John P. Mahoney

The Empty ChairThere is a round table in the corner of Lou Kron's Madison Steakhouse restaurant. This seemingly insignificant table could easily go un noticed by a casual observer. However, for many years, this was the regular meeting place for a circle of very dear friends. This was the table where every imaginable topic such as politics, religion, ethics, philosophy, literature, family, economy, evolution, sports and, yes even some less esoteric aspects of life such as power tools and women were discussed, debated and even argued about. Right in the center of it all was the Man who, with tongue in cheek, named this illustrious gathering place as The 'Table of Knowledge' We would tackle any topic with no fear of being politically correct or with any fear of offending each other. We were our own Band of Brothers and a bond of trust, affection and admiration for each other was unshakable. We were older men with the spirit and enthusiasm of young boys on the athletic field assuming things would last forever. This all changed suddenly when the brightest and best of our group was needed at a much higher table. The wit, charm, humor, intelligence and that wonderful big smile of the Man who named our Table of Knowledge will always be in our hearts. There is one empty chair now at our Table, but it will always belong to John Mahoney. Rest in peace my dear friend.