The upper room at Dalesio?s restaurant in Little Italy had the feel of a viewing room in one of those old funeral homes in most cities and towns. The decor was dark and old-fashioned, and people were milling around, greeting the old gang and making subdued chit-chat about the good old days.
William Donald Schaefer, the man who had brought them all together over many years, was not dead yet politically, though even some of his friends thought he only had a 50-50 chance of surviving. “We love you, boss,” said the signs they?d brought. The old man sat in a chair against the wall talking to friends and even reporters one by one, reminding one photographer of a scene from “The Last Hurrah,” the book and movie about the final campaign of an aging politician.
