I did a little experiment in my Monday Letter From the Editor.
I included a reference to see if it would get a reaction from our loyal Delco readers.
It involved a fairly well-known watering hole in Philadelphia.
As it turns out, this tavern was just a few blocks away from Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, where the Eagles used to play their home games.
Several members of the team were regulars at the bar.
The name of this joint was Heron's. It was run by my Uncle Charles, my dad's brother, at 33rd and Market Streets.
Every summer my father would take his sons into the city for the day to take in a Phillies game at Connie Mack Stadium. But the first stop was always at Heron's Bar, where he would spend the afternoon visiting with his brother before we headed up to 21st and Lehigh in North Philly.
My father was in his glory sitting at that bar. He would have a cigarette in one hand, and a cold beer in the other.
What I remember most about Heron's is the shuffleboard game that we played most of the afternoon, along with the best roast beef sandwiches I've ever eaten.
I wasn't alone in my memories.
Reader Dan Muff was one of several who distinctly remember Heron's. He used to work at a plant across the street and also was a regular.
The plant shut down when Drexel acquired the site - along with the site of Heron's - and converted them into a parking lot.
When they were getting ready to close the bar forever, they made up T-shirts to commemorate the place. Dan Muff had one, but says it has long since worn out.
If anyone still has one, I'd love to get my hands on one.
As I said in my column, dad has been gone now 41 years. His brother Charles actually died a few years before him. It's one of the only times I saw my father cry.
They had a rough childhood. Their parents died and the brothers - four of them - were split up and raised by different relatives.
I'm hoping that gene for an early demise was not handed down.
So far my siblings and I have been lucky.
We've all had our medical issues, but nothing that serious.
I'll raise a glass to that. Just wish I could do it at Heron's.
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