Evening star., 1946-09-28

much that he stood laughing long
after George had passed on down
the line, and for the rest of the
evening the President kept looking
around for Mr.. O'Connor and when
their eyes met he began laughing
again.
Roosevelt Joined in Chorus.
President Roosevelt was one Of
those who always joined in the
chorus of Saloon" when, responding
to the inevitable demands from the
dinner company, George would come
back on the stage and begin:
"rve been looking through the dictionary
For word that's always running through
my mind,
Oh, I like the name Of mother
But l m looking for another
And must confess the word cannot fnd
Can it be. that all its memories are for
Is it buried with the language of the
+ i. is twill always linger in my memory
As the snesk, i1est word that heard my daddy
And then, from the company
would swell the chorus
Saloon! Saloon! Saloon!"
Praise From President.
At one dinner, after singing with
the others through repetitions OF
the chorus, the President reached
for his place card and wrote: Dear
George-Like old wine, you get bet
ter as the years roll on" sending
the message to George by a waiter
Another Of his famous songs in
other years was MY Cousin Caruse,' u
the lyrical effusion of a cousin of
the great Caruso. Another, almost
as popular as "Saloon'-of which
Mr.. O'Connor at times got thor
oughly tired-was "Hollgan's Fancy
Dress Ball. And because he en-
acted so we'll, with his singing, the
part of an aging and crippled Irish
soldier, his Little Tommy Muir
phy Was a Soldier Boy" was In
constant demand.
Mr.. O'Connor was past president
and always a very active member of
the Friendly Sons of st. Patrick and
with his old friend, Thomas w. Bra
hany, helped to plan and rehearse
the famous entertainment skits
which have featured the annual din
ners of the society for so many years.
The skits, performed in costume by a
company of excellent singers and
actors, were done with all the per-
lection of well-written light opera.
Wouldn't Give Up.
But sometimes, when George
O'Connor would sing his part, there
would come an unseemly Interrupt
ton from the audience of diners in
the form of vociferous applause and
shouted demands for Saloon
something wholly out of place.
George, a skilled actor, would do
everything in his power to quiet the
demand. The expression on the face
Of the author, Mr.. Brahany, as he
watched the perfection of his beauti-
fully written dialogue and lyrics
marred by the rude demands for
Saloon" was something that gave
the audience almost as much enter
tainment as the Skit itself. But
George would never succumb. He
would outlast the audience in his re-
fusal to sing Saloon"
Mr.. O'Connor loved Washington
and its people. He was highly
civic minded" in his willingness to
take part in anything that helped
the community. His talents as an
entertainer were recognized in such
tangible fashion in professional
circles that for years he travelled to
New York and made phonograph
records for the Columbia Co., (which,
at one time, had a wide sale. Yet
practically all of his entertaining
was done as an amateur, as a friend
and as member of the dinner COM
pany.
Aided Milk Fund.
Some organizations would no more
think OF giving q dinner without
the presence of George O'Connor
than Of eliminating the dessert and
coffee. His most cherished charity,
the Milk Fund, in which Mrs.
O'Connor has been a leading spirit,
has benefited from his talent for a
great many years.
One of the highlights of Mr..
O'Connors life came in March of
1899 when his friends pushed him
up on the stage with the Georges
town Glee Club, which he had
served as a baritone in college
days, to sing a duet with his son,
George, jr.
George, sr., had been rehearsing
with the Friendly Sons of st. Pat
rick for Its annual show at the Nav