reliable cogs in the Democratic Machine. A one time civil rights protester, who marched outside of City Hall, Davis proved to be someone who could be bought off by the system. His one time protégé, Obama means to overhaul the American economy and engage in a massive expansion of the size and scope of government activities. Like Davis, Obama, exempts himself from the rules and intends to live a life of ease and plenty. The president can jet off for a dinner date on Broadway without worrying about the hypocrisy of simultaneously asking all of us commoners to pay higher taxes and make sacrifices while reducing our wasteful use of energy and limiting our pollution causing habits.
Posing as a community activist is a tried and true way to advance your political and financial career in Democratic Chicago: the Shaw brothers, Bob and his late brother, Bill, were supposedly fair housing activists; Dorothy Tillman attended Chicago Board of Education meetings where she shouted down Angeline Caruso, a former acting school superintendent, and ridiculed Caruso’s frumpy appearance in the name of education activism; Luis Guiterez marched with Communists and Puerto Rican Nationalists, some of whom were later accused of committing acts of domestic terrorism; Marilyn Katz ran with the campus radicals, Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, and protested the Viet Nam war while hurling missiles at the police before she became a public relations expert for the political machine; Jan Schakowsky and her unapologetic, convicted criminal spouse, Robert Cremer, are two other fakers. Interestingly enough, despite their varied backgrounds, these folks have something in common: all of these individuals seemed to fall into line as soon as their personal needs and wants were gratified and they were given a place at the head table. They have all been feeding from the public trough ever since. The former Soviets called such privileged leaders “the vanguard of the proletariat.”
Obama has accepted bushel baskets of money from Davis in the form of campaign contributions. He lobbied to place housing redevelopment funds in the hands of Davis and Rezko. Perhaps, a few dollars from the pension fund profiteering ended up in Obama’s campaign war chest too. Only time will tell as the investigation proceeds.
Someday soon, the president needs to explain his relationship with both men. Calling it another “boneheaded” move or claiming “This is not the Allison Davis that I once knew” may not cut it indefinitely. Laundering clean a stained reputation is not an easy task. Club soda does not remove all types of spots.

Click my Post Title for Dan Kelley's Expose of Chicago's Progressive Machine within its Very Nuanced Context and Chicago's Media's Feckless Disregard for Both.

Cardinal George and Bishops Object to Notre Dame's Folly - not the President's; that Is His Problem

Dan Kelley sent this fine note to the Editorial Board at The Chicago Tribune. They will read this note - it is doubtful that the Editorial Board at the Sun Times can, much less would, read this.

Francis Cardinal George is not alone in his criticism of Notre Dame University's invitation to President Obama to speak at commencement and to receive an honorary degree: The twenty-five bishops who have so far gone public with their disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation of Obama (in alphabetical order) are:

1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend

2. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin
3. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City
4. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú, San Antonio
5. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston
6. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York
7. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford
8. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton
9. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, President, USCCB
10. Archbishop José Gomez, San Antonio


11. Bishop William Higi, Lafayette, IN
12. Archbishop Alfred Hughs, New Orleans
13. Bishop Jerome Listecki, La Crosse, WI
14. Bishop William E. Lori, Bridgeport, CT
15. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg
16. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton
17. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison
18. Bishop George Murry, Youngstown, OH
19. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark20. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City.
21. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
22. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoneix
23. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg
24. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa
25. Bishop Anthony Taylor, Little Rock, AR

Cardinal George and most Catholics do not object to the President being invited to Notre Dame, but not as a recipient of an Honorary Law Degree or Commencement Speaker.

Notre Dame's Jenkins was too cute by half and seemed to believe that MSNBC could 'shout' this controversy quiet. 'Oh, Joe Biden, Teddy Kenendy, John Kerry, the Daley Lads, Chris 'Milky' Matthews and Bill Maher are all Catholics and they have no problem with this Honor! Let's bring People Together and smear Catholic Faith and Morals!'

It's here. It will stay.

