[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24119]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             IN MEMORY OF TED GREGORY, A CINCINNATI LEGEND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2001

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Ted 
Gregory, a friend and constituent who passed away on Sunday, December 
2. Ted Gregory was a wonderful person who built a legacy based on his 
landmark restaurants, his generosity and community service.
  Born in Windsor, Ontario, he grew up in Detroit. He moved to 
Montgomery, Ohio when it was still a rural area, bought the former 
McCabe's Inn and renamed it Montgomery Inn. Six years later, his wife 
Matula developed a secret barbecue sauce recipe that made the Inn a 
legend.
  The restaurants, combined with Ted's warm personality and business 
acumen, made him a legend. Eventually, Ted's operation expanded, with 
the addition of three other dining venues in Cincinnati and Northern 
Kentucky. According to Restaurants and Institutions magazine, the 
industry's leading trade publication, Montgomery Inn is the leading rib 
restaurant chain in the U.S.--over 15 tons are sold each week. His 
employees were devoted to him--many were with him twenty years or more.
  Although Ted was a good businessman, he was also a lot of fun. 
Wherever he went, he always brought a smile and his endless good humor 
with him. When Bob Hope visited Cincinnati to support the Bob Hope 
House, he and Ted became good friends. Many other former Presidents and 
celebrities visited Ted's restaurants to enjoy the famed ribs, 
including Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Vice President Dick 
Cheney, Tom Selleck, and Don Rickles.
  His warmth extended to helping others. He generously supported the 
Cincinnati FreeStore/FoodBank, St. Rita's School for the Deaf, Sycamore 
High School, Bob Hope House, and Riding for the Handicapped.
  All of us in Cincinnati will miss Ted Gregory's warmth, humor and 
love for life, and we extend our deepest sympathies to Matula and their 
children, Dean, Tom, Vickie and Terry.

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