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As Atlanta’s iconic Manuel’s Tavern re- opened its doors again Saturday evening, many women have fond memories of Manuel Maloof as an ardent supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and a great mentor to women seeking elected office.

Over the years, many a woman’s campaign event fundraisers or strategy sessions were held at the historic Virginia Highlands watering hole for politicians, police officers, journalists, Emory intellectuals and neighborhood regulars. Visitors will notice not much has changed – except perhaps the distinct upgrade in restroom facilities.

Long known as a Democratic Party stronghold, the Tavern has become slightly more bipartisan over the years. Journalists, political consultants and political junkies routinely pack the tavern for election returns or major presidential debates — appending them with streams of ripostes and snark, according to a recent New York Times description. Indeed.

Then an obscure South Georgia Senator, Jimmy Carter announced his intention to run for Georgia governor at Manuel’s in 1970. He was the principal player in state and national history over the followin years and many a strategy session was held at the tavern. The Carter Presidential Library is on a hill just around the corner from the tavern and the former President and First Lady are still known to drop in for a meal on occasion.

Despite a “back to the brickwork and down to the floors” renovation, patrons still find the prominent portraits of FDR, JFK and the tavern’s ubiquitous namesake whose spirit shapes the atmosphere more than a decade after his death. The frames may look fresher, but walls are still filled with photos of past political visitors to the Tavern including Georgia Senators Sam Nunn, Wyche Fowler and Zell Miller and out of town notables such as Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton, all of whom are frozen in times past as they link arms with a broadly smiling Maloof wearing his standard uniform of white dress shirt and suspenders.

BTW, on a 1992 visit, President Clinton liked the food so much, he reportedly ordered both the fettuccini alfredo and a chicken quesadilla! Last year, President Obama stopped at Manuel’s during an Atlanta visit to throw some darts, meet with students and participate in an extended press interview.

The lead paragraph of his 2004 AJC obituary described Manuel Maloof, who was 80 when he died, as “the profane, hot-tempered and big-hearted barkeep who rose from obscurity to head one of metro Atlanta’s largest governments.” He was described as “blunt, confrontational and prone to angry outbursts.”

Outbursts aside, his “big heart” always had a special place for smart, strong women, particularly those interested in politics. He trusted women with important jobs, for example making the late Gretta Dewald his chief of staff.

The Maloof administrations, first as DeKalb County Chairman (1985 to 1992) and later as CEO (from 1980 to 1984), saw the county transform from a bedroom Republican suburb to an urbanized Democratic stronghold. Maloof pushed for the I-85 and I-285 cloverleaf interchange today’s commuters know as “Spaghetti Junction.”

Liane Levetan served alongside Maloof on the DeKalb County Commission in the 1970’s and early 80’s. The two ran against each other for CEO when the position was first created, with Maloof winning a runoff election. Eight years later, he endorsed his former adversary Levetan for the job, saying she not only understood the county and business, but “I know she’ll get it done!”

“Manuel was really supportive of many women whether they were running for elected office or he appointed them to high ranking positions. He recognized women brought a new dimension to politics and he acknowledged the many talents women brought to public service,” Levetan said.

Maloof was known as “The Godfather of DeKalb County politics,” but he also played a role in discussions of regional importance as chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission and statewide policy as chair of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. As noted in his obituary, ”Mr. Maloof’s death marks the passing of an era in Georgia politics before elected office seekers became pasteurized by image consultants and focus groups.” Maloof himself summed up that sentiment, “Who would ever believe a bartender, a Lebanese, a Catholic, someone as ugly as me, could get elected in conservative DeKalb County,” he would ask. Another of his quotes was printed on Tavern t-shirts and menus, “Anybody who don’t like this life is crazy.”

“When I decided to run for office many, many years ago, everyone said the first thing you need to do is meet Manuel Maloof,” recalls Cathey Steinberg, who served from 1977 to 1988 in the House and from 1988 to 1991 in the Senate. She was the state’s insurance consumer advocate during the Roy Barnes administration.

“Being a complete unknown, it was critical to get Manuel’s approval. I was quite intimidated because of the reputation he had — all good but tough!  Happily, we hit it off and I could always count on him as a friend and supporter, and on occasion a critic. I defeated an incumbent Republican in my first election and that could not have made him happier.”

Carole Ashkinaze Kay, who won many national awards, arrived in Atlanta in 1976 to write about politics and social policy and would later shatter an AJC glass ceiling when she became the first woman on the editorial board. Colleagues brought her to the tavern for an introduction to Maloof. “He was as gracious as he was funny and it was so comfortable just sliding into a booth for conversation with him and having those fries or boiled peanuts with a cold one that I did it often for the next 15 years!” she said.

When she taught a writing course at Emory and wanted a fun spot for the last class of her series, Manuel volunteered his private back room/office for years. “The students loved getting introduced to the el primo writer’s hangout and I loved Manuel for suggesting it,” she recalls.

Margaret Curtis, who served for years as president of Georgia’s chapter of People of Faith for the ERA, recalls Maloof as one of the few men who could regularly be counted on to attend ERA rallies. “It always felt good to look out in the crowd and see him there,” she said. “It was always good to know we had his support. He was more appreciative of a woman’s ability to get a job done than a lot of men were.”

There were many fundraisers and planning meetings at the tavern as women lobbied a predominately male legislature without success for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. “I think women’s rights came first for Manuel. If not that, the Democratic Party did, and he, like my husband, thought that if the Democratic Party supported it, then it was the right thing to do,” she said.

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver recalls, “Manuel was not always happy with me but he cared about DeKalb County, my career and what I was doing. He helped me, and gave me great advice when I first entered politics: ‘Don't go broke!’ He was clear that too many people went into politics only to lose their jobs and incomes, and he understood that a balance was necessary.  He was an example of a great public servant — he loved politics, got real joy from the helping people, and accomplished a great deal.”

Senator Nan Orrock said she always loved the fact that Maloof came from a strong and resilient immigrant family and as a small businessman with his brother built an incredibly successful and iconic local tavern and then a career in local politics. “His is a remarkable American immigrant story that says so much about the promise of America,” she said.

“Manuel was endlessly curious and full of questions and opinions when we talked over a beer.  He certainly respected my opinions and my work, and never treated me as ‘less than’ because I was a woman,” Orrock said.

“Manuel’s Tavern is my favorite location for my political parties, and a watering-hole for my colleagues and constituents. I’m thrilled to see its next chapter unfold. It is a priceless and timeless place where politics plays a center stage role for elected officials, journalists, activists, neighborhood folk, and any and everybody who cares to weigh in.”