AquaSox staffer raises McMuffin to old boss

March 28 was a solemn day at the Everett AquaSox office.

There had been a death.

Food was quickly gathered for a wake of sorts.

Everyone took a moment to reflect.

I mean, who hadn’t eaten an Egg McMuffin in their lifetime?

The man behind the famous breakfast sandwich, Herb Peterson, died that week.

Was Peterson a baseball fan?

Did he live in Everett?

Was he at every hilarious San Diego Chicken game at Memorial Stadium?

Nope, but there was an AquaSox connection: Pat Dillon, play-by-play announcer for the team, was trained by Peterson when he worked at McDonald’s in Santa Barbara, Calif.

It was enough of a tie for everyone in the baseball office to bow their heads and scarf some Canadian bacon, egg and cheese.

In June, 1980, before his sophomore year in high school, Dillon rode his bike to the fast food joint and got a job. Peterson owned several stores in the area.

A hands on, energetic man, Peterson showed the teens how to make 659 burgers topped with freeze-dried onions in a hour, that sort of thing.

“Herb was nice,” Dillon said. “He was very encouraging, friendly, chatty and almost always seemed to be in good spirits.”

Peterson was a snappy dresser, said the family man who is also director of corporate sales and broadcasting for the team. Dillon said Peterson wore sports coats, country club attire, like Ted Knight in “Caddyshack.”

And Peterson, 89, was a neat nut. Something Dillon was reacquainted with when he spent four years in the Navy, before attending the University of Washington.

Dillon’s old teacher also wrote McDonald’s first national advertising slogan, “Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day.”

But his claim to fame was the McMuffin, consisting of an egg cooked in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, topped with a slice of cheese and grilled Canadian bacon, served on an English muffin.

Peterson still visited all six of his stores in the Santa Barbara area until his health deteriorated last year. There is a plaque in the store where Dillon worked, crediting Peterson for his breakfast sandwich.

A public memorial service will be held April 23 at All Saints by the Sea church in Montecito, Calif.

I don’t know what food they will be serving, but I have a suggestion.

One nice thing Peterson did for McDonald’s employees such as Pat Dillon was to cook French fries.

“He could often be seen dropping another basket into the deep-fryer, or scooping them into containers for the staff who worked at the front counter.”

Corporate didn’t supply Clearasil.

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Cars move across Edgewater Bridge toward Everett on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edgewater Bridge redo linking Everett, Mukilteo delayed until mid-2024

The project, now with an estimated cost of $27 million, will detour West Mukilteo Boulevard foot and car traffic for a year.

Lynn Deeken, the Dean of Arts, Learning Resources & Pathways at EvCC, addresses a large gathering during the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Cascade Learning Center on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
New EvCC learning resource center opens to students, public

Planners of the Everett Community College building hope it will encourage students to use on-campus tutoring resources.

Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman announces his retirement after 31 years of service at the Everett City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police chief to retire at the end of October

Chief Dan Templeman announced his retirement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He has been chief for nine years.

Boeing employees watch the KC-46 Pegasus delivery event  from the air stairs at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)
A new movie based on OceanGate’s Titan submersible tragedy is in the works: ‘Salvaged’

MindRiot announced the film, a fictional project titled “Salvaged,” on Friday.

Mike Bredstrand, who is trying to get back his job with Lake Stevens Public Works, stands in front of the department’s building on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. Bredstrand believes his firing in July was an unwarranted act of revenge by the city. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Lake Stevens worker was fired after getting court order against boss

The city has reportedly spent nearly $60,000 on attorney and arbitration fees related to Mike Bredstrand, who wants his job back.

Chap Grubb, founder and CEO of second-hand outdoor gear store Rerouted, stands inside his new storefront on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Gold Bar, Washington. Rerouted began as an entirely online shop that connected buyers and sellers of used gear.  (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Used outdoor gear shop Rerouted finds a niche in Gold Bar

Seeking to keep good outdoor gear out of landfills, an online reselling business has put down roots in Gold Bar.

Naval Station Everett. (Chuck Taylor / Herald file)
Everett man sentenced to 6 years for cyberstalking ex-wife

Christopher Crawford, 42, was found guilty of sending intimate photos of his ex-wife to adult websites and to colleagues in the Navy.

Most Read