After more than 25 years in the tavern business, Tony Henry has passed along the reins of the Deer Park Irish Pub to new owners.
The transfer of ownership was fittingly conducted as part of the pub’s 27th Annual Clover Classic Celebration on Saint Patrick’s Day, 2025.
Henry, a Fort Wayne native, has maintained close ties with his neighbors, including the University of Saint Francis and demonstrates a remarkable community spirit.
Here WBOI’s Julia Meek discusses the deep impact of that quarter-century odyssey with the former publican, and what’s coming next in this third act of his life.
Below is a transcript of the conversation:
Julia Meek: Tony, Henry, welcome.
Tony Henry: Hi, Julia.
Julia Meek: So, as of the wearing of the green, you have passed the torch, should I say shillelagh, maybe, to new owners. Now, in a word, how does that feel?
Tony Henry{ I don't have a poverty of spirit, that's for sure. I feel rich.
Julia Meek: That's a great way to think about it and look at it. Very good, Tony, and you took that role as publican very seriously for more than 25 years. What made you jump in with both feet back then? Let's start there.
Tony Henry: Julia, I saw a quaint little pub, a 900 square foot pub, sitting on that corner, and at that time it may have been a den of iniquity. It was all boarded up.
And I saw this wonderful opportunity to go in there and to bring some life to it. And knowing that I had a kindred spirit with the Franciscans across the street, because I was a former Friar, Franciscan, and I share the values of the Franciscan sisters and brothers.
And I knew that being a Catholic pub, you know, there's an old saying, wherever you find four Catholics, you always find a fifth. (all laugh) I'm sorry if I offend anybody out there. There may be some truth of that.
But I thought, hey, this could work. And so I opened up the pub and opened up the windows and brought in some new flooring, and from that day on, we marched forward.
Julia Meek: (chuckles) It was magic and good for you, and it was March as well. Now, equally interesting, what's the biggest thing that made you stay all these years at that little pub?
Tony Henry: Ah, going nose to nose with patrons. You know, there's something about the third place, the first of course, being our homes. And the second place is being a place of worship. It's our church, synagogue or mosque.
And the third place can be a social gathering place like a pub. When you have a few drinks, your inhibitions somewhat lessen, and you can really hear some incredible stories. And I've heard them all, in a lot, a lot of confessions.
And I've has made the people feel like they were forgiven. (chuckles) Hopefully they, they were--forgave themselves for things that they were just openly sharing with me as a listener.
Julia Meek: And sharing is what it's really been all about, sharing the camaraderie, and the connections.
Tony Henry: Yeah, yeah, that is so true. And I know some people religiously feel that, you know you really shouldn't open up on Sundays and holidays.
But every day we're open because I always thought there were kind of a little Lonely Hearts Club Band that needed to come do the pub and share and talk. So, we've always had that open door, seven days a week, every day of the year.
Julia Meek: Living up to, honestly, your open door and everybody welcome policy. That's really a great spirit. That's one of the things that has made that place just really, really great.
Tony Henry: Absolutely and of course, too, having a sister who's crazy about pets, we even welcome the Franciscan dogs and cats and all the animals into the pub. (chuckles)
Julia Meek: (laughs) Everybody welcome. Everybody welcome. We like that. Now, Deer Park Pub, in all its Irish tradition, is legend, and you actually turned that new ownership over on your literal biggest day of the year.
It's like gifting your dream and a very financially successful day to the next generation. What does that mean to you, symbolically, doing it just that way?
Tony Henry: I sold the pub in January, and the couple who bought it, lovely, dynamic people, middle aged, asked me if I could help them power through, knowing that this is the tsunami of the year.
I mean, this is when the green comes in, and it is a tsunami. And I said, I'd love to help you through it.
And I felt that we needed to ritualize that that day, and that's where I presented to them Father Tom O'Connor's walking stick that he gave to me 21 years ago. He died on St Patrick's Day.
But he and I were very good friends, and every year that shillelagh has been processed in the parade, and so I thought was appropriate to give the new owners the shillelagh to parade with, and put green jackets on them, and off to the parade route we went.
And I felt that that was the day, and it was their day, and I wanted to hand it off that way.
Julia Meek: Lovely. It certainly is one heck of a great big day. And a lot of former owners, as they're passing the baton, or the shillelagh, might keep that biggest day of the year for themselves. Really, that's a stand up act that you did. Did it make the passing of that shillelagh more special?
Tony Henry: It did. It did. That walk with my wife and the new owners will be a day that I will, I will never forget, because the bagpipers before us sounded so magnificent, the ballads ,they just blew us away.
And it was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the people were out on the streets, and I knew that this was going to be the last walk. And it's something I'm going to treasure for years.
And I'm so grateful that we decided to hand that shillelagh off to the new family, the Earls, on that day.
Julia Meek: Good for all of you. carrying on a tradition, giving them a new one, and also giving yourself a doorway to the rest of your life. What a thrill.
Now you spent your pre-publican life as a Franciscan friar, as you noted, and a social worker. What skill sets do you feel best helped your plunge into the pub business that you brought with you when you got into the business?
