Reliable Source Bartender Richard McClary to Retire Thursday

Richard McClary, the happy hour, dinner and late night bartender at the National Press Club's Reliable Source bar, is hanging up his vest and retiring on Thursday night after 49 years of service to the Club.

"I started as a barback and got on-the-job training," "Richie" said. In 1967, when he started, the bar was where the Library is and vice versa.

McClary plans to stay in the Washington area, but he has already been told at home, "I can no longer spend every day at a bar with my friends." When asked what he would do in retirement, Richard, who can already sleep late every day, said he plans to become a "handyman -- in my house."

Former Club Presidents are planning a formal sendoff for Richard in mid-January.