Ann Deegan of Glen Ellyn had this poignant response to Bill Daley's bumptious kiss-up in the Chicago Tribune:

April 7, 2009
In response to William M. Daley's commentary ("Uneasy mix of religion and politics," Commentary, April 3), Cardinal Francis George deserves praise for his stand on Notre Dame's invitation of President Obama to speak at its commencement ceremony and receive an honorary degree. It should be noted that the cardinal expressed his opinion on behalf of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, of which he is president, not as Archbishop of Chicago. He stated in that speech, "As president of the U.S. bishops' conference I have to speak precisely for the bishops and not in my own name, as I could as Archbishop of Chicago."

If Notre Dame's invitation were for the president to participate in a debate about issues such as abortion or embryonic stem cell research, Obama would be an excellent choice to represent the opposing view. This invitation, however, is meant to honor a man who adamantly opposes the Catholic Church's view on these matters and has publicly demonstrated this through major policy decisions and appointments since taking office. This is simply not the place or the setting for a person of such diametric views.

If Notre Dame is truly a Catholic university, it would respect the inappropriateness of such an invitation. Those who signed off on the decision need to reexamine "what it means to be Catholic" and recognize the disrespect their decision has for the Catholic Church and its followers, particularly those at Notre Dame. I respect the cardinal and his fellow bishops for their courageous and correct response.

Ann Deegan,Glen Ellyn

Dan Kelley's Review of Every Heart and Hand: A Leo High School Story

Chicago writer and Chicago Daily Observer correspondent Dan Kelley sent me this review of Every Heart and Hand: A Leo High School Story the book and the review is a small tribute to the great courage and commitment of the Leo Alumni! God Bless You Guys!

Here's Dan Kelley's review:

This is an interesting book that is both a nostalgic exercise and an informal history of St. Leo High School. It is also a testimonial to faith and endurance.

Pat Hickey details the growth of the Auburn Gresham neighborhood and the plan to promote a Catholic boys high school to serve the community. Established in 1926, St. Leo High School developed a reputation for sponsoring terrific athletic teams and graduating classes that brought great credit to the alma mater. It was a working district filled with bungalows and families that followed the Chicago Cardinals and White Sox.

Racial tensions and changing demographics should have spelled the demise of this venerable institution. The Chicago Archidiocese canceled its subsidy to the school and shuttered numerous Catholic parishes that formerly served to provide entering freshmen students to the high school; the Irish Christian Brothers who had operated the school severed their ties to the institution and lay administrators took over a school that had shaky finances and an aging physical plant; the student population was increasingly African American and non-Catholic; the surrounding neighborhood was in decline and viewed as unsafe, gang dominated turf. The future looked bleak and closing the high school seemed to be the obvious and imminent solution.

As Hickey relates, Leo Men would not support a losing cause, but they would accept a challenge when there was a prospect of winning. The alumni rallied to save the high school. Although St. Leo is no longer serving the same Irish Catholic population as it did in former decades, its alumni donors have maintained the school to educate the impoverished African Americans residing in the immediate community. To quote the author, this may be "the greatest story never told." Oprah can support a school in South Africa and reap unlimited publicity from this worthy endeavor, but when the same thing occurs in the Chicago based television celebrity's own backyard the story is not newsworthy. Don't you know how bigoted the Southsiders are?

This unjust stereotype is unwarranted at St. Leo. These same 'bigots' are providing a high quality education to young men who are exceeding expectations and breaking out of the vicious circle of gangs, drugs, poverty and despair and succeeding at many of the preeminent colleges and universities in the USA. Why would the alumni support a school that no longer serves their children and grandchildren? One of the mottos of the St. Leo Lions is inscribed on the cornerstone: "Pro Deo et Patria" (for God and Country). What else is there to say? Another guiding principle at the school is "Facta Non Verba" (Deeds Not Words). Case closed.

My only complaint with the book is a simple one: I wish that there were more pages and more stories recounted in the book. Nonetheless, this slim volume is recommended for those with an interest in Chicago's South Side.

Click my Post Title for the book.