Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
Many good memories of Beal’s, like fried eggs swimming in really old grease as they cooked, then served with a dose of sarcasm. Sure tasted good, though.
Read more: Beal's — the men, the grill, the legend
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By Micah Mertes
As we'd hoped, our big Beal’s Grill story stirred up and brought forth plenty of alumni memories of the old greasy-spoon diner.
Here are a dozen alumni responses we received. Some responses were edited for length and clarity. Some were edited because there’s no way we could get away with publishing them in full.
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John Kirby, DDS’71:
When I had my first of many bowls of Beal’s chili, Walt Beal said very emphatically, “If you don’t eat it all, you don’t have to pay for it.”
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John Bachechi, BA'69:
In 1965, my freshman year at Creighton, I ventured into Beal’s with Wally Anderzunas, BA’69. Wally introduced me to Walt, who loved the humor of 18-year-old kids.
A few years later, after 200 pounds of grease had entered my body, Walt told Father Cahill (Rev. Neil Cahill, BS’43, MS’77) and me that the McDonald’s down the street was hurting his business. Then Cahill got into a tirade about economics. He told Walt that McDonald’s was down the hill and required a long walk back up the hill, which students wouldn’t want to make.
Walt and Cahill always went back and forth like Abbott and Costello. Cahill’s favorite quip was, “Walt Beal never worked, never will.” But then, in class, Cahill would talk about the work ethic of a man like Walt.
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Mary Pylipow, BS'80, MD'84:
I recall Howard Fiedler’s kindness and the feeling of Beal's being “home.” As a freshman in 1976 with a limited budget and no car, I appreciated Beal’s. It was also the only restaurant that had my long-time favorite on the menu: grilled cheese with peanut butter and tomatoes. Yum. (Some said it was strange.)
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Bob Dailey, BA'82, JD'85:
My dad (Arthur E. Dailey, DDS'42), who went to undergrad and graduated from dental school at Creighton, told me he ate at Beal's the first day it was open. I went there a few times. But I happened to be near Beal's after I graduated from law school and decided to drop in for old-time’s sake. When I went in, they told me it was their last day of business.
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Dave Brown, DDS’65:
Many good memories of Beal’s, like fried eggs swimming in really old grease as they cooked, then served with a dose of sarcasm. Sure tasted good, though, and the price was right for penny-pinching students. We usually went to Beal’s after Mass at St. John’s.
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Gary Lane, BSBA'75, JD'77:
How I remember Howard Fiedler and his dive! He had the best burgers on the block. I stopped in frequently for lunch on my way from Gallagher Hall to the Ahmanson Law Center. Great atmosphere and good, cheap food, and all the counter seats that could not be beat in the big O.
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Jeff Sharp, MBA'85, JD'85:
The food was cheap, and I had no money, so I ate at Beal’s. I ate there tons, especially during dead week before finals. Howard was always the nicest, always offering his chicken fried steak and “flies.” What a great place.
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Kathleen Liddell Arnold, BSPHA'85:
Both my husband and I worked at Beal's. I started during the 1983 spring break. Howard taught me to count back change and close out a cash register without a calculator. My husband’s job was washing dishes and running the deep fryer.
The cash that Howard paid me helped me buy textbooks and pay lab fees in those early years of marriage and pharmacy school. He didn't mind me setting up my calculations textbook on the counter to study in between helping customers.
The grill was closed on Sundays, but Howard didn't take the day off. He boiled the potatoes for hash browns and roasted the turkey or beef for the weekly specials. I still make hash browns the way Howard taught me:
Boil potatoes in their skin (russets only) until they are almost cooked through. Refrigerate them immediately. Use a soup spoon to peel them and grate directly over the hot fat on the grill. He must have cooked up a couple of 20-pound bags of taters every week.
I was a girl from southern California, and I learned a lot about Midwest values from working with the crew at Beal's. Thank you for spotlighting a jewel near the Creighton campus.
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Cliff Schneider, BSBA'60:
Best pancakes in the world for only 25 cents.
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Dick (Richard) Koch, DDS'80:
I have fond memories of many Bealburgers, playing lots of pinball and a cloudy air of cigarettes and cigars!
Most of all, I remember going to Beal's with my roommate and also Arch Beal, who attended Creighton from Sioux Falls and was in my high school class. He was related to Walt Beal, who had just retired, and to Howard through marriage. Howard was a treasure.
They were all endlessly bantering back and forth while I tried to focus on honing my pinball skills. What a great place to blow off steam!
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John Moran, BA’63:
I worked behind the counter and rented a room upstairs at Beal's Grill briefly during my senior year.
From his stool at the end of the counter, Walt greeted customers by the nicknames he'd fashioned. I remember one large dental student Walt called "slug of beer.”
Every afternoon, Walt would leave in his Cadillac after the lunch rush and head out to the Aksarben racetrack.
His verbosity was often acerbic, but he had a heart of gold and quietly helped many undergraduate and graduate students afford their college expenses.
The hamburgers were great, as were his memorable "Spanish Spaghetti" and "Chicken with noodles,” served on paper plates. His tasty fried eggs of any style were prepared in a large skillet floating in an inch or so of melted Crisco.
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Paul Sullivan, BS'89:
I still have canceled checks for $1.50 to Beal's for 75-cent cans of Copenhagen.
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Jim Webster:
I rented a room above Beal’s Grill during part of my time at Creighton, which was between 1955 and 1959, although I left before earning enough credits to graduate.
I suspect the fatty, salty, greasy food Walt Beal served helped me form lifelong dietary habits that contributed to any number of chronic illnesses with which I have had to deal in the years approaching my 87th. But I must accept responsibility for that. Can’t blame Walt Beal.
Memories fade after almost 70 years, but I sure remember Walt's sassy but generous personality. I am sure he extended credit to me between paydays.
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