Tony Henry: That's a profound question, and I'd have to say it's listening with a third ear, listening. And boy, people want to be heard and validated.
That is what I tried to do, and my staff. I always kind of inculcated in my staff how important it is to validate every person that walks in, create a sacred space for them to be free, to share, to philosophize, theologize ifthey want to, to politicize. It's totally open, an open field.
And those are the skills that a former religious, I was raised with those values, and I always tried to keep those values active, and my patrons really kind of pulled that out of me, and they were a gift to me, as I hope I was a gift to them.
Julia Meek: It's all through that wonderful perspective that we are discussing. As a matter of fact, how would you say those skills went on to shape your life in that business, and how did that business further hone those skills?
Tony Henry: Well, it's interesting. As I began to profit from the pub over the years, and it took a while to really become profitable, and I did it by doing special events such as the St Patty's Day.
But when you have people coming to a pub, and you're listening, you know, there's needs out there in the community, for example, the Miss Virginia's Food Pantry, the Boys and Girls Club, Fort Wayne, the Kiwanis. There are all kinds of organizations out that are looking for funds.
And so, if you bring their agendas into the pub and you do fundraising, you can really turn around and re-gift what your patrons have done in the fundraising back to the community at large.
And so we did a lot of that, a lot of fundraising, lots of charity work. We've done many.
Julia Meek: Which reflects everything we've been talking about in your former life. And those job skills, and interesting that you can bring it right into the public, into your pub, turn it around and really, really make it grow. That's amazing, Tony.
Meanwhile, how might all of those skills and the honing of them and everything that you've become because of good work like that, how might all of this factor into the third act of the Tony Henry show, which you're just getting ready to start?
Tony Henry: Well, looking forward, Julia, I cannot let go of the social justice convictions that have lived in me for a long time, and I'm currently very concerned about how our culture, our society is looking now.
There's a lot of work that needs to be done out there. And I'm going to have the liberty next month, in early April, to go to Washington, DC, and to be a part of a massive group of people who are struggling with our current policies that we feel are hindering our human values of what we need as society to really, to experience the good.
When it comes to healthcare, education and science, so we can live happier and healthier lives, when those things are being addressed and cut back, that causes me to rise up, and I'm gonna have the freedom now to really do that, because it's in leisure that we can really find the good.
And I want to go out there with other people who are desiring to experience the good that's out there, and we need to hold that goodness up there to those who want to threaten it. And so I want to work at that.
Julia Meek: It sounds like you're taking all of the righteous causes that you do and have supported locally will continue to no doubt, you're actually going to a level nationally where you can be lobbying and working directly with this, as well as bringing it back here.
Tony Henry: Yes, I feel compelled to do that.
Julia Meek: That's very, very commendable, and we thank you for that. We look forward to hearing how that goes for you, and going into this conversation actually, you mentioned becoming a minimalist and letting go of possessions. Why is that a priority with you?
Tony Henry: I've noticed over the years and in my aging that we, we tend to, we tend to accumulate. Especially in my business, vendors would often come and give a swag and T shirts and beer mugs.
So some of those things I stockpiled. (all laugh) I need to let go of some of those things, which I'm doing right now. But I noticed too that it's funny, I look at my closets and I find clothes that I haven't worn in a long time, and old T shirts that have beer logos on them, and even obsolete garden tools.
I'm just finding like junk. I'm thinking, how can you really be free when your possessions start to possess you? And so maybe it's that Franciscanism, but I think St Elizabeth Seton said, live simply, so others might simply live.
But I saw an interesting program a while ago on minimalism and how we can de-possess and I really don't think it could become really free until you start letting go of some of your possessions.
And I want to work at that too. So that's a big job in order for me, Julia.
Julia Meek: (laughs) Yes! And you'll have the time to do that. Now, if it's letting go of stuff in order to free up for what's next, so, what do you want to replace it with?
Tony Henry: I want to replace it with visiting sites. There's some national parks I've never seen in our country. I'd like to visit those. I know some of them are under a threat right now, the parks.
I'd like to visit civil rights areas where people fought bloody battles to be heard. I want to visit those areas. I'd like to maybe explore Europe, South America more.
I feel that it's really important now to take in the cultures and the lives of others, because I, after all, I'm in my fourth quarter of life right now.
I'm in the fourth quarter, (chuckles) and you never know what's in front of us, our health. I feel healthy. I feel strong, my wife does, and we feel that this is a time the year to Carpe Diem--seize the day!
Julia Meek: And once on that journey, that self-challenge, that sounds like there's going to be no stopping you, you do have a strong drive to help people. It seems to be in your DNA, Tony.
How will you build more new, deeper connections, especially through these doors opening and you learning about more places and things and people with which to connect?
Tony Henry: Mmhmm. Well, I think what I have to offer folks in my journey forward is what my patrons of 27 years have given to me and within me, Julia, they're such a treasure of richness.
I could see so many faces. I mean, we had 12,000 followers on Facebook, and I'd say many of those folks, I know, I've met, I could see their faces. And I see them every year when they come to the St. Patty's Day event. And it's like it's a homecoming.
