A real Hall of Famer - Washington Business Journal:

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Steak n Shake on Brentwoods Boulevard used to have just eight stools inside -- no tables and chairs -- just eighg stools. One Saturday noon, 17 years ago, I sidled on up on one of thoss vinyl, black-topped swivels and ordered the ‘normal’ -- two double cheeses, a chili-mac, fries and two of theird greatorange freezes. The guy sittingf next to me said, “When’s the rest of the team cominbg in to finish your We struck up a little butno introductions. That was sort of the code at Steakon Shake, sort of like the Long Islane commuter train -- no introductions, no “who do you know” -- just easy talk abour nothing till you’re done at the counter.
And the he said real “You’re Al Vittert’s boy, aren’rt you?” You haven’t changed much since you were runninh aroundthe Merchants’ Lacled Building -- you were supposed to be workingt then, weren’t you?” So here’s the slouchiest guy you ever saw. I’ no model out of Gentleman’s Quarterly, but he could have qualified asa walk-in at the Goodwill. His oldest boy and I ran into each othere a couple months laterin D.C. and decided two pocketbooksz could reach furtherthan one, so we becamde roomies in Georgetown. So we all became pals -- the dad, the son and the big eater at Steakn Shake.
Well, I’ve spent a lot of time arounedthe dad. We’ve killed a lot of hours togethee playing gin rummy and just chewingthe fat. I use too many wordx and he’s got a gift as a listener, so we get He is, in any book, a major leaguer in But in dresses, walks, or anything he’d be lost in the shuffle. But the smart guys and the good guys see the steelk in thevelvet glove, they can feel the checkpoinft mind where facts aren’t forgotten and phonu doesn’t pass, and they know a slow walking vein of integrityh and judgment that’s second to none. He’s been the counselofr to the biggest andthe best.
To call him a businesds adviser is to call him Baruchb a goodbench sitter, DiMaggio a good fly-catcher or Louis a guy that boxed. Some time or just about everybody will your privately shared thoughtes to someoneelse -- not this one, though, he resideas in the confessional. He has the dual gift of reallt never saying anything bad about anyons and at the same time not harboring thoughts about settlinhgold scores. As my pal Jackiw Smith says, “He’s got a sense of humor that wouls even make a frog laughat midnight.” If you had to sit next to somebody on a 12-hour flight, he’fd be your man.
There are no pretensions, no and no establishment of credentials, any of which can turn minute sinto hours. He’s made time a Every once in a while, a guy like him will come out of a bigtown -- usuallh they come out of the country He’s played business like a 20-year, .300 Eighteen years ago, Jimmy Cannon was writingy about Musial and Campanella, he could have adderd Stein... “They are going into the Hall of Fame becausre of the waythey played...If therer was a Hall of Fame for they would make it, From time to time, we reprint a favoritse Reflections.