In the early years of the Organ Grinder, the restaurant was an undeniable success. This allowed two of the original founders, brothers Paul and Jerry Forchuk – already from an entrepreneurial family – to enjoy a lifestyle in keeping with a high-income earner in the 1970s & 80s. Fortunately for the staff at the Organ Grinder, and for the friends and acquaintances of the Forchuks, this often meant sharing in the fun.
While the elder brother Paul is said to have been more reserved and private, using his money in-part to cultivate celebrity friendships and treat some employees to lavish vacation getaways (and gigantic holiday turkeys), the younger Jerry gravitated toward things that really moved people – both literally and figuratively.
Last week, we interviewed Detlef Mahoney in Klamath Falls. Detlef grew up in Portland in the 60’s and 70’s, and became a close companion of Jerry’s. Detlef shared exciting stories of riding in Jerry’s seaplane (pictured) – Jerry is an accomplished pilot – as well has having fun on the water in Paul’s 40ft speedboat (and a late-night liquor raid leading to an awkward situation!).
On at least one occasion, Jerry landed his plane at Rooster Rock on the Columbia River, which had a reputation as a free-wheeling nude beach. Just imagine dozens of naked sunbathers as a plane pulls up from the water.
Jerry also had a penchant for Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, but according to Detlef also saw the late 1970s oil crunch coming, and invested in a Diesel car and even installed a fuel storage system at home, in case of shortages.
Unfortunately, these fast-moving and care-free times wouldn’t last forever. The Organ Grinder’s fortunes began to decline, and there were problems with other investments such as a fire at a major apartment project, and in the 1980s the world was hit with the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic – something which most sadly took Paul’s life in 1992, as well as literally dozens of Detlef’s friends over time.
But the dark times and tragedies in life haven’t suppressed Detlef’s outgoing spirit. He speaks fondly and enthusiastically of those days – and is grateful to once again by in touch with Jerry (thanks to stumbling across the documentary’s web site last year).
Detlef also fondly recalled visits to the Organ Grinder restaurants – in both Portland and Denver. We talked about future generations – can something special like the Organ Grinder (whether a pipe organ restaurant, or something completely different) be created in today’s world? Detlef remains optimistic – telling people with big bold ideas to “go for it” and to chase their dreams, and – above all – don’t pass up an opportunity to have fun.
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