Those folks have enriched me, and it's those memories which I'm gifted to have that are really kind of intrinsic within me, now. When I go out and visit other places, persons and things, I know that I have something to offer those whom I encounter, and I just look forward to sharing what my life has been like, and hopefully what they can share with me will be just as meaningful.
So I have a gift, and that gift is what my patrons have given me over the years. And also, I'm going with a clean, blank slate out into the, to the new worlds to listen to their stories and what their lives have been like.
Julia Meek: Sounds like you've got plenty to do in this fourth quarter.
Tony Henry: Yes, I do a lot.
Julia Meek: And it does sound like that social worker side of yourself is awaiting liberation. You've got your fingers in a lot of charitable causes here in town, some of which you've already mentioned. Any thoughts on your first big blast in this area here on the home front?
Tony Henry: Julia, I would hope that persons would feel free to approach me to enlighten them about what they want to do in life to make our city more colorful.
I'm hoping that others in our community can approach me and to ask me advice on how they could create lively experiences that give people a sense of entertainment.
And I want to be able to teach, you know how to throw events that can be very meaningful. And so, I'm hoping that I can work more as a consultant for folks who really want to know how to pull off the successful events.
Julia Meek: Especially for the common good or for the worthy causes?
Tony Henry: Yes, for worthy causes, for the common good, absolutely.
Julia Meek: Do you really feel free at last?
Tony Henry: Yeah, I'm starting to Julia, it's taking a little while, and I've been told by others who retired it's going to take a good year or so.
But the fact that, you know, we are creatures of habit, and in the morning I feel like I need to go to the pub and, you know, do the deposit and pay the bills, well, that's no longer there.
Julia Meek: (chuckles) Have you started out the door and get in your car and then remember, you don't have to go?
Tony Henry: Yes, yes yes, for about the first week, and I wasn't drinking either. (both laugh)
But now I'm finding myself spending that time in the morning having a cup of coffee and two with my wife, and we've been having nice, meaningful conversations in the morning, which we never had before.
Julia Meek: Isn't that something?
Julia Meek
Tony Henry: It's great!
Julia Meek: And good for you. Good for you. Now I am curious, when you open your heart and your pub, that very first St Patrick's Day Clover classic, 27 years ago, did you ever dream we'd be sitting here discussing it this 27 years later?
Tony Henry: No Julia, and to think that here I am before you as a former publican, a tavern owner, talking on public radio about my journey and what it's been like is quite remarkable.
And I guess in some ways you could look at it as somebody who has an artistic bent. It's like maybe somebody who's wanting to do a sculpture of some kind and works for years at sculpturing and bringing to fruition a vision that he or she has for this piece of art, this work.
Or somebody who wants to paint a mural on a building and has the vision in their heart, and then they spend months bringing that to reality.
Ah, that's what it's been like in this journey of 25 years that I knew that this little pub had to be more than just a person coming up and bellying up to the bar to have a beer, but we had to create events.
And and every, every month, there's always something that each month offers us, whether it's New Years, or Mardi Gras in February and spring, or Dingus Day, Easter Monday, or Cinco de Mayo, or July 4, or the Kentucky Derby.
And moving into Oktoberfest, and then moving in, you know, to the St Patrick's. Of course, St Patrick's is back right around Mardi Gras, but all those experiences, if you could latch onto those and say, these are celebrations.
Really, our culture has given me those dates, and all I did was sprinkled some salt and pepper on it and light a candle and blow up some balloons and saying, hey, come folks. We're gonna have a celebration here.
And year after year, people remember like, hey, we went to Dingus Day that one year, and it was really cool, we gotta return. And that accordion player was awesome. We did a Polka that I will never forget.
So it was those kinds of things that we did as a pub over and over and over that brought it to where it is today, and it was time for me to hand it on to others who are going to carry on those traditions as well.
Julia Meek: Amen, and quite a job you did, and since you did it, and since we are here after all those years, my last question, Tony, what do you want to say to everyone who has made your dream a reality and you hope will stay with you on this final chapter of your life?
Tony Henry: I want to thank my former employees, and there have been about 70 of them, and they've gone on to become attorneys and city workers, administrators, healthcare workers, who helped me keep the vision of creating a space where people can feel really free and humanized.
So my employees, I first want to thank and then secondly, I want to thank the patrons who so lovingly shared with me their lives and they are so rich, from electricians to painters to the nursing students from St Francis to the professors who would come in and to the coaches who would come in and talk about the basketball team and the football teams.
And to all the common people who came in, have enriched my life and my wife's life, and now I can leave with that treasure chest of memories and go out into the world and carry on in my fourth quarter, seeing this beautiful, lovely world that our Creator has given us, and to take in what they have to offer, now that I'm in leisure.
Because I really believe it's in leisure that we really, really do find the good, and that good is also can be found in a pub, and so I wish my new owners great success.
Julia Meek: Tony Henry is former owner of Deer Park Irish Pub. Tony, thank you for sharing your world with us all these years, and your story of it today. Many blessings on your journey.
Tony Henry: Thank you. Julia.
