Stanton Delaplane
Encyclopedia
Stanton Hill Delaplane (12 October 1907 to 18 April 1988) was a travel writer, credited with introducing Irish coffee
to the United States. Called "last of the old irreplaceables" by fellow-columnist
Herb Caen
, he worked for the San Francisco Chronicle
for 53 years, for which he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize
.
and Monterey, California
.
in 1942 for a depiction of the State of Jefferson, a state
that residents of far northern California
and southern Oregon
proposed semi-seriously in order to publicize their grievances. He also won National Headliner Awards
in 1946 and 1959. In 1944 and 1945 he served as a war correspondent
in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
.
at Shannon Airport
in Ireland
, Delaplane convinced Jack Koeppler, then owner of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco to start serving it at his bar. On November 10, 1952, the two spent hours perfecting the Irish method for floating the cream on top of the coffee, reportedly to the point where Delaplane almost passed out on the cable car
tracks outside.
humorous travel column called "Postcards". In later years Delaplane would write his travel dispatches (which he called "postcards") from his home in Telegraph Hill
, finishing them over a martini
and cigarettes by the piano at the Washington Square Bar and Grill
before sending them to the newspaper building by messenger. His writing style was characterized by very short sentences and sentence fragments, which he said was for the benefit of San Francisco Municipal Railway
riders who had to read the paper while being jostled by the commuter train. He was known for exaggerating and sometimes fictionalizing his stories, and wrote often of the North Beach neighborhood and various eccentric people who lived in San Francisco.
for keeping 18 wives. Delaplane promoted the story into a nationwide sensation, calling Van Wie "The Ding-Dong Daddy of the D Car Line" after a popular Louis Armstrong
song, "Ding Dong Daddy of Dumas" (in reality, Van Wie never worked on the D line). The story inspired the American swing revival
band the Cherry Popping Daddies to write a new song about Van Wei, "Ding-Dong Daddy of the D Car Line", which Warren Sapp
and Kym Johnson
performed as part of their second place finish in Season 7
of Dancing With The Stars.
Delaplane's final column ran the day he died, and was a reminiscence of old days in North Beach.
Irish coffee
Irish coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with thick cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream. The original recipe explicitly uses cream that has not been whipped, although whipped cream is often used. Irish coffee may be considered a...
to the United States. Called "last of the old irreplaceables" by fellow-columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
Herb Caen
Herb Caen
Herbert Eugene Caen was a Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco journalistwhose daily column of local goings-on, social and political happenings,...
, he worked for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
for 53 years, for which he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
.
Early life
Delaplane was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended high school there and in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
.
Career
Delaplane's career as a journalist began as a writer for Apertif Magazine from 1933 to 1936, when he joined the San Francisco Chronicle as a reporter He won the Pulitzer Prize for ReportingPulitzer Prize for Reporting
The Pulitzer Prize for Reporting was awarded from 1917 to 1947.-Winners:*1917: Herbert Bayard Swope, New York World, for articles which appeared October 10, October 15 and from November 4 daily to November 22, 1916, inclusive, entitled, "Inside the German Empire."*1918: Harold A...
in 1942 for a depiction of the State of Jefferson, a state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
that residents of far northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
proposed semi-seriously in order to publicize their grievances. He also won National Headliner Awards
National Headliner Awards
The National Headliner Awards are a prize given out by Press Club of Atlantic City since 1935. Both broadcast journalism and print journalism are recognized, in separate categories.-External links:*...
in 1946 and 1959. In 1944 and 1945 he served as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
.
Irish coffee
After drinking Irish coffeeIrish coffee
Irish coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with thick cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream. The original recipe explicitly uses cream that has not been whipped, although whipped cream is often used. Irish coffee may be considered a...
at Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Delaplane convinced Jack Koeppler, then owner of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco to start serving it at his bar. On November 10, 1952, the two spent hours perfecting the Irish method for floating the cream on top of the coffee, reportedly to the point where Delaplane almost passed out on the cable car
San Francisco cable car system
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually operated cable car system, in the US sense of a tramway whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. It is an icon of San Francisco, California...
tracks outside.
Postcards
Beginning in 1953 Delaplane published a syndicatedPrint syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
humorous travel column called "Postcards". In later years Delaplane would write his travel dispatches (which he called "postcards") from his home in Telegraph Hill
Telegraph Hill
Telegraph Hill may be:* Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, USA* Telegraph Hill, on the A38 road in Devon, England* Telegraph Hill, Claygate, Surrey, England* Telegraph Hill, Barnet, London, England* Telegraph Hill, Lewisham, London, England...
, finishing them over a martini
Martini
Martini may refer to:* Martini , a popular cocktail* Martini , a brand of vermouth* Martini , a Swiss automobile company* Martini , a French manufacturer of racing cars...
and cigarettes by the piano at the Washington Square Bar and Grill
Washington Square Bar and Grill
The Washington Square Bar and Grill is a landmark restaurant adjoining Washington Square in San Francisco, California's North Beach neighborhood...
before sending them to the newspaper building by messenger. His writing style was characterized by very short sentences and sentence fragments, which he said was for the benefit of San Francisco Municipal Railway
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
riders who had to read the paper while being jostled by the commuter train. He was known for exaggerating and sometimes fictionalizing his stories, and wrote often of the North Beach neighborhood and various eccentric people who lived in San Francisco.
Ding dong daddy
Delaplane's second Headliner award was for a semi-fictionalized account of Francis Van Wie, a Muni conductor arrested for bigamyBigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
for keeping 18 wives. Delaplane promoted the story into a nationwide sensation, calling Van Wie "The Ding-Dong Daddy of the D Car Line" after a popular Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
song, "Ding Dong Daddy of Dumas" (in reality, Van Wie never worked on the D line). The story inspired the American swing revival
Swing Revival
The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as exemplified by Louis Prima, often mixed with a more contemporary rock, rockabilly or ska sound, known also as neo-swing or retro...
band the Cherry Popping Daddies to write a new song about Van Wei, "Ding-Dong Daddy of the D Car Line", which Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
and Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson is an Australian former professional ballroom dancer, model, and television celebrity. She lives in Sydney NSW, Australia but is currently based in America for Dancing with the Stars.-Dance biography:...
performed as part of their second place finish in Season 7
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 7)
The seventh season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 22, 2008 as a part of ABC's fall line-up. Instead of 12 couples like previous seasons, this was the first season to showcase a lineup of 13 couples...
of Dancing With The Stars.
Delaplane's final column ran the day he died, and was a reminiscence of old days in North Beach.