I owe something or another (wink wink) to everyone below. During the ten years it took me to research my Dean O'Banion biography, GUNS AND ROSES, I met several knowledgeable individuals who never failed to make time to 'set the record straight'. They should have realized that they hadn't seen the last of me.

Thanks to the friends / colleagues below for their assistance with interviews, photos, legal documents, and moral support both for this site and the manuscript in progress.

• Bill Helmer: he hasn't grown too big for his britches yet. Bill is the author of numerous gangster related books, such as Public Enemies: America's Criminal Past, 1919-1940, and the forthcoming The St. Valentine's Day Massacre: The Untold Story of the Gangland Bloodbath That Brought Down Al Capone (co-authored with Art Bilek).
• Mario Gomes: my fellow Canadian and gangster enthusiast. Running one of the best gangster sites on the Net has not spoiled him one bit. Thanks to Mario for the moral support and the permission to use some of the images currently on his site.
• Rick Mattix: for his invaluable tips and suggestions that led me to, of all things, Moran's Leavenworth file.
• Larry Raeder: I''ve already told him that I'm going to patent his knowledge and retire young.
• John Binder: Chicago crime historian and author who has been generous with his extensive collection of news clippings and photos.
• Richard Kaufman: for filling in the details about Moran's association with his grandfather, Chicago gambler Julian 'Potatoes' Kaufman.
• Mari Abba: she knows the North Siders better than I do (bows humbly).
• Ellen Poulson: author of the fabulous Don't Call Us Molls. She and I are thinking of forming a union of female vintage crime writers, and she's already come up with the perfect name: "Local 2-of-Us."

Special credit should also go to the staff of the Ohio State Historical Society, the U.S. National Archives (Great Lakes Branch), and the Harold Washington Public Library in downtown Chicago for their help in tracking down newspaper files and official records, some of which hadn't seen the light of day in years.

A heartfelt thank you to J. Moran..... for helping me to understand why.

HOME