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Friendly sons 65th anniversary gala

RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent

WILKES-BARRE – The Ramada Hotel on Public Square was adorned in green colors and Irish flags as local members of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick held their 65th anniversary gala. About 400 men espousing their Irish heritage with pride gathered to fraternize and celebrate the organization’s community involvement.

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Jack McCarthy, center, who was honored as the Man of the Year at the 65th annual Friendly Sons of St. Patrick dinner, with Tom Lynch, left, Patrick Peters, former New York Yankee Bucky Dent, and Gary Lambert at the Ramada Hotel.

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Past president and 40-year member Ned Whalen, 66, of Kingston, said the event was part of a long tradition that originated in 1772. In its early years, the group honored the 38 percent of the American Revolutionary War veterans who were Irish.

It then grew into a community organization aimed at helping Irish immigrants find jobs, set up communities and grow their families all over the United States. Its mission continues to this day, Whalen said, adding the group sponsors three $1,000 scholarships each year for King’s College students.

Michael Bradshaw, 41, from Duryea, said he became a member of the Friendly Sons for the same reason most other members did, to continue the tradition of his father and brothers.

Luzerne County Coroner John Corcoran served as the toastmaster and set the event’s tone with frequent jokes.

The group honored local businessman Jack McCarthy, 75, chairman of McCarthy Tire Service Company, as the Man of the Year. McCarthy talked about how four generations of his family were part of the Friendly Sons.

The group’s emphasis on family, religion and involvement in the community is what makes the Friendly Sons a great organization, McCarthy said.

Former Major League Baseball player and New York Yankee Bucky Dent was guest speaker. He entertained the group with stories of glory days on the baseball diamond. Dent had the room in stitches talking about his infamous home run against the Yankees’ arch-rival, the Boston Red Sox, to decide the American League East Division in 1978. He joked about how he earned a nickname from Red Sox fans for that clutch home run that ended Boston’s season.

Mayor Tom Leighton offered the key to the city to longtime member John McKeown and spoke about how Ireland and the United States are “two nations with one heart.” McKeown talked about how the Irish immigrated to Northeastern Pennsylvania during the late 1800s to work in local mines.

Here they found “success, prosperity and acceptance,” said McKeown, noting that was different than their experience in Ireland.

Whalen pointed out that the Friendly Sons celebration on Wednesday night included representatives from other ethnic and religious backgrounds.