Convinced he could do a better job at ushering he started his own business at Comiskey Park with some of his brawny buddies in 1924. he got his first big break four years later when Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. gave him a break after a near riot at Wrigley Field when customers found their seats already occupied. He hired Andy Frain to clean up the mess. He did.
In gratitude, Wrigley gave him $5,000 to buy uniforms. Andy Frain was a Notre Dame fan, though he never finished school, and he chose his team's colors and they became his ushers' trademark.
He had a great sense of humor too. During the 1952 Republican National Convention at the International Amphitheatre, which also hosted livestock shows, both of which his ushers were in, he was asked by reporters to compare the two events. He replied, "I believe the pigs are a little cleaner as they do not throw cups, food, used badges, etc., on the floor. Pigs also as they are told most of the time, while delegates are unpredictable."
During World War II, Andy Frain had to start using female usherettes because the men were off fighting.
Frain's sons took over the business in 1968 and ran it to the 1990s. Andy Frain Services is still a name in security and event management.
--DaCoot
No comments:
Post a Comment