Related by Marriage: The Brown Deer

In the early 1960s, Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt Martha and her husband, Wally, owned and operated a bar, "The Brown Deer." It stood on Chicago's South Side, at South Halsted Street near 78th Street. Wally worked on construction projects during the weekdays, and he dropped Martha off at The Brown Deer in time for its opening at 7:00 am. Frequently some regulars, who were just finishing their night shifts, would be waiting for Martha to start serving their preferred "happy-hour" drink: a shot of whiskey and a glass of beer. Other patrons stopped in a for a quick one on the way to their factory jobs or during lunch breaks. Wally joined Martha to tend bar at The Brown Deer after his construction work was done for the day.

Following a longstanding saloon tradition, bar snacks and lunches were served free-of-charge to customers who bought a drink. Hard-boiled eggs and dill pickles were always on hand. Corned beef sandwiches were popular at noon. Martha even ran a Friday fish-fry dinner at the tavern for a couple of years.

Chicago, Illinois, 1964. Wally tends the bar. "Absolutely No Checks Cashed."