Back in the day, when men were men and Democrats were still Democrats, Fred B. Rooney was the Lehigh Valley's Congressman. He served from 1963 to 1979. A friend of my father, he'd often drop by, after which my father and he would simply vanish. My mother would collect them several hours later and, under the glare of our kitchen's noisy fluorescent lights, would pour coffee down their throats while my father smoked unfiltered Pall Malls and Rooney puffed on big cigars. During those interrogation sessions under the bright lights of my mother's kitchen, I got my introductory lessons in politics. First, I learned there really was an Irish Mafia in those days, at least in the sense that Celts tended to look out for each other. Second, I learned all about the enemy, Republican blue bloods at Bethlehem Steel who begrudged paying a decent wage for honest work. Rooney called them WASPs.
"What's a WASP?" I asked.
"A White Anglo Saxon Prick," he'd sardonically reply.
Despite my mother's lectures, I enjoyed listening to the two of them whenever they got together to sober up. I felt like a Junior Molly Maguire, listening as they'd plot and solve all the world's problems in clouds of tobacco smoke and buckets of caffeine.
Rooney, incidentally, was a great practical joker. Need proof? He got me my first summer job as a college student, working for Dan Rostenkowski. Later, when I got married, Rooney stopped by and gave me a $100 bill, the most money I had ever seen.
In honor of this iconic man, who really did look out for the little guy, the state legislature recently passed H.B. 1468, which renames a portion of Route 378 from Route 22 to the Hill Bridge as The Fred B. Rooney Highway. It is largely through Rooney's efforts that this highway runs through Bethlehem.
State Rep. Joe Brennan, D-Lehigh/Northampton, another good Irishman with Rooney's sense of humor, will host the official unveiling of the Fred B. Rooney Highway at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Now all the WASPs can run him over every day.
Did you seriously intern for Dan Rostenkowski? The dude was a force but was taken down by the man who is now Attorney General.
ReplyDeletethat must have been an experience.
Geoff
I did indeed work for Rostenkowski. I was the one stealing the stamps.
ReplyDeleteActually, I worked there long before he had his troubles. It was a great experience I met Congresman Dan Flood, who went to lunch in the Congressional dining room every day, completely polluted. I remember Wilbur Mills as an extremely bright guy, but that was before his scandal. It was a wonderful time and experience.
Are there any WASPs actually in the Lehigh Valley? Flourescent lights in the kitchen? Ee gads.
ReplyDeleteDan Flood drank so much he failed to notice the mice growing out of his nose.
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Dan_Flood.jpg/160px-Dan_Flood.jpg
I was a teenager when Congressman Rooney lost in 1978 so I did not know him as well as I would have liked. He did get me an invitation to Carter's Inaug. He used a committee room for a party that lasted from before breakfast til it was dark - There was a lot of Vodka infused snores on the bus ride home.
ReplyDeleteCool story, Donald.
ReplyDeleteGene Hartzell was one of my dad's mentors and Gene liked me because I was a pushy kid so I got to spend some time with your father and that whole gang of characters that ran this county back in the day. I learned a lot by watching those guys.
ReplyDeleteGene Hartzell was the best!
ReplyDeleteHe was indeed - very important part of my father's life as a young football and basketball ref. He was also very protective of me
ReplyDeleteHe's revered in Northampton County. We all bow our heads when we mention him.
ReplyDeleteBullshit. Hartzell was a political master. Stoffa is the anthisis of Hartzell.
ReplyDeleteThe above comment is posted by former Reibman hallwalker Bob Daday, who lost his marbles when Stoffa stopped him from soaking the taxpayers with unemployment.
ReplyDeleteGene Hartzell is/was the Gold Standard
ReplyDeleteFred was a close family friend and is still close. I was just a kid in the day (in Bethlehem) but now see Fred on an irregular basis since we get our hair cut by the same barber in Washington, DC.
ReplyDeleteHe may walk a bit more slowly but he is happy, active and well -preserved.
My dad was a ward worker for Fred and other Dems and I remember election nights in a south side church hall waiting for the returns to come in and then celebrating the win. Good memories.
Did you know that Freds' wife Evie was the great,great granddaughter of the biggest Republican steel WASP of them all - Robert Heysham Sayre.
ReplyDeleteIt is Rooney who defined WASPs as White Angle Saxon Pricks.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Evie is a cousin of mine, I will have to forgive Fred as I am a Democrat from Bethlehem and truly appreciate his work for this ward. Besides, Robert Sayre was long dead by the time Fred was in office.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you forgive him. When I got married, he gave me a $100 bill. It was the most money I had ever seen. He also helped get me a job.
ReplyDelete