| Descendants of John Mullins lost a good
friend recently with the passing of Vic Olney.
"Who is Vic Olney?", you might
ask. He was a man who wore many hats...husband, father, grandfather, retired Wall
Street stockbroker, retired Staff Sergeant of the 69th, owner of Tara Hall (selling Irish
and 69th related merchandise) and the lifeblood of the 69th Regiment Armory where he
managed The Friends Of The Active Battalion and the Officer's Club.
I first encountered Vic about 10 years ago
when I wrote to the Armory regarding my great-grandfather John Mullins. Vic replied
to my letter and thus began a decade long friendship consisting of regular emails and
meeting him in 2004 for a tour of the Armory.
Vic had something in common with John
Mullins - they both loved the 69th. Whether we were on the Drill Floor, in the
Officer's Club or looking at things in the museum cases, Vic had a story for it. He
knew the history and I was eager to hear it.
I will miss his emails, which were always
informative, witty and full of historical tidbits. He always kept me updated about
what was going on with the 69th and I enjoyed the connection because of my family history.
After all, how many people can say their grandmother grew up in an Armory and had
her wedding reception on the Drill Floor!
Vic reminded me of my own dad - a New York
City boy who had red, white and blue in his veins and a story for every occasion. I
have a thought of Vic in Heaven, telling a story to a group of listeners, as a man
approaches him with an outstretched hand.
"Vic? I'm Sgt. John Mullins.
I wanted to thank you for being so nice to my great-granddaughter."
How many stories would follow that
handshake!
I received this email from Vic a few weeks
before he died:
Hi Patricia,
It was not that long ago when you came to the 69th Armory and you, I and LTC Geoff Slack,
Battalion Commander had a great chat about Bandmaster, Armorer and Resident John Mullins.
Your famous relative.
Through the years you and your family have been most generous supporters of the 69th and
members of The Friends Of The Active Battalion.
LTC Slack has been promoted to full Colonel and the new Commander is LTC Charles T Crosby.
He has asked me to extend his condolences and a big thank you for your continued
support. It is through people like you that we are able to assist the 69th in the
many things that need to be done. For example, we are having the Flag of the 69th
that was in Iraq framed and mounted and placed in the Garryowen Club; we are able to get
project like that done because of supporters like you.
I'm sure that Tom Weppler is pleased to know that there are many friends out there and
that their support is appreciated to keep the Fighting 69th above and beyond other Units.
I just signed up for East Durham this year and Tom will be giving us the dead center spot
again. Barbara and I pray we will see you there. God willing and the creek
don't dry (John Wayne - I'm a NYC kid and have no idea what that means - but if its good
enough for the Duke then how can a mere mortal like I differ?)
God Bless All,
Vic
God bless YOU, Vic, for all you did. You were an
inspiration, a true friend and patriot, and the salt of the earth. I'll never forget
you. |
