Blog

THIS JUST IN: Glen Whelan’s birthday is TODAY (that is, Friday April 25th).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GLEN!

Glen’s work with Peterson has the kind of association we think of when remembering Harald Halberg at Mac Baren or Mike and Mary McNeil of McClelland’s: family, passion, dedication.  If you read my interview with him back in 2020, you’ll recall that his first job as a youngster was sweeping the floors and dusting the benches of the Sallynoggin factory on Saturdays as his dad, factory manager Tony Whelan, prepped the factory for the week to come. Indeed, Tony, only recently retired, has worked at K&P for more than 50 years and was factory manager for more than 20 of those.

Glen’s Dad, Tony Whelan, Jr., in 2013

When Glen was 16, a part-time position opened at Peterson’s fabled Grafton Street shop. It soon turned into a full-time job where, over the next 13 years, Glen mastered the catalog of Peterson shapes, lines and series, their tobacco, and how to best make those meet the needs of the international and local customers who came into the shop.

From 2010: that’s John Dromgoole, shop manager (now retired) on the left.  On the  right, the future Managing Director.

While there, Glen’s interest in the long history of Peterson’s shape catalog prompted him to submit a design for the company’s 150^th Anniversary Pipe, the “Founder’s Edition” oom paul, based on a dutch billiard from the 1896 catalog.

Founder’s Edition, POY 2015

The transition from attending the shop’s international clientele to commercial support manager working with Peterson’s global distribution channels was a natural one, as those who’ve spent time with Glen will know—his affability, gregariousness and charm being the epitome of Irish grace and hospitality.

His fascination with researching and reviving classic Peterson shapes makes him second to none in his knowledge of every era of Peterson pipes, so that I was really excited when he agreed to write the foreword to Peterson’s Patent Pipes The Historic 1906 Catalog.  His leadership and collaboration in bringing exacting replicas of Mark Twain’s fabled 14B, the 1906 catalog’s X160 Swan Neck, the Irish Free State 411 Ringed Bullcap and 3085 panel  and the Eire 444 “Foursquare” are all testaments to his work bringing fun shapes back to the hobby.

Everyone in the pipe world aside from me (the social media pariah) chats frequently with Glen in his role as  co-administrator along with Dan Chasin for Pipe Smokers of Ireland, where he’s either designed or facilitated their annual commemorative every year since 2014.

Last year Glen was made Managing Director, the sort of “factory sweeper to managing director” fairy-tale rarely encountered in the real-life business world.  Of course I was just about the last to know, but I eventually found out from those at PSOI who often pity my Luddite ways and throw me a few pixels now and then.

A DNA slide from Glen’s lab work

As part of Glen’s requirement for the job, he had to undergo a physical examination for the insurance company.  What the doctors found mad them incredulous, and they sent their lab work to Beacon Hospital, Dublin’s most prestigious.  They wouldn’t comment on what they found.

This should reach everyone’s inbox at about 12:01AM Dublin time, but whenever you get it, take just a second and wish him a happy birthday in the comments section below!

THANKS
Muppet Labs for photo of Glen’s DNA
K&P for the 2010 photo of John and Glen