Why Did O'Hara Move to Princeton? That was the big question over lunch at the Nassau Inn. Lots of reasons: Near Philly and Pottsville. It wasn't New Haven It embodied Wall Street money Ivy League School Firzgerald? WASP population Thanks to Robert Saliba, we also get the official view from the late and pal Matt Bruccoli: '...Belle wanted to get John out of New York where there were too many distractions and to many bars. He concurred, admitting that it was time for him to make "21" a restaurant and not a career. When Wylie showed a mild asthma condition, the O'Haras began town hunting. Saratoga Springs, where Frank Sullivan lived, was considered, but was rejected because the winters were harsh and it was a long way from the reference sources O'Hara needed. No serious consideration was given to Potttsville. He wanted a college town for the library facilities and for the people; and Princeton won out over New Haven...He liked Princeton's location between Philadelphia and New York and had the theory that the social structure of a college town is set by the living standard of the full professors, This is not the case in Princeton. As John O'Hara certainly knew, Princeton is full of big money, and its social structure is more influenced by Wall Street than by Prospect Street." -- Bruccoli, Matthew J., The O'Hara Concern, p 199. |
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