Milwaukee loses a BBQ hero

Just thought I'd post that Betty Jean Gillespie, the founder and long-time owner of Speed Queen in Milwaukee has passed away. Her children will keep running the place.

I have fond memories of eating Speed Queen, my first exposure to "real" bbq and a fun treat as a child for my mom to declare a Speen Queen night and go to their bullet-proof drive through window. I can never order anything apart from their outside shoulder, every time.

Her obit is here: http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/94359399.html

Speed Queen Bar-B-Q
1130 W Walnut St
Milwaukee WI 53205
(414) 265-2900
http://www.foodspot.com/Clients/WI/Milwaukee/SpeedQueenBarBQ/default.aspx?accid=16324

One of the very first LTH events back in the day was a GWiv led trip to Milwaukee which included a stop at Speed Queen.

(Hey Mike G, what happened to your pictures in that post?)

The Other Dr. Gale *still* prefers Speed Queen's outside to ANYthing I've taken her to here in KC.... the girl's got *taste*! Man, that bright plastic-red sauce!

Death of an institution, a sad passing.

Geo
PS. I still remember the day when John Kerry, campaigning in MKE, claimed that he was going to drop by SQ for some shoulder, then ended up at a fancy place down in the Third Ward... that was the day he lost the town's vote.