Committee on Finance City Council Meeting, June 8, 2011 Alderman Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward
Resolution
BUTCH MCGUIRE'S 50 ANNIVERSARY CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this occasion by Alderman Brendan Reilly; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire's, holder of Chicago liquor license number 46, celebrates 50 years since the mother of Robert Emmet "Butch" McGuire lent her son $560 to open an Irish pub in Chicago on June 8, 1961; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire's has been a fixture in the Gold Coast neighborhood and has been a highly visible, positive representation of Chicago's vibrant Irish Culture; and
WHEREAS, Butch himself, the tavern's founder, has been accredited for the invention of the Harvey Wallbanger, was the first to introduce a stalk of celery to the Bloody Mary recipe and is widely believed to have invented the concept of the singles bar and the high-top bar table; and
WHEREAS, Butch's establishment has been a regular hangout for local and national dignitaries and celebrities past and present; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire's was one of Chicago's first pubs to employ women as bartenders and managers; and
WHEREAS, Upwards of 5,000 marriages are known to have originated at Butch McGuire's; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire, commonly referred to as the Mayor of Division Street was an enthusiastic promoter of Chicago and crusader for the community; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire, himself a recipient of a heart transplant, was a tireless supporter of the American Transplant Association, hosting an annual fund-raiser with his wife, Mary Jo; and
WHEREAS, Butch McGuire's, a partner of Santa Clause Anonymous, Inc. was the first Chicago bar to adopt a charity; and
WHEREAS, Hundreds of professionals the world over allegedly paid for their higher education with wages earned at Butch McGuire's; and
WHEREAS, An official celebration to commemorate Butch McGuire's 50th Anniversary is scheduled for August 27, 2011
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled the eight day of June, 2011, 50 years to the day from the founding of Butch McGuire's do hereby officially recognize this important anniversary and declare today, June 8, 2011, Butch McGuire Day in the City of Chicago.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Butch McGuire's.