PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW O'SHEA
Jack Parker, the boniface of O’Connell’s Pub, passed away June 19. He was 83. According to his son, John Parker, Jr., his father died from heart failure while in the hospital, following treatment for an intestinal disorder.
Jack Parker wasn’t the typical pub owner. He fell into the job by chance. Decades ago, he rented an apartment near the burgeoning Gaslight Square neighborhood and found a job as a bartender at The Opera House. Understand that this was not an establishment with violins and Verdi; the house band, led by Singleton Palmer and his tuba, played Dixieland. The Opera House and Parker became a part of saloon life in the nova of Gaslight Square.
Parker wasn’t the original owner of what was then called O’Connell’s Irish Pub. Ray Gottfried, Jack Seltzer, and Frank Mormino (who went on to own Europa 390) opened the establishment in late 1962. Mormino soon sold his interest to Dick Draper, who owned an antique shop, told tall tales, and once claimed to have owned the only hippopotamus farm in Missouri. Parker went to work for them. It was all very casual in the neighborhood, with owners and employees meeting curbside in the mornings to exchange glasses left by strolling patrons as they went from bar to bar.
The pub drew well. It was cozy, dark, and served London broil and large hamburgers. Poet Alan Ginsberg of Howl fame drank there, sitting by the fireplace and carefully removing his shoes. He was far from the only notable client. There was no live music, with the exception of bagpipers who came by every week or so. There was plenty of talk, though, a fair number of local writers and other literary types and theater people. Parker, who went to Cleveland High School in south St. Louis, had goofed his way through school. He began to read more, “so I could discuss Camus with the guy on the next bar stool.”
But as novas do, things began to cool off, and the owners decided to sell. So in 1965, Parker took the helm. Eventually, other establishments in Gaslight Square closed, and the crowds left. O’Connell’s and Parker stayed.
Courtesy O'Connell's Pub
Things carried on for a number of years. Then, in 1972, O’Connell’s announced that it was moving to an old Anheuser-Busch saloon on South Kingshighway, near the Hill and the Missouri Botanical Garden. It must have been a difficult decision. One of Parker's longtime customers, Joe Pollack, had just signed on as the restaurant critic at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The critic implied that it was “the dumbest move ever,” as he later explained to his wife (me). He and Parker laughed about it for years.
Forty-eight years later, the house that Parker created feels as though it’s been there for twice as long. Parker slowed down, thanks to longtime employees he relied on, such as Nora and Lenard and Red, and he even installed a TV in the bar. (It was allegedly for patrons who wanted to watch Rams games, but it mostly allowed Parker to keep an eye on the thoroughbred racing that he’d always loved.)
Read More: Writer Jeannette Cooperman's December 2011 profile "Jumpin' Jack Parker"
In later years, after a bout with serious illness, he ended up buying horses and racing them. Above the saloon, he began to sell antiques, and he spent more time there as his nephew took the reins. But Parker was still around to make sure the quality of the meat was what he wanted and the soups were served hot and seasoned properly.
Parker was well-read and quieter than one might expect for his line of work. He met guests with aplomb, considering that they ranged from Zsa Zsa Gabor to politicians. He could talk about ancient history, philosophy, and Stickley furniture, but he never flaunted his knowledge. It was a pleasure, for instance, to introduce him to a lunch guest whom we’d brought in and know that we needn’t explain just who Calvin Trillin was. Parker beamed, shook his hand, and asked Trillin a couple of very relevant questions.
Like many dining establishments, O’Connell’s has recently been closed because of health precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this writing, the pub plans to reopen July 13. Plenty of glasses will be raised to the memory of the proprietor.
“Time is precious,” says an entry somewhere on O’Connell’s Pub’s Facebook page. “Slow down, and enjoy it.”
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect Parker's age and cause of death.
