Alzheimer Dad

In the 1960's and 1970's if you went to Shea Stadium to
watch Joe Namath play football with the Jets on a sub-zero Sunday morning,
you heard Phil Whelan belt out the Star Spangled Banner. Bassist
and vocalist with the Bob Cleveland Orchestra, Phil
sat on the 50 yard line with 16 other members of the
band, and played and sang opening ceremonies and half
time entertainment.
Raised in Ridgewood, Queens during the Great Depression,
this NYC resident began singing on the radio at age 7 in 1934 as a regular on
NY Mirror columnist Nick Kenny's weekly show. Working
for 10 years on air, Phil, the boy tenor, also
appeared live with Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Jimmy
Durante and Bing Crosby, and was one of the earliest
TV performers, on NBT (later to be called NBC) "Stars of Tomorrow".
A call from Uncle Sam put a pause to Phil's youthful
career. Aboard a troop ship in the Pacific with
thousands of other men, readied for the invasion of Japan, he
and the others were recalled, only to find that the
bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Phil spent his army years in post war Japan,
organizing entertainment for the American soldiers.
After the big war, Phil studied music theory at the
U. of Miami, picked up playing bass, and went back to
NYC to join the 5 Encores, a Brooklyn based swing
group featuring 5 part vocal harmonies, and recorded
for Ronnex and Rama record companies.
Life on the road was not so wonderful for his new
marriage (to Terry McTigue of Brooklyn) so Phil quit
his full time committment to the music industry,
worked as a salesman in the transportation industry,
and raised a family (daughters Denise Joy and Elise)
in Queens and Long Island. He kept his hand in,
though, playing club dates on the weekends, and
singing for his beloved Jets.
Phil moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1981, following
the death of his wife. He lived there for 20 years,
until Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed. Phil died on
July 11, 2003 at the home of his daughter Elise in El
Paso Texas. He leaves behind his two daughters, son
in law George Terrin, grandchilden Shaylin, Devin and
Jesse and long time companion Bev McElwain of Ft.
Lauderdale, as well as a beloved sister Nonnie Ogden
and many nieces and nephews. He will be buried at
Calverton National Cemetary on July 16th at 3 pm. The
family is asking that memorial contributions be made
to the Alzheimer's Association.