About Chuck U. Farley
CHARLES ULYSEES FARLEY (CHUCK U. FARLEY), born November 15th,
1892, died September 5th, 1992.
It was a cold December night in 1892, a Philadelphia barkeeper
named Richard and his wife Regina were cleaning up after a day's
business at Farley's Pub. A sudden noise from a dark corner of
the pub startled them both. Upon investigating, they found a basket
tucked under one of the tables. Inside the basket, there was an
infant and a note. The note read:
Dear kind barkeepers,
This is my son, Charles Ulysees. Please care for him, as I
am unable to. I do not want him to live in poverty as I do.
Please make his life wonderful, don't tell him he was orphaned,
raise him as your own and celebrate his birthday every November
15th with his new found friends.
Thank you for you kindness,
Mother
Since the barkeeper's wife was barren, Mr. & Mrs. Farley
decided to keep the child and raise him as their own. The years
passed and Chuck grew up working in the Pub after school. By
the age of 13, pouring drinks and cooking had become second
nature to him. He seemed to really love making people happy.
However, in 1914, the clouds of war were on the horizon in Europe.
With the outbreak of World War I, Chuck, now 22, full of patriotism
enlisted in the fledgling Army Air Corps. Chuck's talent in
the air was equal to his talent behind the bar, unrivaled. His
numerous missions brought him ace status in just a short time.
And his adopted insignia of a champagne bottle and glasses was
known to cause fear and trembling on the part of many a German
fighter pilot who had the misfortune of encountering him over
the skies of war-torn Europe. Rising to the rank of Captain,
he volunteered to stay on after his tour of duty to help train
new recruits and he played a pivotal role in securing a bigger
financial commitment to the Army Air Corps by our government
when in 1919 he stole the show at a Maryland aerial "barnstorming"
event by landing his plane, unrehearsed, on the back of a moving
flatbed truck and was able to achieve enough lift to then take
off and resume his aerial acrobat routine. This incredible feat
had been personally witnessed by then President Woodrow Wilson
who was so amazed at the skill displayed that he reversed course
on a legislative bill he had previously opposed to fund an expansion
of the Corps. It has also been widely rumored that it was this
very same event which led to the development of our country's
mighty aircraft carriers of World War II and beyond since it
had also been witnessed by an impressionable 10 year-old Maryland
boy who would 17 years hence design and oversee the building
of the first such craft for the Navy.
In 1920, Chuck returned home in the midst of prohibition. The
18th amendment and the Volstead Act had taken its toll on the
family business. People still came in for the great food, but
that just wasn't enough to make ends meet. Speak-easys were
commonplace at the time; but the family couldn't afford the
prices demanded by organized crime bosses for illegal booze.
With an ailing father and the family business on the brink of
bankruptcy, Chuck did the only thing he knew how. He took his
military and barnstorming savings and bought his old fighter
plane as surplus junk from the Army and flew to Canada to procure
a supply of alcohol. Upon returning home he partitioned off
a back room storage area and built a small stage where traveling
musicians would perform and a small dance floor for his patrons
enjoyment and the Pub was once again prosperous. As the business
grew his trips became more frequent and hazardous. And word
had gotten out about Chuck's daring trips to Canada, Mexico,
Bermuda and Cuba and how he had so deftly evaded all manner
of government revenuers and organized crime bosses who sought
to stem or control the flow of alcohol into the states. Other
bar owners in similar straights began to turn to Chuck to supply
them with alcohol as well. During this time Chuck had earned
the nickname among his loyal patrons as "The Honest Bootlegger".
For 13 years he helped supply his friends in the Mid-Atlantic
area with top quality spirits at a reasonable cost that often
times was limited to a decent meal after a long hazardous flight.
If he liked the food enough he was even known to trade a barrel
or two for a hand written family recipe that some folks began
calling "Chuck Bucks". While he didn't get rich, he
was blessed with many friends and he built an extensive catalog
of many fine old family recipes from around the country and
around the world, which left him in good stead when in 1933
prohibition was lifted.
Shortly thereafter, his parents retired in modest comfort and
Chuck inherited the family business. He began incorporating
his personal favorites from among the many recipes he acquired
into his daily menus and to his dying day he was famous for
the wide variety of international cuisine that he personally
prepared with great care and with uncompromising faithfulness
to the recipes he loved. He was also a visionary who started
out playing radio broadcasts of baseball and football games
for his customers listening pleasure and then systematically
added TV screens throughout the Pub to show major sporting events
live long before the phrase "sports bar" was conceived.
The Pub and its customers were his love and his life. Good drink,
good food, and good friends were his trademarks.
So relax and enjoy the hospitality he inspired and the enduring
legend of the man and his Pub
