Dutchie Caray Gets Honorary Street Name Along Magnificent Mile
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The "First Lady of Chicago Baseball" got a special birthday present on Thursday, as a street just off the Magnificent Mile was named in honor of Dutchie Caray.
Pearson Street between Michigan Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way was dedicated as Honorary Dutchie Caray Way, in honor of the widow of legendary Cubs and White Sox broadcaster Harry Caray.
"What did I do? I don't even know what I did, but I'm so honored. I'm just flabbergasted," Dutchie said at the unveiling.
Dutchie turns 86 on Saturday and is a successful businesswoman, having helped expand the restaurant bearing her late husband's name from one location, when he died in 1998, to seven current locations.
She joked about now having to take care of the block where she lives.
"Do I have to get up every morning and check to see if the street's cleaned? If it isn't, I got to sweep it?" she said.
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Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was among those who attended the street sign unveiling.
"We used to live right down the block, and we always referred to East Perason as Dutchie Street anyway," he said.
Former White Sox slugger Ron Kittle also was on hand for the dedication. He started his career on the South Side the year after Harry Caray moved from broadcasting Sox games to Cubs cames.
"Dutchie's a special person. I like her even better than I did Harry," Kittle joked.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) pushed for the honor for Dutchie because of all her charitable works and because she lives on that street.
"I don't believe it," she said. "I just learned about it Monday, and I still can't believe it. I am shocked."
Dutchie said she looked at two condos at Water Tower Place Condominiums in 1992 and knew one of them had disaster written all over it, because it had a winding staircase.
"Harry liked to drink a little bit, so I thought, 'He's not going to navigate this place,'" she said.
So they opted for a one-floor condo instead.
