“Mrs. Polk, let us first deal with your husband’s blood, since you, as a woman of great Irish background, condescended to marry a man of Saxon stock…”

Today’s audio installment dates from 22 September 1965. A colorful Eoin ‘Pope’ O’Mahony (center in the photo above – pardon the watermark) interviews Old Granny at 4969 Pershing. O’Mahony’s career as a politician, genealogist, radio commentator, and historian of the Irish diaspora (especially that of the aristocrats) is summarized here. This 30 minute tape contains some interesting details about the Polk and Chambers’ ancestry, and, as a bonus, comments from Grizelda Skinner. The “mellifluous Cork accent” of Pope O’Mahony is evident.

This news just in – Powell and Ralph Kalish will be opening their new Clayton restaurant on February 13th. Described as “fast casual” and occupying an ideal spot at 8007 Maryland Avenue at Meramec, this “Urban Bake and Chop Shop” will be a great new addition to the Clayton culinary scene. Local Restaurateur Chris LaRocca is partnering with Powell and Ralph in this endeavor, with a proposed menu built around chopped salads, stone fired pizzas and fine wines – ideal for both a quick lunch and/or a relaxed dinner – and a perfect venue for the Clayton business clientele. A preliminary website can be accessed here, and Powell has kindly provided some construction photos here. This will be an ideal gathering place for the St Louis Chambers crowd. Here is a photo of the convenient location formerly occupied by Blick Art Supplies

The clan extends its best wishes for a home run to the Kalish men – see you there!

LC

“I have always found that when I see snow descending, my spirits rise.”

Thus does Uncle Polky begin a series of taped, autobiographical sessions with the Post-Dispatch journalist John Curley in Jan 2000. Ultimately these tapes were distilled into the delightful essay “Uncle Polky – Memories of St Louis” (Wm Julius Polk and John W. Curley, Virginia Publishing Company, 2002). I have been meaning for some time to archive digitally the unedited recordings of these interviews. This post provides below an audio link to the first installment. It is wonderful to hear Polky reflect on his family, his childhood, his days at Barat Hall, and his city. His lucid recollections and wry self-deprecating humor are more accessible here than on the printed page.

 

John Curley and W Julius Polk, Racquet Club, in 2000

 

We owe John Curley a posthumous debt of gratitude for his work in doing these recordings. John died of lung cancer in July 2003. His obituary can be found here.

During the next year I will attempt to archive/post all 14 sessions (recorded Jan – Oct 2000). It seems somehow appropriate to have his voice preserved “in the cloud”. Stay tuned…

LC

This New Year brings both happy and sad tidings. It seems that often our musings devolve into a yin yang reporting of births and obituaries, which of course is simply in the nature of things, and this first posting for 2012 proves no exception. To save the happy news for last, we first report the passing on January 3rd of Amie Taney, born Amie Robertson Hollingsworth, in Darien CT. Her brother, Rodger Hollingsworth, was a cousin and close friend of Grizelda Skinner. Amie married J. Charles Taney II, a descendant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B.Taney, the author of the majority ruling in the Dred Scott vs Sanford case of 1857. Here is a photo of Amie giving her toast at the Taille de Noyer wedding of Grizelda Polk and Lemoine Skinner in July 1941. Cal Gatch, 2nd person to right of Amie, is attending more closely than the unidentified reveler next to Amie.

A NYT obituary for Amie can be found here.

Now let’s turn to the bright (i.e. yang) side. Here is the recent, official announcement card, complete with specs, for Henry Polk Easthope – a home run photograph of the new clansman, another reveler deep in thought, clearly a first rate product.

Job well done Anne and David! I for one would like to know what wine David selected to celebrate Henry’s arrival….

LC