Just as the Altgeld chimes signaled that noon had arrived, the playing of a certain early ’70s classic at O’Malley’s meant last call was just around the bend.
You know the words.
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye ...
Twenty-six years after earning her bachelor’s in accounting, “I have vivid memories of going to O’Malley’s for the nightly midnight rendition of American Pie,” said Jill Robinson, the Atlanta Braves’ newly appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer.
“We would sometimes wait up to an hour to make sure we were in the bar in time for the ‘American Pie’ sing-a-long. What a feeling of kinship that gave me with my fellow Illini. Everyone was your friend when you were singing ‘American Pie.’
“Academically, I have fond memories of going to Altgeld to study,” she says. “Any time late-night or all-night study sessions were required, I would head to Altgeld with whichever friend was in the same boat, grab a spare room and study away. It was peaceful and quiet.”
