HomeLifestylesBabe Bill Hogan March 3, 2017 12 Babe, I believe his last name was Hert, was in Saint Michaels grade school with my oldest sister Kay when the school was located one block up from Edgington Lane. It is an apartment building now. I believe they were classmates so that would make Babe around 95 or 96 if he were living today. He was an institution at The Alpha Bar and Grill and was in his best form around 1957 when I got home from the service. The bar was pretty much a man’s domain in those days with gallon jars of hard boiled eggs, small wieners and pickled pigs feet all soaking in a clouded vinegar sitting on the bar. The food consisted of ham sandwiches on rye with homemade very hot mustard. The ham was sliced from a full ham standing in a stainless steel rack as the sandwiches were ordered. When the ham got down to about a third left it went into a big pot for bean soup. All the food preparation took place on the back bar. I remember Friday evenings when the crowd was 3 or4 deep at the bar and the topics of discussion were sports, hunting and fishing, women — anything but business. The crowd ran the full socio-economic spectrum but the boss or chief of the outfit was Babe who in his imperial judgement decided who would get served next. He lorded over the loud but orderly crowd with a quiet dignity ; he never was ruffled and was considered by all a cool, in-charge guy. He was always dressed in a starched white shirt, half covered by a white apron that was positioned over the top of his protruding belly and tied in the back. It covered his legs on the front and sides and hung down below his knees. He was short and the whiteness of his outfit was offset by the red hair on his muscular arms — his cuffs folded almost to his elbows — and the red hair that circled his bald head. His eyes small and alert looked out over a bulge of chew tucked in a cheek. It was impossible to get his attention to get served, he had his own private method of selecting his next customer. There was a pay phone on the wall next to the door going into the back room. We were at the end of the bar next to the phone and “Ackie”, Howard Atkinson, put a coin in and called the Alpha and ordered 5 beers for the end of the bar. Babe answered, turned, looked at us with total detachment and continued to serve in the order only he understood. One of the Mead boys was home visiting from New York. He had a friend with him, they were thinking of opening a bar in the big city. He wanted his friend to see the Alpha so they stopped in for a drink. They sat at the bar, Babe leaned into them and said “What will you fellows have?” The reply came “ I’ll have an Iron City”, and the the fellow from the big city said “I would like to have a dry martini with a twist”. This was when West Virginia was a dry state and liquor sales were against the law and “drinks” were burbon and water or a shot with a beer chaser. Babe went through all the cupboards in the back bar, turning bottles and reading labels. He finally returned to his customers with a bottle of Iron City and told Mead’s friend “We just ran out of dry martinis with a twist.” The friend said “ If we can take him with us to New York we will have a successful bar.” Babe is gone, liquor is legal and women are no longer considered “Ladies of the Night” if they are seen in a bar. I am not sure the moose heads mounted on the wall approve. Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) 12 Responses Tom"Otto" Camobell March 19, 2017 Thank you Bill Hogan…….that article brought back a lot of good memories. In the 50’s my Dad would take me to the Alpha. I remember Babe, just has you described him. In the early to mid 60;s I was old enough to go to the Alpha myself. I remember Mary, the lady who prepared those ham samdwiches……one called a “Fat Boy” named after a customer who had always ordered them. The bean soup was great….While the Alpha is a fine place today…….. I always try to stop whenever I get to Wheeling……but the days you describe were the memories I will always treasure at the Alpha. Log in to Reply Keith March 5, 2017 Last post should have been babe not vabe Log in to Reply Keith March 5, 2017 I was married to one of babe’s nieces and spent many good times playing cards with him he was the soul of alpha and there will never be another vabe hirt Log in to Reply Joe Basil March 4, 2017 Babe used to work for my Dad “back in the day”. He carried the Hod. If you know anything about the plastering business that is no day at the beach. I remember when he first found out that I was “Jiggy” Basil’s boy a big smile lit up that great face of his. He told me he liked working for my Dad because he was tough but fair. I’m sure that made 2 of them. I’ll never forget Babe! Thanks for highlighting a very special Wheelingite. Joe Basil Log in to Reply Yam Rutesellar March 4, 2017 Babe didn’t just pour beer, he was a master mixologist. Home for college summer breaks when I’d be all “beered” out over a long evening I’d order one of his sweet cocktails as a change of pace. Whiskey sours, Gin Rickey..Singapore Slings. I’ve never tasted any finer anywhere. Log in to Reply Msrk March 3, 2017 My mother’s second husband, Sid Weissman, was also a fixture at Ye Old Alpha. In fact, he and Frank Miller hunted together. The last time I was there, he game trophies still adorned the walls, and I hope the still do. Log in to Reply Mark March 3, 2017 Every year a local radio station would run the ugliest bartender in the tri state area with the winner winning an all expense paid week vacation to the Bahamas. Babe won it every year the contrast was held until the station finally gave up and stopped the contest. Log in to Reply Jody March 3, 2017 “No singing in the Alpha!” Miss him! Log in to Reply Steve Johnston March 3, 2017 My first at the bar, sitting with the adults, legal beer was poured by Babe. More than a few came after that one but, that’s the one I’ll always remember from a man I’ll never forget. Log in to Reply John March 3, 2017 Always had a chew and I don’t recall seeing him spit. . . He was one of a kind. Bill, thanks for writing this. Log in to Reply Doug Anderson March 3, 2017 Appropriate to post this column in this season. Each year for Lent, Babe would forgo his chew tobacco. The permanent bulge on the left side of his cheek would sag, and his disposition moved a few degrees past stoic. Easter was his big release, and a warm smile greeted customers on Easter Sunday. The other apocryphal fact regarding Babe is that even though he constantly had a “chew” in his cheek, no one ever saw him spit. I know I didn’t. Log in to Reply Bill Hogan March 7, 2017 As soon as I saw “apocryphal”, I knew we had hooked a college professor, Log in to Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment.
Tom"Otto" Camobell March 19, 2017 Thank you Bill Hogan…….that article brought back a lot of good memories. In the 50’s my Dad would take me to the Alpha. I remember Babe, just has you described him. In the early to mid 60;s I was old enough to go to the Alpha myself. I remember Mary, the lady who prepared those ham samdwiches……one called a “Fat Boy” named after a customer who had always ordered them. The bean soup was great….While the Alpha is a fine place today…….. I always try to stop whenever I get to Wheeling……but the days you describe were the memories I will always treasure at the Alpha. Log in to Reply
Keith March 5, 2017 I was married to one of babe’s nieces and spent many good times playing cards with him he was the soul of alpha and there will never be another vabe hirt Log in to Reply
Joe Basil March 4, 2017 Babe used to work for my Dad “back in the day”. He carried the Hod. If you know anything about the plastering business that is no day at the beach. I remember when he first found out that I was “Jiggy” Basil’s boy a big smile lit up that great face of his. He told me he liked working for my Dad because he was tough but fair. I’m sure that made 2 of them. I’ll never forget Babe! Thanks for highlighting a very special Wheelingite. Joe Basil Log in to Reply
Yam Rutesellar March 4, 2017 Babe didn’t just pour beer, he was a master mixologist. Home for college summer breaks when I’d be all “beered” out over a long evening I’d order one of his sweet cocktails as a change of pace. Whiskey sours, Gin Rickey..Singapore Slings. I’ve never tasted any finer anywhere. Log in to Reply
Msrk March 3, 2017 My mother’s second husband, Sid Weissman, was also a fixture at Ye Old Alpha. In fact, he and Frank Miller hunted together. The last time I was there, he game trophies still adorned the walls, and I hope the still do. Log in to Reply
Mark March 3, 2017 Every year a local radio station would run the ugliest bartender in the tri state area with the winner winning an all expense paid week vacation to the Bahamas. Babe won it every year the contrast was held until the station finally gave up and stopped the contest. Log in to Reply
Steve Johnston March 3, 2017 My first at the bar, sitting with the adults, legal beer was poured by Babe. More than a few came after that one but, that’s the one I’ll always remember from a man I’ll never forget. Log in to Reply
John March 3, 2017 Always had a chew and I don’t recall seeing him spit. . . He was one of a kind. Bill, thanks for writing this. Log in to Reply
Doug Anderson March 3, 2017 Appropriate to post this column in this season. Each year for Lent, Babe would forgo his chew tobacco. The permanent bulge on the left side of his cheek would sag, and his disposition moved a few degrees past stoic. Easter was his big release, and a warm smile greeted customers on Easter Sunday. The other apocryphal fact regarding Babe is that even though he constantly had a “chew” in his cheek, no one ever saw him spit. I know I didn’t. Log in to Reply
Bill Hogan March 7, 2017 As soon as I saw “apocryphal”, I knew we had hooked a college professor, Log in to Reply